What Happens When You Go into Labor the Same Day Your Video Game Comes Out
The co-founder of Laika: Aged Through Blood developer Brainwash Games faced two deadlines simultaneously.
Developing a game is a difficult journey, full of stress, anxiety, and unknowns. For most, those unknowns might be “will people like the game?” or “will it sell well?” It’s less likely the unknown is “uh, will I have a baby on the day my game comes out?”
And yet, this was the question in front of Brainwash Games co-founder Beatriz Ruiz-Castillo in October, as the Spanish indie studio best known for the eccentric PvP shooter Friends v. Friends prepared to launch its acclaimed “motorvania” game, Laika: Aged Through Blood. (You can watch me have a great time with the game in this video.)
“The doctors kept saying for weeks they were going to induce labor and finally decided to do it two days after Laika’s release day,” said Ruiz-Castillo in an interview.
Video game launches can be tumultuous, but Laika: Aged Through Blood wasn’t a live service game. There were no multiplayer servers to maintain. Perhaps two days would be enough for Ruiz-Castillo to concentrate on this other impending life deadline.
“I went into labor naturally the night before the game launched,” said Ruiz-Castillo, “and the baby arrived a few hours after the game. Given the story of the game, it felt like one of those moments where the Universe is trying to tell you something or just laugh at you.”
In Laika: Aged Through Blood, the main character is a mother on a quest for revenge.
“Once I started having symptoms of labor I think I fully went into ‘mother mode’ (aka holy shit this is happening) and forgot about everything else,” said Ruiz-Castillo. “I’m very lucky to work with great people that I trust 100% and could take over so I didn’t have to worry at all.”
Labor is a period where time slows. Both instances are a blur for me, and I had the easy job of just trying to make sure my partner was doing okay, given…everything.
“I don’t think I had the mental capacity to truly care about the game at all until a few weeks after,” said Ruiz-Castillo. “I kind of kept up with what was going on and at times it was nice to look at reviews and such to take a break from baby stuff—I only say this because most reviews are pretty good thank god, otherwise I would have kept far far away from them—but it was not my priority at all.”
I remember when my wife went into labor with our second child, it was the start of COVID-19 lockdowns. We didn’t know anything about the virus back then, and it was an open question on whether I’d even be allowed to be present for the birth. (I was, thankfully.) Our original plan had been for my mom to watch my youngest, but suddenly, that was out of the question. When my wife’s water broke, I texted my neighbors and let them know we weren’t throwing a COVID party—we were inviting someone into our home to watch our child while going to the hospital. Wild times!
But as beautiful as the birth of a child can be, it also blots the sun. The rest of the world pauses, and the work Ruiz-Castillo had contributed to Laika: Aged Through Blood, including singing on the soundtrack, was suddenly a hum in the background.
“It’s a bit bittersweet because nothing is as simple as we’d like it to be, but I think I do [find it beautiful],” she said. “We’ve been joking lately that our trajectory making games has been like a TV show and everything that has happened during the last few months makes it really feel like this is the new season finale. We’ll see what the next season brings our way!”
Take heart, Beatriz. You helped ship a great video game.
At the moment, Ruiz-Castillo is still gaining confidence in her new role as a mother.
“As much as I love making games, it feels kind of nice to step away for a little bit,” she said. “The baby sleeps around two hours straight at max and I’m breastfeeding so you can guess [how I’m feeling]. I never thought I’d be able to live just taking a few short naps through the day but here we are! The miracle of life.”
Parenting, much like making video games, is a miracle.
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Also:
Laika: Aged Through Blood is very good, and I’m anxious to play more of it over my holiday break, as it’s a game I’m bummed I have not spent more time with yet.
I’m eternally grateful my colleagues at Waypoint were so considerate, and never bothered me during my three months away when my oldest child was born.
We’re not planning to have another kid, which makes it easy (and a lil’ sad) for me to say I’ll miss the adrenaline rush that comes with heading to the hospital.
Oh my gosh what a story! God has a funny way of timing things 😂. Glad everything went well her and her labor, and the game of course! Great write up, Patrick.