Phoenix Project / Nekrova
A playable Unreal prototype — and an honest scope lesson
A passion project grew into a volunteer studio and a playable urban action prototype.
Phoenix began with an unreasonable but motivating question: what if we rebuilt the feeling of APB: Reloaded in Unreal Engine 4? It grew into a team of artists, programmers, sound designers and interns.
We reached playable builds, then the point where the scope demanded a funded studio while everyone was volunteering. Stopping was the responsible conclusion, not a hidden failure.
What I walked intoThe setup
Build the spirit of a large online urban game with volunteer capacity and a very ambitious scope.
How I untangled itThe turning point
I led programmers, artists and sound designers, formalized contributor/IP agreements, supported interns and helped ship playable builds.
What changedWhere it landed
The prototype was real, but volunteer capacity could not sustain its scope. Stopping became a lesson in product judgement and sustainable ambition.