Production still from Ghosts of Tabor. Provided photo.

When Scott Albright created Combat Waffle Studios in 2022, it was done with a purpose: to launch the game development studio’s flagship title, Ghosts of Tabor. “We always knew that Combat Waffle might become something, but our biggest focus was just making it through those first 11 months and hoping to make a paycheck at the end of every month,” says Albright, founder, CEO, creative director and U.S. Army veteran. “We could be a total flop as long as we had enough users buying the game to where we didn’t have to get rid of any original IP and we made the minimum that we needed to live.”

Three years later Albright and Combat Waffle Studios have done more than just scrape by. Ghosts of Tabor, a VR, first-person extraction shooter, was an instant hit after its early access release in March 2023 and has grossed over $30 million in revenue to date. Ghosts of Tabor’s success has coincided with Combat Waffle’s exponential growth. The studio, based in Nokomis, has two other games in early access—Grim and Silent North—and more titles in development. In February, Combat Waffle Studios—named after the military jargon for a landmine—moved locations from a 7,000 square foot space to a 23,349 square foot building to accommodate a rapidly growing staff and increased production demands.

“We have room to hire an extra 100 people, which is great,” says Albright, who currently leads a staff of 50 employees. “It also gives us room to grow our media team—we currently have a team of eight on staff. We do all of our own motion capture, trailer creation and CGI work in house. Now we have space to bring in voice actors for studio recordings, which is something that no other game VR studio does.”

The increased size, however, gives Albright a different perspective on leadership. While his drive has not subsided—the chance to impact players’ lives and create a legacy is what brings him into the office as early as 3am some mornings—the scope of his company is something that he’s still adjusting to. “I like to be involved in everybody’s lives at my company, to know their families and for them to know they can talk to me, because that’s how it was for me in the military. Once you hit 50 people, you can’t do that as much as you’d like to,” admits Albright.

Combat Waffle Studios, 195 W Triple Diamond Blvd, Nokomis, 34275.

Production still from Ghosts of Tabor. Provided photo.

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