The reveal of Denshattack at Gamescom last year marked a major turning point for developer Undercoders, but according to studio and game director David Jaumandreu, the team walked into the event filled with anxiety rather than confidence.
While the game has since become one of the most anticipated indie releases heading to Nintendo Switch 2, its creators feared players might dismiss the unusual concept before even getting a chance to play it.
In a recent interview with Nintendo Everything, Jaumandreu looked back on the game’s reveal, describing it as one of the most emotional moments of development. He also discussed how community feedback shaped the final experience, the inspirations behind the game’s distinctive style, and the determination that kept the project alive after repeated publisher rejections.
As Denshattack prepares to launch on July 15, 2026, the developer’s comments offer a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges that helped define the project.
Gamescom reveal exceeded every expectation
Jaumandreu admitted the studio entered Gamescom with mixed emotions after spending years developing the project. While excited to finally show the game, the team worried its unconventional concept would fail to connect with players.
“We were incredibly excited to reveal the project we had been already working for years, but, at the same time, we were super scared that people would think it was stupid, didn’t like it or, even worse, just didn’t generate any reactions.”
Instead, the response exceeded every expectation. Jaumandreu recalled hearing audiences cheer during the trailer reveal, something the team never anticipated after months of uncertainty.
“When we started seeing that people were cheering at the trailer we felt relieved, excited, happy, tired… all the feelings at the same time. We never expected to have such a welcoming reaction and that gave us an incredible amount of energy to keep developing the game.”
The positive reception became an important source of motivation as development continued toward launch.
Player feedback helped refine the final game
The Gamescom showcase wasn’t the only way players influenced Denshattack. According to Jaumandreu, feedback gathered from focus groups and public events such as Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, and BCN Game Fest played a significant role in improving the final product.
The development team simplified the game’s original control scheme after extensive playtesting, making it more accessible without sacrificing gameplay depth. Community feedback also led to adjustments to the scoring system based on how players approached the public demo.
One of the most requested additions was the “overtime rule,” which was implemented specifically for players who enjoyed mastering the game’s trick system. Jaumandreu described community input as invaluable in polishing everything from controls and tutorials to visuals and overall gameplay flow.
A toy train sparked the idea as the team persevered through setbacks
Jaumandreu revealed that Denshattack began from an unexpectedly simple moment while casually playing with a toy train like a finger skateboard. The unusual idea eventually evolved into the game’s signature on-rail tricking gameplay after the team built a prototype and realized the concept had real potential.
Development, however, was far from straightforward. Jaumandreu explained that the studio spent more than a year continuing to improve the project despite facing repeated publisher rejections.
“At some point we asked ourselves if we should just ditch the idea and try something more conventional, but we were so convinced that it could work that we kept improving the build and pitching the project.”
The team ultimately secured support and continued refining the game while drawing inspiration from titles such as Jet Set Radio, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Splatoon, Hi-Fi Rush, Thumper, OlliOlli World, and Densha de Go!
Although the developers considered releasing the game on the original Nintendo Switch, they ultimately chose Nintendo Switch 2 because they wanted to fully realize the game’s visuals, speed, and consistent high frame rate without hardware limitations.
Denshattack launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on July 15, 2026.
