Blue Prince Development Secrets: 8 Years of 80-Hour Weeks Exposed
“I’ll Never Do It Again” – Blue Prince Developer Worked 80 Hours a Week for 8 Years
Blue Prince, one of 2025’s most acclaimed indie games, has earned widespread praise and multiple awards for its creative design. However, behind that success lies an extreme development story. Tonda Ros, the solo developer and founder of Dogubomb, revealed that he worked around 80 hours per week for nearly eight years, totaling roughly 33,280 hours, to complete the game, without relying on AI tools.
Why the Development Took So Long
Speaking to Aftermath at the D.I.C.E. Awards, Ros explained that Blue Prince blends Escape Room–style puzzles with Roguelite structure, meaning every mechanic must interlock precisely. As a result, even small changes required careful testing and iteration. Therefore, development became a long and demanding process rather than a straightforward production cycle.
A Final Update Is Still Coming
Although Blue Prince launched as a complete experience, Ros confirmed that one final major update is planned. However, instead of adding large new systems, the update will focus on polish and refinement, including features he originally wanted but lacked time to implement, such as certain cutscenes.
“I wanted the game to feel complete at launch, like older games where what you shipped was the final product,” Ros said. Because of this philosophy, post-launch updates are meant to refine, not radically expand, the experience.
“I Won’t Work Like This Again”
Most importantly, Ros admitted that the development pace was not sustainable. While he remains passionate about making games, he stated clearly that he will never push himself this hard again, prioritizing health and long-term creativity instead.
From Film to Games
Interestingly, Ros did not originally come from a game development background. Instead, he transitioned from film, which strongly influenced Blue Prince’s atmosphere, pacing, and environmental storytelling. Ultimately, the project confirmed that his career shift was the right choice, even if the cost was extremely high.
Blue Prince is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, Steam, and the Mac App Store. Fans can look forward to the game’s final update in the future.
Origin: aftermath
