Part Dan. Part Matt. All Derp.

Derploid® Entertainment was founded by Dan Vicarel and Matt Samardge. After meeting at a Cleveland Game Developers social in summer 2017, they quickly determined that their shared interests and complementary skills could support an independent game development studio: Dan had the programming experience and familiarity with game engines to build a game, while Matt had the visual and musical background to give it polish. By August, they had registered Derploid Entertainment, LLC in the state of Ohio and were ready to make games!

Throughout the following years, Matt and Dan methodically built up their skills and portfolios. They both had day jobs to work around and families to support, but they always found time to participate in game jams, collaborate with fellow Cleveland Game Developers, and attend conferences like GDEX and Origins Game Fair. In May of 2020, Derploid took on its first professional contract with Solidplasma Studios, contributing artwork and building out the entire cloud infrastructure for Solidplasma's game, Farmageddon: A Cattle Royale, released in 2021. With the success of that game, Matt and Dan were ready to devote themselves to an original project.

Matt had worked at Jack Casino in Cleveland for several years, so he pitched the idea for a simple mobile game to help players recognize Poker hands faster. This idea would grow into High Hand Hold'em™, described above. Still navigating family life and day jobs, Matt and Dan pushed through to release the game in October 2026 and show it at the Game Developer EXpo!

What comes next? Only time will tell! Derploid® will always be committed to making the world a happier place with games that are fun, engaging, and not exploitative. Someday soon, we hope to bring on more team members whose skills and values align with ours.