Like any independent game developer, Fajrul Falakh Nurfitryansyah, who goes by Fajrul FN, just needed an opportunity to get his game in front of prospective players. He got a chance when Geoff Keighley, the man behind Summer Game Fest, gave him a call.
“He said he saw the game and asked if there was anything he could do to help the project. I told him we were still a small team trying to gain visibility,” Fajrul FN told Polygon via email. And visibility he received — Summer Game Fest draws millions of viewers each year, and this year’s audience got a thrilling look at Fajrul’s Acts of Blood, a Raid– and Sifu-inspired beat-’em-up due out next year.
Fajrul FN was born in Karawang, Indonesia, and moved to Bandung a little over a decade ago, which is where Acts of Blood is set. When he’s not working on his game, he’s watching films or UFC fights, and that influence will no doubt be felt in Acts of Blood’s graphic fights. “These hobbies are a big part of what shapes me as a person, and they’re also what inspire my work and the games I create,” he said.
Polygon spoke with Fajrul FN about Acts of Blood — how he’s making it, what inspired it, and just how bloody it’s going to be (spoiler: very).
Polygon: How did you know you wanted to make Acts of Blood? When did development start?
Fajrul FN: I’ve been making games since 2010, starting with personal projects in Blender Game Engine. After five years in the professional game industry, I realized how much I missed the creative freedom of making something for myself. In January 2024, I decided to start Acts of Blood as a way to improve my Unreal skills. But what began as a personal side project quickly evolved into something bigger. Development started then, and it’s been growing ever since.
Is there a fun, weird, chaotic, or otherwise noteworthy moment that sticks out to you from development that you could share?
Honestly, one of the weirdest things about Acts of Blood is that the whole game started as a personal learning project. I’m primarily a 3D artist, not a programmer, so in the beginning, most of the gameplay systems were literally cobbled together from random YouTube tutorials. If you looked at the early Blueprints, you’d probably see a Frankenstein mix of nodes from five different creators. It’s funny to think a game that made it to Summer Game Fest started off as a test project built out of tutorial scraps.
Could you tell me a little bit about the team behind Acts of Blood, Eksil Team? At Summer Game Fest, Geoff Keighley said the game was being made by you as a solo developer with your friends, so I was hoping you could shed some light on that.
Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. I’m leading the project and doing most of the work game design, programming, 3D environments. But over time, some friends joined in part-time, especially for music, animation, and voice work. We’re a small indie team, most of us working on weekends while juggling day jobs or other projects. I call us Eksil Team, which feels fitting it’s like a group of outcasts building something personal together. [Ed. note: “Eksil” translates to “exile” in English.]
What games or films are inspiring Acts of Blood?
Films like The Raid, The Night Comes for Us, and anything from Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto are a huge influence. For gameplay, it’s a blend of Sleeping Dogs’ counter-based combat and Sifu’s layered combo mechanics. We’re also taking visual cues from games like Max Payne and Manhunt, especially when it comes to grit and tone.
How did you land on where you’re currently living, Bandung, for the setting?
Bandung isn’t often represented in games, and I wanted to change that. It’s where I grew up, so this is my tribute. It’s not a 1:1 recreation, but the feel is there: the rainy streets, unique architecture, cooler climate. From a design perspective, the city’s mix of urban and natural spaces also helps keep levels visually diverse.
With the buckets of blood being spilled and the Mortal Kombat-like X-ray feature, how graphic can we expect Acts of Blood to get?
Image: Eksil Team
Pretty graphic. We’re going all-in on violence as a core part of the experience. Brutal takedowns, dismemberment, and yes, our own version of X-ray kills. Think of it as a grounded but raw homage to classic action games and films. We’ve been clear with our partners from the start: this isn’t going to hold back.
How did Acts of Blood end up at Summer Game Fest? Did Geoff Keighley reach out to you, or was an event like SGF somewhere you always wanted to showcase the game?
Geoff actually emailed me directly, which was insane. He said he saw the game and asked if there was anything he could do to help the project. I told him we were still a small team trying to gain visibility, and not long after, Acts of Blood was included in SGF 2025. Then he even mentioned it during the show. It was a surreal moment.
Is Acts of Blood only in development for PC at this time? Do you plan to make console versions as well?
Right now, the game is in development for PC. But we’ve secured support through the ID@Xbox program from Xbox, and we’re planning to bring it to consoles starting with Xbox, then hopefully more. The scope is manageable, so porting is definitely in our plans.
What are you most excited for players to experience when they get their hands on Acts of Blood next year?
The combat. I’ve poured so much into making it feel tight, responsive, and satisfying. That moment when you dodge a strike, counter with a brutal finisher, and see the X-ray impact, it’s everything I love about action games. I also can’t wait for people to recognize parts of Bandung in the game. It’s both personal and cinematic, and I hope that comes through.
