Bubsy 4D dev says revival aims to push platformers forward

I went into a GDC demo of Bubsy 4D expecting a joke, but the game surprised me. Within minutes the mechanics—deep, chainable movement and level design that rewards experimentation—pulled me in. Fabraz’s lead developer Ben Miller explained that the studio, fresh from releasing Demon Tides, treated the revival seriously: not as cheap nostalgia but as a chance to push the platforming genre forward and genuinely celebrate the character.

The game’s origin has a bit of meme chaos to it. After Atari bought many franchises in 2023, its CEO Wade Rosen said he wanted a “good” Bubsy and invited pitches on MinnMax. Fabraz’s team, meanwhile, had fans pestering them and even made an Akira meme about the pressure, only to be contacted by Atari later for a pitch.

That confusion feeds into Bubsy 4D’s meta story. As Miller put it, “He’s this failed B-list celebrity… Anything you love to hate, you still love.” Rather than lampoon Bubsy, Fabraz focused on making a modern 3D platformer.

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