Tulsa-area developers bringing homegrown video game to Steam
Mon, July 13, 2026 at 8:31 AM
UpdatedMon, July 13, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Courtesy, Steam
TULSA, Okla. — A group of Tulsa-area developers is preparing to launch a homegrown video game onto one of the world’s largest gaming platforms
Ultra Rad’s Slide Hustle, an indie puzzle game created by local developers Ben Davis, Tyler Huffman and Craig Birchett, is now available to wishlist on Steam ahead of its anticipated August release
The game was inspired by Huffman’s real-life resale business, Ultra Rad Stuff, inside Family Treasures Antique Mall in Broken Arrow
“It’s a puzzle game, and it came from this booth and the work I do buying and selling cool stuff like this,” Huffman said. “I hit up my friend Ben one day and said, ‘I have an idea for a game.'”
In Slide Hustle, players search garage sales and thrift stores for hidden treasures, researching, repairing and reselling items while building a successful resale business
Along the way, they’ll compete with rival resellers, avoid fake collectibles and work to earn the approval of the main character’s father
Huffman said many of the game’s mechanics mirror the real-world challenges of reselling
“In the world of buying and selling things like this, you run into really valuable collectibles that you get for really cheap. You also run into bootlegs,” Huffman said. “We’ve incorporated that into the game as well.”
The idea quickly evolved after Huffman pitched it to longtime friend and game developer Ben Davis
Davis, who previously worked on larger titles including Industria and Industria 2, said he wanted to tackle a smaller project after spending nearly two years on a larger game
“We just started working on it,” Davis said. “We were throwing ideas back and forth, asking, ‘What if we tried this?’ and it just snowballed.”
Unlike many commercial games that can take years to complete, the team set an ambitious goal of finishing Slide Hustle in just three months
“Trying to make a game in three months is pretty unique,” Davis said. “You have to be efficient with what you choose to do and pare down large ideas into something that’s achievable.”
The developers say collaboration has been key throughout the project
Along with Davis leading development, Craig Birchett created the game’s sound design while Huffman wrote the story and produced the project
For Davis, seeing an idea become something people can actually play never gets old
“Taking ideas with my friends and putting them into a game and making them work is a crazy feeling,” Davis said. “To see some idea you had become something other people can play will never stop being amazing.”
The game is already listed on Steam, allowing players to add it to their wishlists before launch
Huffman said that’s an important step for independent developers because Steam’s wishlist feature notifies players when a game becomes available and helps increase visibility ahead of release
“Steam is the largest PC gaming platform out there,” Huffman said. “Getting approved to have our game on there puts us out there into a bigger market and a bigger world of people being able to play the game.”
The team hopes to release Ultra Rad’s Slide Hustle in August and plans to continue updating the game after launch while already working on future projects
For Huffman, the project is about more than making a game
“My favorite part is working with my friends,” he said. “We played video games growing up, and now we’re getting to share one together.”
