Mantis Burn Racing Accelerates onto Nintendo Switch: VooFoo Studios Discusses Development and Indie Success on eShop

The Nintendo eShop has become an increasingly dynamic ecosystem for indie developers, with a surge of creative titles across genres.

While classic platformers and puzzle games fill much of the Nintendo Switch’s digital catalog, certain genres—like top-down racing—remain relatively unexplored.

That’s where VooFoo Studios enters the track, bringing their acclaimed title Mantis Burn Racing to the Nintendo Switch.

Founded in 2007 in Birmingham, UK, VooFoo Studios has steadily built a reputation for high-quality visual fidelity and gameplay polish, having previously delivered well-received games such as Hustle Kings and the Pure series (Pure Pool, Pure Chess, and Pure Hold’em) across major gaming consoles and PC.

Their first self-published project, Mantis Burn Racing, marked a new direction for the studio and is now racing onto Nintendo’s flagship hybrid console. Mantis Burn Racing distinguishes itself as an action-packed, top-down racing experience that incorporates realistic physics and intuitive controls.

Players can compete in five distinct vehicle classes and tackle an extensive 11-season career mode.

With robust multiplayer support—including four-player local split-screen, eight-player online races, and cross-platform functionality—it’s engineered for competitive play.

VooFoo Studios even optimized the game to run at a solid 60 frames per second on the Nintendo Switch, ensuring a smooth ride whether docked or on the go. Sean Walsh, marketing and PR manager at VooFoo Studios, shares that the transition to Switch was both natural and opportune.

He explains, "We realized early on that the Switch’s portable concept and its focus on local and online multiplayer align perfectly with Mantis Burn Racing’s accessible, ‘pick up and play’ gameplay.

The multiplayer-focused nature of our game feels designed for Switch from day one." Walsh also emphasizes Nintendo’s supportive development environment: "Nintendo treats independent developers as equals to major studios, making development and publishing on Switch as straightforward as possible.

Their tools let us get the best performance out of the hardware, particularly in achieving our target of 60fps." The studio’s move into the racing genre was a deliberate return to form: founder Mark Williams had previously worked on a top-down racer in the late 90s.

"We felt the top-down racing genre had stagnated, especially on console," says Walsh.

"With our expertise in visuals and physics, we believed we could make the genre relevant again." The smooth design process and positive feedback from audiences—such as at EGX, where the Switch version debuted—reinforced their confidence in the project. On the technical side, enabling cross-platform play with Xbox One and Steam players was "relatively straightforward" thanks to VooFoo’s own online server technology.

Walsh notes the larger hurdle lay in obtaining platform holder approval, but lauds Nintendo’s and Microsoft’s growing support for cross-platform communities. Mantis Burn Racing launches on Nintendo Switch complete with previously released content such as Battle Cars, Elite Class vehicles, and Snowbound tracks.

The team is open to developing further downloadable content based on player interest.

For newcomers, Walsh advises experimenting with the nimble Sidewinder class for cornering advantage, but cautions players to balance upgrades carefully to avoid sacrificing control for speed. Positive reception and user engagement have encouraged VooFoo Studios to consider further projects for Nintendo Switch.

As Walsh affirms, "We love the Nintendo Switch and we think Mantis Burn Racing is a great fit.

It’s definitely a console we want to develop for in the future." With Mantis Burn Racing, VooFoo Studios demonstrates how indie developers can thrive on Nintendo eShop by embracing the Switch’s unique strengths and Nintendo’s robust support system, delivering fast-paced competition and high visual polish to a growing audience.

VooFoo Studios Nintendo Mantis Burn Racing Nintendo Switch eShop Switch Success indie developers