Scout camp inspires Imagine Dragons’ frontman to develop video game

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals discovered new hobbies, and Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds was no exception. With a desire to pick up coding, Reynolds turned to online resources like YouTube to learn the skill and has since created numerous prototypes. Along with his brother, Mac Reynolds, Reynolds shared details about their new video game at the Silicon Slopes Summit, emphasizing the importance of dreaming big and accomplishing challenging goals.

Reynolds reminisced about his childhood, revealing his deep-rooted love for video games that preceded his music career. Recalling playing on the family Commodore computer and progressing through various gaming systems, Reynolds described his passion for multiplayer games with his siblings. Although initially considering a career in the FBI, Reynolds eventually formed the band Imagine Dragons at Brigham Young University, winning a Battle of the Bands competition and setting his music aspirations in motion.

Sharing a bit of his own childhood dream, Mac Reynolds expressed his desire to own a video game studio as a child, illustrating how the passion for video games ran deep in the Reynolds family. These childhood memories and ambitions inspired Dan Reynolds to create Last Flag, a video game based on his cherished memories of playing Capture the Flag at Scout camp with a unique twist from his childhood experiences.

Reynolds detailed how the game was born out of his desire to capture the essence of playing late-night, spooky games in the woods and hiding the flag in plain sight, just as he did during Scout camp. The idea of hiding the flag with only a small part visible and the thrill of finding and running it back to your side formed the core concept of Last Flag, differentiating it from traditional capture-the-flag modes in other games like Halo.

Pitching the idea to his brother, Dan and Mac Reynolds embarked on the journey of creating Last Flag. Originally intended for family enjoyment, the two brothers set out to build the game, with Dan handling the coding and Mac overseeing the animation. Despite anticipating initial flaws in the game, the Reynolds brothers were excited about the prospect of creating a fun and engaging experience for players.

In a light-hearted exchange, Dan mentioned a previous game he created for his family, Piplit, which can be found on the App Store. Although initially obscure in search results, Piplit is a Tetris-like puzzle app that Dan made specifically for his children. With a team of over 50 individuals, the Reynolds brothers expressed gratitude for the talented people who helped bring Last Flag to life and eagerly anticipated its release in the coming months.