Writing Games explores NukeFire, a co-op text game born from a '90s classic

Co-creators Mo and Hiro share how they reshaped ThunderDome's legacy into a friendlier, pop-culture-fueled world

Online - April 15, 2026-- Writing Games, a site dedicated to the culture and craft of text-based roleplaying games, has published a new interview with Mo and Hiro, co-creators of NukeFire MUD, a cooperative hack-and-slash text game.

NukeFire MUD: a co-op text game inspired by pop culture

Launched in April 2025, NukeFire is a spiritual successor to the cult '90s post-apocalyptic text game ThunderDome, which shut down in 2023. The interview covers how Mo and Hiro rebuilt the game around cooperation, how its progression system shapes the entire gameplay loop, and how pop-culture zones inspired by Skyrim, Warhammer 40K, Hellraiser, and RoboCop coexist in a single universe.

"It's a strange grab-bag of cultural references that doesn't take itself too seriously and somehow works together," Hiro said of the game's world.

The conversation also explores quality-of-life design, the challenge of keeping up with a rapidly progressing playerbase, and the lessons the pair carried forward from their years on ThunderDome. Mo and Hiro discuss how their complementary skills - Mo's world-building and mechanics, Hiro's infrastructure and systems work - have kept a two-person project sustainable.

"Players appreciate how much thought Mo and Hiro put into quality-of-life updates," said Andruid, creator of Writing Games. "Things like the GPS navigation system and automatic gear comparison take the friction out of the moment-to-moment play and let people focus on the fun." 

The full interview, "NukeFire MUD: a co-op text game inspired by pop culture," is available on Writing Games.

Hiro on NukeFire as a chill hangout with friends