In a tough gaming industry, Baton Rouge-based tech company Pixel Dash Studios is competing in its own battle. 
Pixel Dash Studios works with clients to develop original products and improve existing products. The company works to build distinct video games, captivation graphics, motion design and 3-D animation. It also features customized business software on a range of platforms including mobile, PC, web and game consoles for all price points.   
Co-founders Jason Tate and Evan Smith took a gamble when they created Pixel Dash Studios. The two started the company simply because they said they had no choice. 
Tate and Smith wanted to continue their passion of developing games and stay in Louisiana, not wanting to move to a more tech savvy location like many developers. In order to stay in Louisiana and avoid relocating their families, they had to create a company themselves.  
Smith said one of the biggest challenges in creating a startup tech company is having longevity and expanding while having to pay their own way. Much of the company’s profit goes back to investors and other financial needs. Smith said he believes the key to growth is to continue putting out good products. A large part of the company’s marketing thus far has been word of mouth. People hear good things about the products and spread the word, allowing the team to stay busy. 
“Our two game products ‘Swap Drop Poker’ and ‘Road Redemption’ are where we see a big step in growth,” Smith said. “We really want these game products to be successful and allow us to have the kind of growth and stability we need.”
More and more tech companies are coming to the Baton Rouge area, providing competition but also camaraderie for Pixel Dash Studios. Tate said he believes the studio will be able to work with other companies but also keep the edge separating them from those companies. 
Last year was the first time the co-founders took Pixel Dash’s products to market. As Pixel Dash continues to expand, Tate said he knows the company must keep its goals intact and work hard to promote itself.
“We really want to be the premiere digital media company in Louisiana,” Tate said. “We try to be involved in the community and go to all sorts of events to raise awareness about the company.”
Tate is also the president of the International Game Developers Association’s Baton Rouge chapter. Through this, he helps to organize a global network of game industry professionals, and increases Pixel Dash’s visibility. 
In addition to “Swap Drop Poker” and “Road Redemption,” Pixel Dash Studios has found unexpected success with professional sports. 
One of Smith and Tate’s biggest accomplishments was developing the very first in-app game for an NBA team. The company developed “Quest for the Coast,” for the official NBA app of the New Orleans Pelicans. 
“I think we’re the only people in this area doing anything like this,” Smith said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to grow and offer a lot of internships through LSU. In most cases, those internships turn into paid opportunities.”
University alumnus Kevin Dupuy is one of those interns. Dupuy interned with the company for class credit when he was a digital arts major. He now works full-time for Pixel Dash as a designer and visual effects artist, affectionately called a “pixel master,” and has been working on “Road Redemption” exclusively since he graduated in 2012. 
“I love that I get to work on a game that’s actually the type of game I would play,” Dupuy said. “It makes working a lot more fun, and I can put more passion into it.” 
Smith said providing these opportunities for students not only helps Pixel Dash, but those who want to get their feet in the door of the gaming industry. 
Both Smith and Tate said they are driven to get better and put out quality products. Most importantly, they both enjoy what they do, and put that joy into each project they work on. For Tate, Pixel Dash being a merging of creativity and engineering makes the experience all the better. 
“One thing we always say is we’re kind of the intersection of art and technology,” Tate said.  “We have the technical engineering side, and the more creative artistic side and it makes for a really cool experience, and that’s what I enjoy most.” 

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Raegan Labat

LSU alumnus Kevin Dupuy and designer and visual effects artist for Pixel Dash Studios takes one of his games "Road Redemption" for a trial run.