The video game industry is in the middle of a crisis.
The idea that, if you dont make a project too big to fail, youwillfail.
The studios approach to development emphasizes transparency with both players and the people funding their games.
‘1000xResist’Fellow Traveller Games
Theres no magic to it.
Blockbuster games often take upward of five years to make, along with nine-figure investments and thousands of man-hours.
One of Nelsons biggest issues has been getting funding onboard for some of their smaller projects.
Strange Scaffolds strict adherence to short timelines and resource investment has meant that their moderate success can be enough.
But elsewhere, other developers have opted for self-publishing strategies.
you might see the results.
It paid off and we figured it out, says Kaman.
Even with the success ofAnother Crabs Treasure, the studios future is uncertain.
Afterlosing the publisherfor their next release, Aggro Crab is currently searching for a new partner.
We need to find a way to get these projects the funding they need to exist.
Maybe its a way to make games cheaper, Kaman says.
Theres the phrase, I want shorter games with worse graphics.
Theres truth to that.
Were seeing games canhave lower graphical fidelityand still be incredible.
Ambition is important, and I want to see indie games get rewarded for that.
That balance between old and new was important.
You dont need to completely reinvent the game from scratch.
Because, in a sense, games are something people play for comfort, Kama says.
You go home, youre tired, you want something familiar.
But if you’ve got the option to give the familiar and something new, thats the best.
Ive called it the peanut butter and pill that you feed a dog.
But that level of innovation can even happen with first-time developers who have just the right idea.
The studio behind1000xResistis Vancouver-based Sunset Visitor, founded by composer and media artist Remy Siu.
Our slice of Hong Kong diaspora is rarely represented in media.
We also dont see that in science fiction, like large nations continuing to exist in the future.
Players expect blockbuster games to have action movie violence.
I often read interviews where Yoko Taro [the creator ofNieR]hates violence.
Im hoping that, like AAA, were learning a lesson that funding needs to be diversified.
Yet despite those success stories, theres a sea of other indie devs struggling against the tide.
Theres a shift that must happen to get indie games the recognition they deserve.
Whod have imagined that the most talked about game of 2024 would be apoker game without gambling?
