Post by leunas on Nov 11, 2006 3:28:29 GMT -5
In Montreal today, Introversion co-founder Tom Arundel advised how an indie developer can navigate in a world of mega-publishers.
Introversion, the UK-based developer responsible for games including Uplink, Darwinia and Defcon: Everybody Dies, is a company that, pretty much out of necessity, focuses on compelling gameplay, not graphics. It's a formula that--if executed correctly--can work greatly to an indie's benefit.
“When you have limited resources, gameplay is something you can focus on that doesn’t need a lot of resources,” said Arundel at the Montreal International Game Summit. “…We have to focus on gameplay. We don’t need to have all these big mega-graphics to do that.”
But little games from little developers that sport humble graphics don’t sell, do they? Arundel argued that with new distribution channels are making the role of the indie more and more commercially viable. “Digital distribution will save indies like us,” he stated. “The future for us indies is quite bright. Think about it. All the new consoles are [becoming more accessible]. Independents get access to the hardware and distribution channels."
Arundel outlined Introversion’s own experience with digital distribution. Valve’s distribution platform Steam now carries the acclaimed Darwinia, all because of a simple e-mail to Valve co-founder and managing director Gabe Newell.
“We e-mailed Gabe Newell on the off chance – we’d heard that they were opening the Steam platform to certain parties. [We] didn’t hear back. Three months later, Gabe said ‘Okay, my three-year-old son likes Darwinia. We’ll run it.’”
Arundel’s presentation outlined a rather romantic vision of the determined small indie developer who makes games out of passion, not because of a corporate order or for money. But he said that in order to survive and be commercially viable, indies still have to be smart and “pick your battles quite carefully.”
www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4179&Itemid=2
Introversion, the UK-based developer responsible for games including Uplink, Darwinia and Defcon: Everybody Dies, is a company that, pretty much out of necessity, focuses on compelling gameplay, not graphics. It's a formula that--if executed correctly--can work greatly to an indie's benefit.
“When you have limited resources, gameplay is something you can focus on that doesn’t need a lot of resources,” said Arundel at the Montreal International Game Summit. “…We have to focus on gameplay. We don’t need to have all these big mega-graphics to do that.”
But little games from little developers that sport humble graphics don’t sell, do they? Arundel argued that with new distribution channels are making the role of the indie more and more commercially viable. “Digital distribution will save indies like us,” he stated. “The future for us indies is quite bright. Think about it. All the new consoles are [becoming more accessible]. Independents get access to the hardware and distribution channels."
Arundel outlined Introversion’s own experience with digital distribution. Valve’s distribution platform Steam now carries the acclaimed Darwinia, all because of a simple e-mail to Valve co-founder and managing director Gabe Newell.
“We e-mailed Gabe Newell on the off chance – we’d heard that they were opening the Steam platform to certain parties. [We] didn’t hear back. Three months later, Gabe said ‘Okay, my three-year-old son likes Darwinia. We’ll run it.’”
Arundel’s presentation outlined a rather romantic vision of the determined small indie developer who makes games out of passion, not because of a corporate order or for money. But he said that in order to survive and be commercially viable, indies still have to be smart and “pick your battles quite carefully.”
www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4179&Itemid=2