How three developers are handling the tricky business of creating adventure games in the modern world
The popular narrative for adventure gaming is that it died with the commercial failure of Grim Fandango before re-emerging a decade later, largely thanks to an explosion of indie developers as well as Telltale’s new spin on the genre. Words like “renaissance” are thrown around a lot. The reality is a bit more complicated.
Who plays adventure games now? Wadjet Eye’s Dave Gilbert, currently working on Unavowed, says that it’s people like himself. “People who grew up playing games with a story or narrative bent to it; people who maybe don’t have a lot of time to play a game. That’s why our games tend to be on the short end.”
These people make up the core, Gilbert tells me, but they’re not the only adventurers. Owl Cave Games’ Olivia White, whose latest project, Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You, is an adaptation of the famous MR James ghost story, believes that her audience is as diverse as they come. “A cross-section of pretty much anyone across society,” she says.
A broad audience doesn’t always translate to a big audience, however. When Gilbert released the final chapter of his well-received Blackwell series, before it was in any bundles or sales, he sold 7,005 copies on Steam. It can be hard to get the word out.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2017-Ausgabe von PC Gamer US Edition.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2017-Ausgabe von PC Gamer US Edition.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Special Report- Stacked Deck - Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big.
Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big. Four years later, its successor Inkbound’s launch from Early Access was looking more like Sandwich Big.I’m not just saying that because of the mountain of lamb and eggplants I ate while meeting with developer Shiny Shoe over lunch, to feel out what the aftermath of releasing a game looks like in 2024. I mean, have I thought about that sandwich every day since? Yes. But also, the indie team talked frankly about the struggle of luring Monster Train’s audience on board for its next game.
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