Video games: when developers play it solo


PARIS (awp/afp) – The development of the most technologically advanced video games now takes place in studios made up of hundreds of people, but some creators are also trying the adventure solo, in the hope of surprise success.

Several works, with a modest budget, have thus been noticed by critics and the public in recent years, being carried by a single author.

Among these famous names, we find Lucas Pope, author of “Papers, Please” (2013), Toby Fox and his “Undertale” (2015) or Eric Barone, designer of “Stardew Valley” (2016).

“These examples have fueled my motivation to work on my own game,” admits Canadian Dan Beckerton, 33, who is fine-tuning the final details of “Spirittea”, scheduled for early 2023.

The player embodies a character in charge of managing public baths, where spirits come to rest, in a colorful and soothing universe inspired by the animated film “Spirited Away”.

“Spirittea”, which obtained a budget of 20,000 dollars thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, is the fruit of nearly three years of work alone, which allows “total creative freedom” but requires multi-tasking. .

“I create the graphics, the game mechanics, I write the story and the dialogues, I compose some of the music and the sound effects”, explains Dan Beckerton.

solitary universe

After two years spent in the Parisian studio of video game giant Ubisoft, Géraud Zucchini set up on his own in 2018.

“The decision to quit was not easy to make, he recalls, but my desire to develop solo games was stronger.”

On his Youtube channel, which has more than 86,000 subscribers, “Doc Géraud” documents the progress of his third project, “Larcin Lazer”. A way to keep in touch with your community and escape a particularly solitary activity.

“When I started, the first thing I missed was the social side. I didn’t see anyone anymore,” confesses Géraud, who took almost a year to adapt to. his new life.

However, it is difficult to explain why some of these “small” games can be successful, at a time when large productions combine ultra-realistic graphics and gargantuan content.

“These are very personal games and it shows,” analyzes Mike Rose, founder of No More Robots, a British publisher specializing in this kind of production, and which publishes “Spirittea”.

fierce competition

For Alizée Veauvy Guilliams Janin, one of the organizers of the Parisian Indie Game Nation festival, one of the explanations also lies in the originality of these creations.

“We can afford more risks because these are sometimes very short projects in time and, above all, which do not necessarily represent a financial risk”, she argues.

In an environment where competition is particularly fierce – around 90% of the games released on the Steam computer gaming platform are unprofitable or unprofitable – standing out is essential, whether through word of mouth or influencer video.

If successful, the numbers can be dizzying: six months after its release, “Stardew Valley” had sold nearly 1.5 million copies, generating nearly $21 million in revenue, according to American specialist journalist Jason Schreier. In March 2022, the game surpassed 20 million in sales.

“These are relatively rare cases, delays Alizée Veauvy Guilliams Janin. A profitable independent game for its creator is already very good”.

In 2021, Géraud Zucchini’s first two games brought him around 12,000 euros, or almost half of his income over a year.

Not enough to make a decent living from it yet, but like the author of “Spirittea”, he hopes one day to experience the same success as one of his illustrious predecessors. His latest creation, Larceny Lazer, should be released at the end of October.

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