"The team of the flagship DISTORTION project has more than doubled" — Dmitry Zdesev from Game Art Pioneers on the main thing for 2023
We continue to summarize the results of 2023 with the gaming (or related to the gaming sector) teams. Next up is an interview with Dmitry Zdesev, general producer of Game Art Pioneers.
What was the year like for the company? What have you done that I would like to highlight in terms of achievements?
The year 2023 was very interesting for us. We worked hard! The whole team is very pleased with the result. We have new partners, investors and friends. Game Art Pioneers has become a holding company. The team of the flagship DISTORTION project has more than doubled in size. A lot of good specialists from leading international projects have come, which we are very happy about. In addition, two more internal studios have appeared on different indie projects.
We also became the publisher for the wonderful Slavania game, which we will release in the spring, we will announce the exact date just the other day.
Distortion itself has emerged from the prototyping and vertical slice stages, and is very close to the game demo, which should also be expected in the first half of the year. So far, in a closed format for industry experts and journalists.
Interestingly, Distortion has sponsors and patrons, which is not typical of the gaming industry, yet. They also began to develop educational programs together with several Russian universities and internships on a competitive basis in order to further develop the team according to those standards that would meet the challenges facing GAP. Together with our partners in the ANO "Pioneers of Digital Art", we promote important initiatives without unnecessary noise and self-promotion, mainly in the areas of financing, improving conditions for the production of games in the country and education. Something like that.
State registration procedures have become a separate point of growth for us. Certified protection and comprehensive assessment at various stages of development has become an integral part of our life in the framework of working with investments.
How has the situation in the gaming market changed? Have there been any new challenges or trends that now need to be kept in mind?
In terms of strategic planning, we did not see any new challenges on our part. Games similar in scale to ours, as they were made in the world, are still being made. In my subjective opinion, the unhealthy hype around AI has subsided, and it has simply become a working tool that helps people around the world. Many things are becoming clearer, and the pressure in terms of the international situation is easing. There are even cautious hopes for a bright future for our industry in an international reading.
What was the year like for the genres in which you work?
If we talk about plot-based role-playing games, then the year was great, without surprises. The game of the year naturally became a story RPG. We don't have a lot of games in the genre at all, but they are all becoming iconic. So here everything was from year to year, and that's how it remains. The genre is quite well-established in many ways.
What are the company's plans for next year?
The release of Slavania.
To release two new indie products from pre-production into full-fledged production with the appropriate set of teams and the closing of investment rounds on these projects.
And according to Distortion, there are plans to increase her team by almost two and a half times from the current one. Drop footage of Distortion gameplay, raising the "or above the mountains", release an international teaser. Announce Distortion over the hill and start promoting it there little by little.
