The indie studio "Brezg" is developing a game about a political strategist called "Gray Cardinal" and is looking for an investor. The full development cycle will cost 12 million rubles
New publication in the section "Investor/Publisher Wanted." In it, the studio "Brezg" shares a story about its third game. It's called "The Grey Cardinal" and is a political technologist manager.
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From For the People to "The Grey Cardinal"
Pavel Mavidi, the head of the "Brezg" studio, talks about "The Grey Cardinal."
About the Team
The "Brezg" studio has been around since 2017, when a few friends from St. Petersburg decided to start making games. This decision, after the typical bumps in the road for newcomers, culminated in the 2020 release of the game For the People, a narrative simulator of a bureaucrat in a fictional socialist setting.
For the People
The game was warmly received, and we immediately jumped into the second project — a fantasy visual novel With Good Intentions. Unfortunately, the new game was significantly less successful. It didn't find its audience despite a decent number of views on Steam.
With Good Intentions
We are now working on the third game, taking into account the experience and mistakes gained from the previous projects.
The team currently consists of six employees, and we plan to increase the team size to nine members.
About the Project
"The Grey Cardinal" is a "spiritual successor" to For the People, realized at a qualitatively new level and taking into account all the experience gained over the years.
Concept art for "The Grey Cardinal"
Players take on the role of Demid, head of a team of "black" political technologists, working in unstable political conditions of an alternative Russian Empire that has survived into the early 21st century.
Demid will have to engage in "black PR" and crisis management as well as deal with the occult underpinnings of local politics — and as a result, keep an eye on his own mental health.
The project is currently in the pre-production stage — we have art, draft plots, a narrative, and a prototype of one of the key mechanics assembled with our own resources.
About the Gameplay/Mechanics of the Project
The main mechanic of the project is "agent" management. This mechanic appeared in For the People and was well-received by the audience. Players are given tasks (like organizing the victory of a specific party in elections or discrediting a certain politician).
Concept art for "The Grey Cardinal"
Under the player's command are several departments, whose agents can be used not only to execute decisions but also to explore possible options. For example, an issue with finding compromising material could be approached via the IT department (who might propose hacking an email), the surveillance department (who might follow the target), or the police liaison department (to obtain a police dossier).
Each option has its pros and cons, influencing both mechanically (on scales of public opinion, finances, etc.) and narratively. Returning to the compromising material example — if you "push" the surveillance too far, the target might flee the country, which wouldn't be in the client's interest.
The key distinguishing factor of "The Grey Cardinal" compared to other projects is the focus on the personalities of the agents. They possess a set of characteristics and traits, not all known to the player. They might refuse tasks or perform them uniquely — it's probably not wise to send a known alcoholic on a bar assignment. Studying and managing agents is the most crucial part of the game.
Of course, "The Grey Cardinal" has other mechanics as well — non-linear dialogues, a "noir scale" that changes the visual style, time management, mini-games. More details can be found in the pitch presentation and GDD documents, which we can send if needed.
About the Target Audience of the Project
Our main references are the same For the People, the successful aspects of which we continue to develop; Suzerain, which demonstrated that an indie political simulator can indeed be successful, and This is the Police — another popular simulator in the genre based on "agent" mechanics.
Concept art for "The Grey Cardinal"
We aren't aiming for "blockbusters" but are trying to capture a niche that objectively exists — there are quite a few people on Steam who appreciate simulator mechanics combined with a strong narrative.
About the Business Model of the Project
Premium, distribution on Steam, and on Android and iOS stores. Possible future porting to consoles.
About the Metrics
For the People recouped its production budget by more than two times. Currently, the game has 678 reviews on Steam, 74% of which are positive.
Who We Are Looking For
We are seeking an investor willing to finance the full development cycle. We are talking about an amount of approximately 12 million rubles — enough for 18 months of development.
Concept art for "The Grey Cardinal"
However, smaller-scale investments can also be discussed: for example, creating a demo version over 3 or 6 months — we have potentially interested investors who are waiting for a full demo.
How to Contact?
Contact us:
- via email at mavidi@brezgstudio.ru
- on Telegram @mavidi