Untold Tales: "Every team should work with the tools they understand"

We continue the mini-series of interviews within the framework of the WN Dev Contest. In them, the jury of the competition shares tips on working in the game market. This time we had a conversation with Grzegorz Drabik, the head ofUntold Tales on business development.

WN Dev Contest is a competition of games created on Unreal Engine 4. Held by WN Media Group in conjunction with Unreal Engine and Reboot Develop.

Grzegorz Drabik

App2Top.ru What is the most relevant launch strategy for small independent teams (release on as many platforms as possible, focus on a single site, early access, something else)?

Gnegorz: The strategy depends on the project. It is always calculated separately for each game.

We are not big fans of Early Access (especially when it comes to single-player games), as we consider it a "soft launch". In fact, the game turns out to be launched into the world, which brings confusion to the marketing strategy.

Also, we definitely do not drown for a one-time launch on all platforms of any game. There are projects that, for example, are better suited to Switch. At the same time, others may be ideal for a launch launch somewhere else. PC is something like a standard to run, and specific consoles are according to circumstances.

App2Top.ru Q: Is it important for you as a publisher that the developer you work with implements the same processes and tools that you use?

Gnegorz: We are sure that there are no standards in the market. And in general: every team (whether it's a developer or a publisher) should work with the tools they understand, with which they are comfortable solving problems. We do not drown for the introduction of anything.

App2Top.ru : There is an opinion that publishers are looking not so much for games as for the teams behind them. What do you think a good team should be?

Gnegorz: Yes, the team is very important. It consists of the experience of each participant, the chemistry between them and their past achievements. At the same time, for success, it is not necessary that the team members be experienced game programmers or game artists with a large number of released projects behind them. Other fields can be a source of cool specialists. It's just important to remember that a great idea is important, yes, but equally important is the team behind it, able to implement it the way it was intended.

App2Top.ru Q: What mistakes do independent developers make most often when working on single-player games for PC and consoles? 

Gnegorz: Among the most common: working on several concepts at the same time, deviations from the original plan (changing the idea, scale of the game, even the genre), poor budgeting, errors in calculations, lack of a development schedule and a plan for hiring staff.

App2Top.ru Questioner: And the last question: what projects are you looking for in the competition?

Gnegorz: Singleplayer indie projects that can bring fresh experiences and a cool narrative or story. The plot does not necessarily have to be presented through dialogues or cutscenes. We will be glad to storytelling with the help of the environment and building a story through player interactions.