"We have implemented the turn—based tactics of The Way," Nikolai Bondarenko from Aurum Dust on the results of 2023

We continue to summarize the results of 2023 with the game teams. Next up is an interview with Nikolai Bondarenko, CEO of Aurum Dust Studio.

What was the year like for the company? What have you done that I would like to highlight in terms of achievements?

The biggest achievement is the release of the turn—based tactics of The Way. With good reviews and ratings. I think that our focus on the audience's opinion and constant playtests have been justified. Overall, the year has been difficult, but most of the problems and challenges of 2022 have been overcome in one way or another.

How has the situation in the gaming market changed?

I would say that Steam confidently continues to move in the trend, when fewer and fewer games will earn more than $1 million on the site. As well as the general trend that 5% of games will collect 90% of revenue. I think that from the point of view of finding investments, the trend for PC and console games has begun to revive. Traffic is getting much more expensive, as well as user engagement in general. Those publishers who have made or are betting on D2C (direct to customer) will benefit greatly compared to those who do not.

What was the year like for the genres in which you work?

I think it's great! Larian has brought many new players to the CRPG segment and has generally raised interest in the genre. In general, it seems that BG3 will deservedly outshine almost everything that came out in the niche. It is very interesting how this will affect the releases of Broken Road or Zoria.

What are the company's plans for next year?

To announce a new game, the first playable of which we have been working on since the summer. A new, interesting CRPG with a non-linear story and turn-based battles.