The Arcade Game Developer Questionnaire: Denis Bourdain of Load Inc.

Sponsor Links

Check out Roogoo at:
www.Roogoo.com

Jun. 24 4:26 PM by Terry Terrones

The Arcade Game Developer Questionnaire: Part 1

Ever wonder how Xbox Live, PlayStation Network or Wii Shop Channel games get made? How does the creative process work? How is a price point determined? And when the hell can I download Sunset Riders?!? For a long time I've been curious about the creation of downloadable games so I made a list of questions I'd ask a developer if I got the chance. I got my chance. In the spirit of James Lipton's Pivot Questionnaire from Inside the Actors Studio comes the Arcade Game Developer Questionnaire (Rolls off the tongue doesn't it? Lets call it AGDQ for short). Developers across all formats are asked 10 questions and we get the inside info on downloadable games.

First up is Load Inc.'s Denis Bourdain.

Denis is an industry vet with a long and successful track record. The former Ubisoft employee and co-founder of the Paris based Load Inc. has developed games for XBLA before (Mad Tracks) and is currently working on "Things On Wheels" (see screenshot above), an arcade racing title that places players at the helm of radio-controlled vehicles as they compete on tracks set within a gigantic house. Denis took some time to play Tom Hanks to my James Lipton.

GamePro: When you make the decision to create a game for XBLA how do you choose what kind of game to make? Is it based on a classic game in your catalog, a game that you think would be fun but isn't quite big enough to be a full console game, or is it from the creativity of your staff?

Denis Bourdain: We try to look at how successful games are on the platform. We talk a lot to the community, to make sure we sync with what they're expecting. We also decide on what we're going to do on pure business or industrial facts. What can we do with our know-how and our technology? What do SouthPeak (our publisher) want? What size? What price? What is Microsoft looking for in their portfolio? What are our friend developers working on? Is there a niche we can fill? Will we have enough coffee to finish what we started? We have to address all these. It's very tricky because making a good game is just not enough.

GP: What's the first step when working on getting an XBLA title approved? Do you have to have a game already in beta form so that Microsoft can try it out or can you come to them with just a concept? How does the pitch work?

DB: Ok, I have to make a serious answer here (trying to keep a straight face). It depends who presents the title to Microsoft. In any case, you have to have a solid concept. Having a playable on Xbox is definitely a plus, if you don't have a track record yet on the console, it validates your skills.

GP: Once you have the green light from MS, how long does it take to complete the game and then have it to appear on Arcade? What does the timeline from idea to publishing look like and how is it different from a console game?

DB: A certain amount of time would say Nicolas, our game designer. It really depends what you're aiming at. I've heard of titles that took as little as three months (mostly ports or coin up nostalgia). Out latest title, "Things on Wheels", is more of a full game, we're exceeding one year of dev time. Trust me, it's nothing different to a retail console game! ToW has more game value than some retail titles today (nope, not telling which!!).

GP: What are the differences between creating an XBLA game and a console game (staff size, time, expense, download vs. disc)? Similarities?

DB: Technicaly, we are making an Xbox 360 game and then adding XBLA requirements. So on paper, it's harder to make an XBLA game. You have to add a trial version (that's a double edged blade), having Live is VERY much appreciated by Microsoft (read: required too), making it fit in the size limit (less of an issue since it's 350M), etc. We are working on retail Xbox now with the same team and the same technology. I'd say the main difference is business/strategy. Do you want to go retail or downloadable? What does the community want? What's the most appealing to your business partners? Do you really want to give half of your money to Wal-Mart? That kind of thing.

GP: What makes for a great XBLA title? What kind of experience do you want gamers to have?

DB: There's as many opinions as there are studios developing games for XBLA! For Load Inc. the equation is "just" answering to the audience. The XBLA audience is very eclectic and multiple. It's represented by all age groups, all player genres (even non players), both casual and hardcore. We try to stick to popular genres (racing is one of them), making sure you can play quickly, with friends at home or over Live, and delivering lots of game for the money. Of course having 100% Fat Free Games helps a lot.

GP: Achievement Points are an important part of any 360 game but seem to be given out pretty randomly. With only 200 points in an XBLA title, how do you decide how to dispense the points and what guidelines are you given?

DB: There are no real guidelines. Achievements have to be doable and respect TCRs (Xbox requirements). We choose achievements based on three points: competitive side (be the best), exploration (play different game modes, play split screen) and discovery (side gameplay, visit the house, etc.). It's a great way to push people to play the game fully and get the best experience out of it. For ToW, we had two contests on fan sites to have achievements designed by the community (www.destructoid.com and www.xbox360achievements.org), we had some great ideas, some were already in our think box, some were just goofy, winners get their names in the credits!

GP: How is price point determined and what is the difference is between a 400, 800 or 1600 point title?

DB: Even if Microsoft gives recommendations, we (publisher and dev studio) get to choose our price tag. Again, there are a lot of things to watch out for. Price is obviously tied to cost of development, but also to the psychological price and what players see the game value is. I've received pretty bad comments on the new 1600MS price point of Penny Arcade, I really think 1200 is the top price for now on XBLA.

GP: How do the profits of a game get distributed? If a game is $10, what percentage do you guys get and where does the rest of it go?

DB: That's a touchy subject! All deals are private, so I don't know what others get. About Load Inc., the deal we signed with D3P does not allow me to tell you, but trust me, we're making a living out of it.

GP: Microsoft recently announced that some of its poorer selling XBLA titles are going to be delisted. As a company that makes XBLA titles how do you feel about this policy?

DB: Sorry to correct you but Microsoft never mentioned "poorer selling" titles. They want titles out and they want to be able to handpick them. I have mixed feelings about this policy. On one hand I think it's a bad idea because the readability could be greatly improved if we could sort XBLA titles out per genre, price, date, size, etc. After all, Microsoft doesn't have shelf space issues, why rule titles out? On another hand, out of the 135 XBLA titles out there, two dozens are not up to par and they should do some clean up. What I'm most upset with is their criterias. I mean I know you need to start somewhere, but Metacritic.com is just averaging reviews from anyone. For example "Mad Tracks" got the worst review from a hard core FPS site...How relevant is this? On the more than 6 months old criteria, I still play ReVolt - this game is ten years old! How about Pac-Man? These games did not lose their fun factors because they aged! I hope they'll clear things up, people like to understand what they're told - at least I am.

GP: Of the games you've developed for XBLA which ones are you most proud of?

DB: We're proud of everything we do! But the one you are working on is always where you put your attention and love in. Right now I have to say "Things on Wheels".