On June 30, 2022, The Delicious Last Course expansion for the indie game Cuphead was released. A game developed by a very small team who drew each frame by hand. Developers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer told us last time what the idea was behind a world where two mugs fight the devil in a 1930’s cartoon style. But every successful indie team usually has a good publisher on its side. In this case it was even Xbox.
ChrisCarla founded ID@Xbox together with colleague Angela Hesionto give independent developers a chance to compete in the rapidly growing video game market. The founder tells us at what point at Cuphead he was sure the game had so much potential that it’s now even made into a Netflix series and washi tape. Chris also tells us what publishers need to consider when working with independent, small studios. On the other hand, there is also to be clarified what an indie developer should bring with him so that the publisher can properly support him. If you want to learn more about Chris’ work and need some visual examples, be sure to check out the video above.
Eurogamer.de: The most recent game you helped make was Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course. It’s a very ambitious DLC that Xbox has supported from the start. How special was the opportunity to work with Studio MDHR for you?
ChrisCarla: The great thing about Cuphead is that the team has had incredible success with the game for five years and now with the DLC as well. They have appeared on various platforms, even have their own Netflix series and a lot of merchandise. I just bought some Cuphead washi tape from Miami, that’s great! It’s fun to watch this success.
When we started working together – either late 2013 or early 2014 – Alexis Garavaryanthe Xbox Biz Dev at the time, who is now Kowloon Nights and founded Kepler Interactive, discovered the game. He spotted it for Microsoft on an indie developer board where Chad and Jared [Moldenhauer] just asked questions about Unity and showed what they are developing. It was immediately clear: the game is fascinating! Even the few seconds we saw convinced us early on that the world needed to see it.
We already felt what the next big push in game development was going to be: It would be people who didn’t have the classic video game development education. Not trained programmers or people who have spent an awful lot of time at Triple-A studios, but people who love video games, who are passionate, who are willing to work very hard and who have a fantastic idea.
Chris: At the same time, we thought that what they were producing was extremely difficult – really, really difficult. But it was great that Cuphead was a great example of what we’re looking for in the Marketplace Xbox 360 could imagine, even if they weren’t the first. We already felt what the next big push in game development was going to be: It would be people who didn’t have the classic video game development education, weren’t skilled programmers, or people who’d spent an extreme amount of time in triple-A studios. It’s people who love video games, who are passionate, who are willing to work very hard and who have a fantastic idea. Thanks to the democratization of various tools, as before Gamemaker, Unreal or Unity, in which games are created, they were able to convert their vision into a video game. This was formed in their childhood while watching cartoons or playing games on their Sega Master System played.
[…] Don’t forget that this is a very small studio. Chad, Jared, Maja and just a few other people do it all themselves. Since 2015 this has been independent development for us. What’s really going for Cuphead is that we didn’t have to help that much! Of course we have [Studio MDHR] supports. We gave them a platform, sent them development kits and the like, we gave them the reach of the E3, but they made the success themselves. It came from her self-assembled team, from her talent and the hard work that went with it. Of course I follow Cuphead and all the individual members of the team on Instagram and stuff like that. I always get excited when they post, “We have our own Netflix show! We have this new merch! We have these shirts! Check out that!” It’s great to see this success unfold. All of the expectations we had for ID@Xbox when we started the program are met by the team behind Cuphead, as are many of the other teams. They prove that this level of success can be real. It was really nice to be a part of this journey.
Eurogamer.de: How did ID@Xbox specifically support this game? What exactly was your role in the release?
Chris: We’ve supported the project in a number of ways: adding a few dollars here and there for development. That’s probably a lot less than you’d think. Our real task was to make sure that the game was well known and even noticed. In both 2014 and 2015 or other times, we showcased the game. I think that gave the Studio MDHR team the right confidence to take their chance. Before that, they felt like people liked their work on the indie forum and Microsoft liked it. But once Cuphead landed on the biggest stage a game could land in and people responded positively, loved it, super famous people tweeted about it, it gave them the confidence to go through with it. Also, I know that’s how it extended the length of the game and the length of development. We probably contributed to the fact that there were more bosses and fewer platformers or run-and-gun levels in the game. The display gave them the confidence to create a game they knew they could make and one they were dying to share with the world.
Eurogamer.de: What is important for a publisher to consider when working with indies?
Chris: On the one hand, we see traditional publishers releasing games from independent developers. On the other hand, we also have a lot of new, very small companies and even independent developers that publish games from other independents. The most important thing for publishers to think about is, “If I’m working with indies, what’s my role?” Not “What can these developers do for my publishing company?”
Chris: There are developers who want to do everything themselves: They are willing to do the marketing, development, promotion, music or art themselves. And then there are those who don’t want that. Some want to focus fully on the game, others dislike talking to people, are shy or for other reasons. That’s why publishers should say: “We’re here to help! We don’t want to bombard you with questions about your game. We’ll take care of the marketing.” If it’s developers who want to do it all themselves and have no financial basis but know that their game will be ready in 24 months, then someone should tell them: “If you want, you can do the marketing yourself!” If they already have a team and just need the funding, someone can just take care of the money. Publishers can offer testing, localization, different platforms bringing games to the Switch, Xbox or PlayStation. Most importantly, always ask yourself, “How can I help? How can we figure out where this game fits in together?” rather than dictating what, when, and how the developers need to do.
Eurogamer.de: In Germany there is an active indie community where many young people are starting out. What’s your advice to those brand new developers who are probably a little confused? What do they need to bring with them if they want to approach a content curator like you or publishers?
Chris: Of course I have a lot of advice for that. Most importantly, focus on your game, focus on your mission, and make it great. And then don’t form too many prejudices in advance about what works in a promotion or for marketing and what doesn’t. When pitching to a publisher, understand what you want and what you need: “I need help with marketing and I want help with QA.” Negotiations should focus on these points. I’d like to remind you that there are a few things to mark on your calendar: Every six months you take a step back from your project and think about how you want to sell your game. What are the current economic circumstances? Should you announce your project sooner or later? Do not hesitate to contact us as well. The same is certainly true for other platform owners. We regularly hold closed-door meetings with developers to share the latest stats and see what the best marketing strategy is. What time of year is best? What day of the week should I post?
There are three other things to note: First, the screenshots that end up in the store should be the best be pictures that you have ever taken. Because this mostly happens at the end of the development phase, the developers are always very tired when it’s time to take screenshots. So it’s very tempting to snap four in a row and it’s good. In that case, let someone else take good pictures for you. They have an impact on whether someone buys your game or not. Secondly, the same applies to the illustration on the packaging. When your game comes out on consoles, don’t even just design it on PC so that it only looks good on the screen in front of you. Make it really small, sit ten feet away, make it sized like it would say in the store, whether it’s Xbox, PlayStation or Switch. Ensures the packaging looks good in the product size. Maybe in the end the design will have to be simplified, that’s something to think about. Lastly, set aside time each week to take a break from development. When you’re independent and working from home, it’s easy to overwork quickly. This applies to everyone who works independently. Suddenly it’s 18 hours a day, seven days a week and you’ve lost your perspective.
Chris: So I want to remind you: crunch is not just something that big companies force upon you, but something you can inflict on yourself. So take breaks. Get out, go to a park, draw, walk, have a coffee, get away from your game because it’s the only way to come back with a fresh head.
Eurogamer.de: I think that was really helpful. Thanks for the interview and insight into the process behind indie games!
The post How ID@Xbox supports their indie games and what makes Cuphead so special appeared first on Gamingsym.