"We
wanted to go back to that old-school gaming feel. Where games were
games. Not monetizing business machines."
PBG - Where did the inspiration for a snowboarding game come from?
R - Inspiration for the game came from many places. For me it came from growing up playing games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Amped (for the original Xbox). I was also inspired by films like Into the Wild, and Redbull/Brain Farm’s “The Art of Flight” (snowboarding movie). We took inspiration from games like Journey and Windosill for the art direction, and were also inspired by games like Tiny Wings for creating something that isn’t like your typical App Store game. Monument Valley and Threes! gave us the confidence to stick to being premium after seeing them do well as paid apps.
PBG - Alto's Adventure has a very stylized art direction, especially compared to other snowboarding games on the App Store. The Snowman Blog cites games such as Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Journey as influences, can you elaborate on how these helped shape your game?
R - As mentioned above, they were sources of inspiration. Harry Nesbitt (the lead artist and developer on the project) often names Windosill and Journey as games that inspired his art style, but I’m sure there’s more too. With inspiration, oftentimes we notice things in the world around us and they stick with us – but we don’t necessarily remember them specifically as inspiration.
PBG - Built By Snowman has done several other apps for iOS. Is there a specific reason you chose to stick with the App Store for Alto's Adventure rather than trying to do a console release?
R - iOS is just what we know. I started working at Marketcircle right before the very first iPhone was announced. They were making business software for the Mac, and then started developing for the iPhone as soon as it was possible. Next came the iPad. I was there for 5 years before leaving to make Checkmark (our first iOS app). Since then I’ve been iOS-only, and it’s what I enjoy and feel comfortable with. We’ve had a lot of requests already (despite the game not even being out yet) to bring Alto to other platforms – but at this time, all I can say is that we’re listening!
PBG - On your blog, you note how important it was that Alto's Adventure had no adds or in-app purchases. Rather it was all paid up-front. When these types of things are common-place in gaming nowadays, why was it so important that your game broke the mold?
R - We wanted to go back to that old-school gaming feel. Where games were games. Not monetizing business machines. I have nothing against freemium games – I play a few myself, such as Crossy Road and TwoDots (we actually made one ourselves during development of Alto called Super Squares, but we wanted to do something for ourselves – the way we would want to experience it.
PBG - From here, what is next for Built By Snowman and what are your hopes for Alto's Adventure?
R - I hope to be able continue doing what I love to do. Building apps and games that solve problems and/or enhance peoples lives through entertainment. Making Alto’s Adventure has been by far the most rewarding experience in my life, so I hope to continue making things like it.
PBG - Thank you so much for taking the time to be apart of this interview. Alto's Adventure looks amazing and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!
R - No problem! I really hope you like the game – it’s been over 2 years in the making!
No comments:
Post a Comment