As a seasoned gaming enthusiast and collector of all things whimsical, I must say that my recent foray into the world of Skultimate Secrets has been nothing short of enchanting! Coming from a background where Barbie dolls were more than just playthings but rather gateways to endless hours of creative storytelling and imaginative adventures, I found myself right at home with this delightful gem.
Regarding video games based on licenses, Monster High: Skultimate Secrets is a fresh competitor that’s generating excitement. Originating from Mattel’s third wave of the Monster High franchise, this new platformer intends to deliver a game that will test fans who have been overlooked, while also catering to those who were fond of earlier versions of Monster High. Following its release in October, Game Rant had an opportunity to speak with narrative designer Destinee Cleveland and associate producer Miguel Ortiz de Urbina Díaz. The following interview has been condensed for conciseness and clarity.
Giving Young Girls Challenging Games
Teen and pre-teen girls are a massively overlooked demographic in game development and have been for a long, long time. Games like DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power are a rarity, with many games for the demographic not seeking to challenge young gamer girls. That’s a niche that Monster High: Skultimate Secrets is proud to be able to fill.
Q: First off, can you introduce yourselves?
Destinee Cleveland: Hello! I’m Destinee Cleveland, and I was the storyteller and scribe for the game we’re discussing. Beyond that, I oversee Dames for Games, an organization dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices within the gaming world, particularly those of women and individuals who identify as female or non-binary, along with minorities. I also serve on the board of Black Voices In Gaming, which shares a similar mission.
Díaz: I’m Miguel Ortiz de Urbina Díaz. In the role of an associate producer, I’ve been managing daily production activities at Outright Games. This includes overseeing the publishing and production aspects of games like Monster High: Skulltimate Secrets. Other titles that have already been published under my supervision for Outright Games include educational adventures with a green theme, such as PJ Masks Power Heroes: Mighty Alliance, as well as the latest release, Matchbox Driving Adventures. That’s all from me.
Q: Why was it important to your team to make a game for girls in this age range?
As a lifelong gamer, I trace my roots back to the Atari 2600 era – though I can’t quite pinpoint when exactly. Gaming has been a constant companion throughout my life, shared by many of my friends. There was once this prevailing notion that gaming was predominantly for boys and not girls. However, as we delved deeper into the world of pixels and levels, it became evident that girls were just as passionate about games, eager to stream, develop, and contribute in countless ways to the gaming community.
Diaz: It’s worth noting that over half of our player base, spanning across all platforms, are females or identify as women. This is a significant market segment for us and many other games. Given our focus on catering to a younger demographic, we place great importance on diversity in our audience as well.
Q: How does Skultimate Secrets reach out to the pre-teen girl audience?
Diaz explained that the game is modeled after Monster High’s Generation Three, which debuted in 2022, giving it a modern and youthful appeal suitable for the pre-teen audience you mentioned. Notably, while Monster High as a franchise caters to both pre-teens and older fans, the decision to focus on the G3 generation was strategic, aiming to connect with the younger demographic. As someone who has grown up with the brand, Diaz acknowledges the importance of appealing to this new generation for the game’s design.
Cleveland: To expand on what was said earlier, if you remember the original series and IP releases, Generation One had a more mature feel with character designs and details. However, Generation Three has recognized that young girls are unique and catered to this audience. Characters like Twyla and Frankie have distinct personalities and interests that were emphasized in the game’s narrative design during my tenure.
In a friendly and understandable manner, let me rephrase the given text:
A: In our youth, most video games designed for females were primarily dress-up games. It seems odd that, even as the gaming industry has grown and evolved, there’s still a noticeable lack of games catering to this demographic. Are you aware of any reasons behind this trend? I was wondering if you had any insights on the matter.
Cleveland: Yes, indeed. I believe the main cause for the ongoing disparity lies in certain individuals holding key positions. However, I sense progress is being made, though it’s slow in areas such as this. To illustrate, Dames for Games was the first event to highlight and celebrate women, which took place last year. It’s unfortunate that we still need such events, as they should be standard practice rather than exceptions. Unfortunately, our industry still has a significant distance to cover before achieving true equality.
As a gamer myself, I firmly stand by my conviction that the journey of Skultimate Secrets is on the right track, making it an immense privilege to contribute to such a promising project. I absolutely understand your perspective, which is why I’m consistently advocating for greater visibility, voice, and respect within this gaming industry. It’s crucial because we aim to establish a platform where the upcoming generation can gaze upon our work and think, “Wow, they did that, or she did that, or he did that, and I can see myself doing the same.” Whether it’s narrative design, 3D modeling, or publishing, these are the paths we’re paving to ensure a future where they look at the figures behind our games, the fascination surrounding them, and recognize themselves in those roles.
Diaz pointed out that in the past, if one wanted to play games as a girl, there were limited options similar to Barbie dress-up games. This trend, however, has been changing significantly over the last five to ten years, moving away from a traditional mindset that deemed ‘cool, challenging activities’ suitable only for boys, while ‘calm narratives with no challenges or stress-inducing elements’ were considered appropriate for girls.
From our playtests with this game and other titles in our catalog, it’s evident that girls crave challenges just as much as boys do. This is one reason why Monster High: Skulltimate Secrets offers more than just a dress-up experience. While customization plays a role in promoting diversity, inclusivity, and self-expression – key aspects of Monster High – the game primarily functions as a platformer. We’ve included some challenging platforming sections designed for a younger audience to ensure that the game isn’t overly simple. If you seek a challenge within the game, it can be found. So, it’s crucial to emphasize this aspect of the game too.
A: Could you elaborate on your statement that Monster High represents small but significant strides towards a more inclusive industry? What qualities about the Monster High property make it particularly well-suited to lead in this area?
Cleveland: Let’s discuss how Mattel has consistently striven to become as inclusive and popular as possible over the years. If you look back at their history, you’ll find that Mattel was the pioneer in introducing a black Barbie doll and Barbies with careers. For instance, they released a career Barbie who was a game designer! It seems that Mattel, having originated from a traditional background, has recognized that this approach is no longer effective. Today, it’s not just about girls or boys; there are genderfluid individuals who simply want to be themselves and pursue whatever they desire.
This game stands out to me because it offers a unique feature: the main character isn’t predefined as male or female but serves as a blank canvas for players to craft their own characters. I believe this reflects a strong commitment to inclusivity, something not commonly found in games marketed towards pre-teens. In my opinion, “Skultimate Secrets” is taking the right path, whether it’s baby steps or giant leaps. They seem to be considering the broader implications of their creation, and I see this as the first step towards fostering inclusiveness, promoting diversity, and reflecting the importance of representation in our society.
Building Monster High
Working alongside Mattel, the team at Outright Games strived to achieve an extraordinary level of realism in the game Monster High: Skultimate Secrets. Given Mattel’s broad popularity as a toy manufacturer and collaborator with gaming studios, creating a comprehensive replica for players to traverse was a rewarding endeavor for the developers.
A: Certainly! I’d be happy to elaborate on my collaboration with Mattel. Could you tell me more about the specific aspects of our partnership or your interest in understanding what it was like to work with their intellectual property (IP)?
As a gamer, I can’t help but feel thrilled about the daily interactions we’ve had with Mattel, particularly from their Original Gaming side. Working together on these fantastic Intellectual Properties, including Monster High, has been an absolute dream come true. Our contacts have been incredibly accommodating, always taking our production timeline constraints into account. They’ve been a tremendous help in all aspects of the process, making it a truly enjoyable experience. I can’t wait to collaborate with them again on future projects!
Cleveland: Working with Mattel was an incredible opportunity, especially since I used to play with Barbies as a kid. It feels like a dream come true to work on one of their intellectual properties. The feedback they provided was invaluable because there were certain aspects that I wouldn’t have been aware of without their input. There wasn’t a lot of information available online and the series only provides so much context, especially since there have been three generations already. However, getting insights into their vision for the project helped me to create characters that align seamlessly with the series. Watching the series or playing the game, you’ll notice that Twyla and Draculaura remain consistent. I’m really grateful for their guidance in the finer details.
Diaz: They were quite demanding, but it proved worthwhile as it resulted in an incredibly genuine Monster High experience. We’re thrilled about our partnership and how it turned out.
Q: How does the platformer gameplay mesh with the world of Monster High ?
Diaz affirmed, “Absolutely! The intriguing universe of Monster High is famously shrouded in secrets and hidden locales, so we capitalized on this by creating a school that’s expansive and ripe for exploration. As you navigate the school, you’ll encounter mini-puzzles or platforming challenges spread out among its three floors, various classrooms, gardens, and even catacombs. These obstacles will reward you with Monster Coins, which can be used to buy clothes, or Fearbook Pages that offer insights into different Monster High characters. The gameplay loop is woven throughout the world, but also in hidden rooms behind secret doors.
These larger, game-centric areas within the school are secretly located rooms, and they can be found in various places around the school. A significant part of your mission – without revealing too much, as it might contain spoilers – involves discovering these secret rooms hidden throughout the Monster High School. To do this, you’ll need to thoroughly explore the entire school, locate those rooms, conquer the more intricate platforming challenges they present, and in doing so, you’ll acquire new abilities and progress along your main quest. It’s essential for understanding the school’s hidden aspects.
Cleveland: Essentially, the whole tale revolves around preserving the school, which I find incredibly fascinating.
A: Could you provide us with a brief summary or outline of the story since it seems to revolve around the theme of saving the school?
Cleveland: I don’t want to reveal too much for those who haven’t experienced it yet, but the school in question remains shrouded in enigma. It’s unclear whether the school is sentient or not, and from the tales we’ve heard, it possesses a certain power that shields it. Within this game, you’ll uncover the nature of this protective barrier, learn why it was positioned where it is, and understand how it responds over time following specific events.
As your character enters the scene, they prove crucial in preventing the school from falling into peril. While I won’t disclose any further details, playing the game is essential to uncovering why you hold such importance. Crafting the narrative was an exciting process, and I found it intriguing that there exists a toy line called Skultimate Secrets, where you can explore hidden compartments and more. The way this ties into the gameplay is brilliant. I believe fans of Monster High will thoroughly appreciate the storyline, as well as the subtle references and homages to the actual toy line.
People Want More Skultimate Secrets
One thing that players and developers agree: there needs to be more Monster High games like Skultimate Secrets. The major criticism the game faces is that players want more, which the devs at Outright Games have said is a good problem to have, especially so soon after launching.
Q: What’s reception to the game been like so far?
Diaz stated: We launched on October 29th. Since there’s regular communication among departments, I maintain quite a close relationship with the customer support team. In summary, the response has been generally favorable, not only from our primary target audience of preteen girl gamers but also from those who enjoy “Monster High”. To put it simply, the feedback has been mostly positive.
As a gamer, I’ve noticed one common feedback point: folks wish the game was longer. Given it takes roughly 10 hours to complete at 100%, that’s actually quite decent for a pre-teen title, so this complaint, oddly enough, is a testament to its quality. The overall response has been positive.
Cleveland shared that since he isn’t connected with those specific departments, much of his feedback is from friends and family who have played the game. Upon announcing the game’s release and acknowledging his role as the writer, people on Twitter, BlueSky, and LinkedIn congratulated him, sharing that their children had played it and really enjoyed it. He found pleasure in the game himself and sent it to one of his best friends, an adult doll collector, who also appreciated every aspect of it. The most enchanting part for Cleveland was listening to the lines read by the voice actors – a moment he described as “chef’s kiss” perfect.
From Diaz’s perspective, a notable aspect of the game was the abundance of witty wordplay and puns integrated into the storyline.
As a Gamer: It was a blast creating this game, and it feels great to see everyone enjoying it so much. Just like Miguel pointed out, the only criticism I’ve heard is that it’s too short. That’s always a fantastic issue to have, isn’t it? It means people were eager for more of the experience!
Q: Speaking of more, do you have any future plans for Skultimate Secrets ?
Diaz: We focus on titles that have been officially verified, but the prospect of collaborating with Mattel on expanding the Monster High universe excites us immensely! Of course, we’d welcome such an opportunity given how fantastic and intriguing this project has been so far.
Cleveland: Definitely, I’d be thrilled to continue writing for Monster High! Transitioning from playing with Barbie dolls to creating a game for them has been an incredible journey. Working with Mattel feels like a dream come true, something I never knew I wanted so much. With Miguel and Rudy [Lamy, Senior Producer at Outright Games] and the rest of the fantastic team, it’s been such a truly awesome experience. If they decide to make another game, I hope I get the chance to contribute more witty jokes for the game again.
Q: Is there anything else either of you would like to add?
Cleveland: Take a look at this game! Even if you haven’t checked it out so far, trust me, it’s a blast! It’s incredibly fun and appealing to all ages. It’s not exclusive; both girls and boys can enjoy it. There’s something for everyone in it!
[End]
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2024-11-29 22:14