As I delve deeper into the captivating world of game development and music, I can’t help but marvel at the fascinating symbiosis between these two creative realms. It seems that the visionary minds behind Wolfeye Studios have mastered the art of seamlessly intertwining their passions in a way that resonates with gamers worldwide.
Despite its relatively recent establishment in 2019, Wolfeye Studios is led by seasoned industry veterans Raphael Colantonio and Julien Roby. As president and CEO respectively, they first crossed paths at Arkane Studios during the early stages of games like Prey and Dishonored. After separate tenures with Arkane, they reconnected to found Wolfeye Studios and debuted the indie game Weird West in 2022. Now, there’s a new project on the horizon, and details about it are starting to surface.
Game Rant recently conversed with Colantonio and Roby on their latest venture. They delved into the brainstorming behind their game worlds’ designs, emphasized the role of fan input, shared insights on optimal team size, and highlighted the significant link between music and gaming during this discussion. For your convenience, the interview has been condensed and clarified.
Wolfeye Studios New Game
A: Could you discuss the retro element in your latest project, which is a blend of sci-fi, FPS, and RPG genres? Specifically, I’m interested to learn more about this retro aspect and how it contributes to making this game unique compared to other similar titles.
As a gamer immersed in world creation, I understand that a rich history is essential to make a world visually captivating and authentic. This history serves as our blueprint, guiding the artists to produce something tangible and lifelike. With Manu Petit, our art director, Lucas Loredo, our writer, myself, and other team members, we’ve been inquiring about this world: where did it originate? What shaped its appearance? We’re almost like historians, delving into the concept of America in the early 1900s and pondering, what if something significant happened there, a few decades before our familiar timeline?
In brief, a transformative event or incident has shaped the world in an unprecedented manner, giving it a unique Steampunk-esque atmosphere. Despite their advanced technology, it’s manufactured as if from the 1900s, creating an intriguing contrast. This aesthetic is often referred to as Steampunk, Dieselpunk, or other descriptions. The game will shed light on why things are this way and incorporate it into the storyline. Prepare for a twist that’ll leave you astonished, as the plot takes an unexpectedly wild turn.
Q: In terms of the overall aesthetic that you’re going for, what was your aim with that?
Colantonio: Absolutely! Regarding the art style, we’ve always found the blend of past and future aesthetics captivating. For this project, our goal was to harmonize the desolate desert landscapes reminiscent of America’s past with a contemporary touch of steel and darker elements. The combination works beautifully, and it adds a unique charm. Moreover, we aim for a level of stylization in our work, as overly realistic depictions can lack character, memorability, and longevity. We prefer to incorporate distinctive brush strokes or stylistic choices that give the image a personal touch.
A: How significant is it for you that enthusiasts can participate in the initial stages of the game, which is currently only accessible through a private alpha, and offer immediate feedback that you can utilize to make improvements?
As a gamer speaking, I believe it’s crucial for us to be involved in the development process early on. We experienced this firsthand with “Weird West,” where we provided feedback right before its release. However, due to the close proximity to the launch, there were several significant aspects that we wished we could have addressed more thoroughly based on the feedback received. This time around, our aim is to conduct the playtest earlier in the development cycle so we can observe how players interact with the game and ensure they’re playing it as intended. Occasionally, players may grasp the game differently than expected, and this early intervention allows us to make adjustments that are more impactful. By doing this, those participating in the playtest can see their contributions making a difference in the final product.>
The end goal with that is to make sure that we ship the best game possible. It’s really interesting on social media channels. When we announced the testing, some people were asking if we were doing a game as a service, an online game, or something because I don’t think it’s common for single-player games to do a round of alpha or beta testing. I feel like it’s something interesting, and it’s probably similar to what some people are doing with early access. It’s the intention of having the community participate in the development in some way.
The size of a test is crucial as it can impact the accuracy of the results. If only a small group, like fifty to one hundred people, participate over the course of a project, the statistics may not be reliable. However, if a larger number such as five or ten thousand play the game at some point, you start to see patterns and trends emerging. The sample size is vital here. It’s often challenging because even a fantastic game can have a minor issue hidden within that could potentially undo all your hard work over three or four years. Gathering feedback early ensures that when you launch the game, minor oversights don’t lead to the destruction of all the work you’ve done due to something unexpected.
Colantonio: Our games are newly created, and we’ve been working on them for quite some time. In the past, we didn’t employ early access strategies, so understandably, there’s a bit of apprehension involved. However, I believe it’s essential to be open to feedback since it offers valuable insights as a developer. It allows you to identify potential problems before they become irreversible. Typically, we address such issues during the phase between alpha and beta testing. Nevertheless, this approach mainly tackles superficial concerns; early access provides an opportunity to delve deeper into the game mechanics and make more substantial improvements.
A: Over the course of your career, you’ve worked on quite a few large-scale projects. In comparison, how does this particular project rank in terms of its scale and complexity?
Colantonio suggests that the new game is roughly the same size as previous ones, although it’s challenging to compare due to the speed at which their games can be completed if one knows the systems and tricks. He mentions the concept of “abusing” the game, where players might bypass certain obstacles or take unexpected routes. Using Prey as an example, he notes that the length of the game and the number of times it can be replayed could serve as a point of comparison. In terms of a goal, he anticipates it will be around the same scale, but with a different layout – more expansive, more like a large sandbox.
Lessons Learned From Arkane
Could you share the key insights you gained during your tenure at Arkane, and are you applying any of those lessons at Wolfeye Studios with the aim of repeating that success?
As a devoted fan of Arkane Studios, I’ve been privileged to witness and contribute to their evolution over 18 years. From the studio’s inception until my departure in 2017, I was part of the team that shaped Arkane into what it is today. The journey included the acquisition by Bethesda, among other milestones. Throughout this time, we’ve consistently created games that resonate with me and, fortunately, with a like-minded team. We’ve been able to bring our shared passion for specific genres to life. It’s been a gradual process, starting one game at a time and making continuous improvements. Our strength lies in doing what we do best, and each project gets better as a result. For me, it’s not just about the gameplay, but also about how we present our work. The fans have shown their appreciation for our efforts, and I believe that’s due to our dedication to both quality and style.>
I would say the big lesson for me about these games, immersive sims, etc., is that they are amazing. They are incredible, but it’s also about what they bring, right? The best immersive sims bring these unique moments where you feel like you are actually in that space for real. You’re doing things, making choices, and some things happen to you that don’t happen to any other player. This is incredibly powerful, but it’s no good if that only happens to a small number of players. If you don’t teach the players what to do or how far they can push the mechanics, that will be wasted. For example, the fact is you can kill anyone including NPCs, practically utilize every object in some way, or combine stuff in unique ways. Usually, there is so much more than the players are ready for or even care to see.
They don’t even know they need all these possibilities. We are on a mission to make sure that people absolutely see that. We need to try to train the players how to play the way we intend, to play the game in a way that they can fully express their choices, which is not easy. I don’t think people are really aware of all of these choices in these kinds of games unless you have a really powerful onboarding system. That is something that we’ve learned over and over at Arkane. Our games are deep. Some of the gamers really get it. They love it, and they see everything we want them to see. But, for the majority of people in the world, for a random gamer, it’s likely they’re just going to stay on the surface.
For our upcoming game, let’s ensure there’s an initial guide or tutorial to help players understand what to do when a new situation arises for the first time. Previously, we found it intriguing to keep some mystery, allowing players to question if they made a mistake, but now I believe it’s crucial to leverage the game’s strengths by providing clear explanations about why and how certain events occur.
Roby: Here’s an amusing tale from our last game, Weird West. In this game, you had the freedom to eliminate anyone without hindering your progression. However, some players are accustomed to games that don’t allow such actions. On Discord, we interacted with our community and came across a post where someone said, ‘Oh no, I killed a main character. Now I have to restart the game!’ In essence, they thought they had killed a crucial character, believed the game was faulty, and assumed it was a bug. But we responded, ‘Keep playing!’ It’s fascinating because if this action served as a barrier, you wouldn’t be able to do it without it genuinely being a bug, which would then get fixed. However, since you can continue playing, you haven’t actually broken anything.
Were there moments during your hiatus after departing from Arkane in 2017 when you missed crafting games, felt a longing for the game development industry as a whole, or found the break refreshing instead?
Colantonio reflects that everything transpired as it should have. He cherishes Arkane and continues to do so, appreciating the unique experience it provided. A break was essential for him to delve deeper into music and other interests, and contemplate his future plans. Then, he reconnected with Julien, who he’s known since 1999. After Julien left a few years before Colantonio, he felt drawn to return to game development, but at that time, he was weary of large-scale games. Instead, he yearned to concentrate on the core aspects of gaming, stripping away unnecessary elements.
The increasing realism in video games has significantly impacted their design. For instance, consider a novel. In a novel, you can vividly depict any scene without incurring additional costs, whether it’s a brief tale or an epic narrative. Describing a chaotic scene like ten helicopters colliding wouldn’t cost any more to write. However, translating this into a movie is a different matter altogether. In the realm of gaming, I initially aimed to create a game where fidelity took a backseat, leading me to conceptualize Weird West. Over time, though, my team and I found ourselves yearning for aesthetics once more. We appreciated the visual effects, the sense of accomplishment in crafting them. It’s all about finding a balance, so we’re gradually returning to larger-scale games.
The Future of Wolfeye Studios
As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve often found myself pondering between the grandeur of AAA games, with their massive budgets and impressive production values, and the creative liberty that comes with smaller-scale projects. Which one do I gravitate towards more?
As a gamer, I firmly believe that in an ideal gaming scenario, it’s all about having a compact yet capable team on a massive project. It’s not just about the size of the team, but what we can achieve with a group that remains manageable. I thrive working with five, ten, or even twenty individuals – numbers that offer the right balance between collaboration and efficiency.
At Wolfeye, we currently have approximately 50-60 team members. We’re starting to sense that we’ve reached the point where maintaining a manageable environment is becoming challenging.
As a devotee looking back, I recall the team size was roughly comparable when we were crafting Dark Messiah. I estimate around 50 individuals, though it was back in 2006, an era without some of today’s advanced tools. In certain aspects, the number of people might matter more than the budget, as the budget is influenced by staff size in many ways. It’s all about finding a balance between personnel and tools, and having access to high-quality tools. Until recently, it seemed like the team was growing, but the tools weren’t keeping pace.
In order to have those big, compelling games, you had to have a huge, massive number of people. We know some games that maybe had 1000 people involved. Yeah. To me, working on a game with 1000 people would not work. I would hate that. I like to stay in that 50, 60, maybe 70 people sort of area. Even 100 is still feasible. Wen we say ‘big game,’ to me, it’s really a matter of where are we in the current state of the art with the development of the tools, etc, because we can do much more now than with the same number or with a smaller number of people than we could some years ago.
Previously, creating certain assets was an incredibly time-consuming process, but now, thanks to improved tools, it’s happening faster. I’m not referring to AI here, so let me emphasize that point. My goal is to establish the most remarkable gaming company possible, provided we can maintain a moderate team size. It’s crucial for us not to become too automated or impersonal, as that wouldn’t be enjoyable. In other words, while technology advances, we still want to preserve the human touch.
Question: Raf, considering you’re both a musician and a video game developer, could you share your thoughts on how your music may impact your projects, and similarly, how your projects might affect your music?
In my music career, I hold significantly less influence compared to my video game career. On occasion, I’ve attempted to leverage my games as a platform to showcase some of my tunes. It’s enjoyable for me to subtly incorporate a few of my songs into the mix.
Roby: (laughing) Every damn time!
Colantonio: A musician’s ultimate wish is to have a place to share their music, and luckily, it can sometimes become a reality. For instance, in ‘Prey’, we employed Semi Sacred Geometry, which was particularly effective in the cantina scene where the music began playing and Phantoms appeared. This additional artistic layer really resonated with people. I believe Julien might recall when we were just starting on ‘Weird West’.
In our conversation about the world, I conceived a tune titled “Ghost Voices.” Picturing the melody in my mind, I envisioned it playing as someone enters this melancholic Western landscape, be it on horseback or otherwise. The piece effectively captured that somber atmosphere yet retained an unsettling quality. It’s not your typical Western music; instead, it offers a unique twist. I believe this is also true in films – some directors, like James Cameron, create art through their work. Interestingly, David Lynch is known for dabbling in music too.
As someone who has spent years immersed in the world of video game development, I firmly believe that music and sound design are crucial elements that can greatly enhance a player’s experience. While I don’t handle all the music for our games, I take pride in crafting little sonic nuggets that add depth to the overall auditory landscape.
Q: What are your long-term ambitions for Wolfeye Studios?
John: Our primary objective is game creation! We’re gathered for this purpose, as we enjoy playing these games ourselves. We’re hoping that our upcoming project will be a hit, allowing us to create even more and continue down this path.
Colantonio: It’s fortunate for us that throughout our careers, we’ve had the privilege of working on projects that we genuinely wanted to be a part of. Unlike many peers in the industry, we’ve had the freedom to choose our own path, expressing our desire to work on something and then making it a reality.
In a profit-oriented field where persuading others to embrace your strategies is crucial and the costs of mistakes can be substantial, our team has been dedicated to crafting games without compromise. Naturally, we strive for these creations to align financially with market trends. However, they are not merely about making sense for gamers; they are games fueled by raw passion, unfettered and intense. Here’s hoping that we can continue to produce more of them.
Roby: Occasionally, we engage with financial professionals who aren’t gamers by nature. They might inquire about things like our company’s business plan. It’s essential for us to do this to finance our game development, but rest assured, the games themselves will always take priority.
Indeed, it’s worth noting that even large corporations often trace their beginnings back to an individual driven by a burning desire to create, rather than by financial resources. Typically, the capital follows the passion later on.
[END]
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2024-08-16 16:27