With over 18-years experience in the video games industry, Richard Ogden has work with some of the biggest UK development studios on titles such as Motorstorm: Artic Edge and the brilliant TOCA Touring Car series.
Founder of BigBig Studios, creators of the Pursuit Force series on PSP, he’s now turned his focus to his own one-man development studio, Red Phantom Games.
We recently hooked with Richard to chat to him about his latest PlayStation exclusive, Minutes, and to tap into his vast knowledge of the industry to see how he perceives the future of video games.
1. Your career in the video games industry has taken you from working with major publishers and franchises to creating your own one-man studio. What have been the highlights and lowlights of your career, and – after spending so much time with other developers – surely you ever get bored working alone?
Highlights were an enjoyable start in the industry at Codemasters then co-founding Bigbig Studios and creating the Pursuit Force games on PSP. I’m also very proud of MotorStorm: Arctic Edge.
Main low point was the closure of Bigbig. That was a bit of a sad time.
I’m not bored of working alone yet though it’s nice to have someone around to bounce ideas off sometimes. I’m not stuck with the idea of remaining as a one-man studios. If everyone buys Minutes then I’ll be able to expand the studio and create some crazy, sci-fi epic for the next game!!
2. Tell us about your latest game, Minutes. How would you describe it?
Minutes is a bullet-hell game or an “avoid-em-up” with abstract and pure visuals and gameplay. I wanted to make a videogame in the truest sense. It’s all about moving, collecting, dodging, unlocking, powerups, scoring points – I’ve taken some of the fundamentals of gaming and created a minimalist experience that still works on console. I’ve tried to make it feel like the old-school arcade games that I played as a kid. Each level is one-minute long so it really works well on the Vita as you can literally pick it up, play for a minute and make progress. But, I think it’s great on PS4 too with the larger screen when you want to spend a longer period of time with it. The music is absolutely awesome and totally locks in with the theme and the seconds passing as you play – it really helps you to get into the zone when playing.
3. How have you balanced accessibility with challenge? Or have you designed Minutes to be a tough-as-nails puzzler where the only people who can complete it are those who commit to its gameplay and learn to master its deviousness?
Minutes is a tough game. I designed it to be this way. It’s fairly easy to progress through the main mode once but to beat all the goals and win all the trophies will require a zen-like mastery of all its facets. It’s got a lot of replay value because of this. If you’re a score-chasing or a trophy hunter who likes a challenge then this is a game for you.
4. Any tips to help us out?
Probably too much text to fit here so there are several tips on the game’s website: http://www.redphantomgames.com/Minutes-Game/tips.html
5. How many levels are in the game, and how do we see it evolve as we progress?
60 levels, each one-minute long and each with its own characteristics and vibe. It starts off pretty simple but will throw new “energy shapes” at you as you progress. Obviously, it gets tougher and tougher, with more complex patterns to deal with (in a bullet-hell fashion) but you unlock powerups as you go which will help you deal with certain situations but they are also the key to beating the top score targets and the various goals that will win you the trophies.
Continued overleaf, where Richard taks about why he chose to create games on the PlayStation platform and discusses his vision on the future of the industy.
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6. Is the pick-up-and-play style and simple, yet effective mechanics of Minutes inspired by any other games?
Nothing specific really. It’s more a case of being inspired by all the games I’ve ever played. I grew up with the 80s arcade games so there’s a flavour of that in there. Again, it takes some of the fundamentals of all games and boils them down into a tight, focused package.
7. Are you pleased with the reception of Minutes since UK launch?
Generally it’s been well received. Not everyone “gets” it or likes it but that’s fine. I wasn’t creating a game that I imagined everyone would like. I think my score average across nearly 40 reviews is 8/10 so I’m happy with that. Some of the lower scoring reviews highlighted the difficulty and felt it was too frustrating. So, the updated version of the game (U.S. version and the patch for E.U. – both now released) has a reduced difficultly curve and more flexible level unlocking. I think the balance is better now thanks to reviewers and the feeback from players. Even so, Minutes is just the start for Red Phantom. I’ll always be aiming for that 10/10 game!!
8. You mentioned recently in an interview that Minutes doesn’t have a demo on the PlayStation Store because “sometimes they help and sometimes they hurt.” Can you explain more? Why would a demo of a game hurt a developer?
– It’s an issue of proportion of demo content to full game content. With smaller games the percentage will be higher if you are to include enough to get the player interested. If you include too little you run the risk of not engaging players enough to get them interested. If you include too much they will have experienced a significant chunk of the game and won’t necessarily feel that it’s a must-buy. I think a developer needs to call it on a case by case basis. I was 50-50 on the decision but it also adds extra time to the project so for Minutes I decided not to create a demo. That said, it doesn’t mean I can’t release one in future.
9. Why did you choose PS4 as the launch platform for Minutes?
– I’ve worked on PlayStation hardware for my entire career in the games industry. I’m also more of a PlayStation gamer than on any other platform. It seemed natural for me to stick with the Sony brand. Also the development tools are pretty mature and speedy to use now. Initially I actually intended to release on PS3 and Vita (not really choosing one over the other by the way) but the indie wave started on PS4 so it seemed a good idea to go there first. A PS3 version should appear before too long however.
10. Though it’s easy than ever for indie developers to get their games on PlayStation platforms, the sheer amount of indie games now available must make it hard to get your games noticed? Would you agree that it’s both a great and tough time for smaller developers right now?
– Yes, for sure. No doubt it’s exciting to be able to bring games to PlayStation, Xbox, Wii and development has become easier with the engines and tools available. Making games is just generally a tough challenge. Having a cool idea is one thing. Getting through the whole development process and finishing and then releasing a game is a whole different level. On the stores you’ve still got the challenge of being noticed but it’s nowhere near as crowded as the various phone/tablet ones. It’s a busy commercial space and only some will be successful and/or survive one way or another. It’s like any other business: the good products will sell, the bad ones won’t (though what good and bad mean there is pretty vague.) I think for small indie developers you’re more likely to make progress if you’ve thought about your strategy and take a long-term view.
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11. Do you think the attitude and expectations of gamers has changed much since the early days of gaming?
– I’m not sure. The market is bigger. There are more gamers. I think you’ve just got a wide range of attitudes and expectations. But there’s a massive range of different titles out there so I’d imagine that most are catered for – from the niche simulation games to the big AAA giants through to the casual offerings. If anything I think there’s a tendency towards easier games and more experiential products with cutscenes, worlds and characters taking precedence over more old-school gameplay (that being a bit of an inspiration behind Minutes).
12. Do you think we’ll ever reach a day when all games will be available digitally and physical retail will cease to exist?
– I guess it’ll happen eventually. I definitely buy more games digitally now. There’s something nice about having a product in your hands though. I still buy CDs!!
13. What’s next for you?
– I’ve been helping out Roll 7 with OlliOlli2. That’s been great fun and more PlayStation work so that suits me! I’m doing a bit more contracting on and off (this time in the mobile space) and will be porting Minutes to other platforms. After that, I’ll be starting the next game for Red Phantom. Hopefully I’ll have made a bit of profit with Minutes that I can invest in the next game. I’d like to create a sci-fi epic though perhaps that will have to wait for game number 3.
Minutes is available in the UK and US as a cross-buy game on PS4 and PS Vita.