The world of game development is a world filled with unique tales and personal stories. And we’re not just talking about the wide range of endlessly creative projects that see the light of day on a daily basis, but also the brilliant minds that will these titles into existence. Our series of game developer interviews began with a simple goal in mind: to introduce you to some of the most wonderfully creative people of the industry, and to learn a bit about their personal experiences and perspectives while working in this field.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting journey, and we’d love to have you along for the ride – so, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Atmospheric detective noir with anthropomorphic animals? Sure, why not! It’s a uniquely wild and exciting premise that produced one of the most beloved adventure games of 2020 in the form of Chicken Police - Paint it RED!, as well as its sequel from last year, Into the HIVE!. But how did its creators get started, and how did they get where they are today? In this opening episode of our game dev interview series, we sit down for a virtual chat with Bálint B. Varga of The Wild Gentlemen, the team that brought you the Chicken Police duology, among others.
First things first: could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Bálint B. Varga, one of the founders of The Wild Gentlemen and the team’s creative director and writer.
Many gamers probably know you from your work on Chicken Police and its sequel, Into the HIVE!, but you’re currently working on something similarly exciting: a disco-punk immersive sim called RetroSpace. Can you briefly run us through what “disco-punk” means in the context of the game, and how the project takes inspiration from various other titles in this illustrious genre?
RetroSpace has evolved from an internal game jam title within the team. A lot of us are huge fans of games like System Shock, Thief, and the Deus Ex series, but I could also mention Half-Life, old Resident Evil games, or Silent Hill. So we took a wide range of inspirations and put them together into a new game, which then got a big dose of dark humor and a 60s/70s atmosphere and visuals. That’s where the name “disco-punk” comes from, to capture the atmosphere of the disco era and combine it with a classic retro-futuristic world.
What inspired you to get into game development?
I myself had wanted to work in some way in game development since I was a little kid, but I didn’t have the connections, so I just wrote ideas for my drawer for a long time. Luckily, a writing project got me in touch with Tamás Bakó and Péter Nádas, both veterans of the gamedev industry, and we eventually managed to found The Wild Gentlemen, whose first game was the critically acclaimed Chicken Police: Paint it RED!
What would you say has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face while working on your game?
We usually work on several projects simultaneously, so managing this, directing the teams, and coordinating any overlaps can be a real challenge. I would call that the biggest difficulty for us, but of course, every game has its own challenges, either because of the genre or the theme of the title. Perhaps if I had to generalise a bit, I would say that finishing the games is the most difficult.
What is the one thing that you believe every game developer should be aware of?
I think the most difficult thing is to set your limits and keep them. You always come up with new ideas, but you have to know where the line is, from where you can’t force more features into the game. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they can fit everything in, which then results in either a project that prolonged or is completely abandoned or cancelled. Know your limits and use them creatively, plan ahead, set deadlines and stick to them.
In your opinion, what is needed for a game to be recognized by the gaming public? What will make people pay attention to the project?
This is increasingly difficult to achieve because of the growing noise. Hundreds of games come out every day and you have to stand out with your own product in this huge market. As an indie developer, you can’t count on massive marketing budgets, billboards and such, so that only leaves social media for you to "exploit". You have to try to offer something new. If it’s in game mechanics, if it’s in story, atmosphere, style, but do something that no one has done before. That’s the only way to stand out from the crowd. That’s why we started our career with a black and white noir game starring chickens and now we’re making a shockingly humorous yet gritty and brutal disco-punk space-horror game.
Do you have any words for aspiring game developers?
Just what I said before: careful planning ahead, deadlines and realities to be recognised and respected. You don’t have to start with an MMO RPG right away. Start small and work your way up and up and up.
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your past self? Is there anything you’d do differently?
Any shot you don’t take is a missed shot. There’s nothing to lose, go for it, get started and don’t wait for anyone else to do it for you, because they won’t do it instead of you. Your dream is yours to make.
Finally, could you tell our readers where they can follow you and your work if they’d like to stay up to date with any future developments?
It’s best to follow our games on Steam, as that’s where we win the most, but we also have a website and we’re really active on Twitter (X) and Discord.
