Artikel: Interview

Interview with Swen Vincke (Larian)

Freitag, 21.12.2012 | tbr

G: I read in your exiting developer diary beforehand, which is included in the “Anthology”, wistfully remembering the canceled "LMK (Lady, Mage and Knight)", a really ambitious project at that time….but it never prospered. Nonetheless, was it an educational experience for you? After all, it was your first major project (besides “Unless”).

Swen: Yes, I learnt a lot there. Not only about how to engineer a RPG, but also about the business of game development. Unfortunately I didn’t apply all those lessons until much later, but they were very valuable.

G: In regards to LMK, Guido Henkel, who was one of the founders of Attic, your former publisher at that time, worked on a Kickstarter-campaign not too long ago. Unfortunately, it failed. But how is your opinion about crowd funding-campaigns? Do you, as an indie-developer, see a chance for the industry there?

Swen: I actually never worked with Guido when working with Attic – he’d already left then, but I was sorry to see his campaign fail. In general, I think Kickstarter is a fantastic platform, but given that there’s more and more competition on it, as a developer you’ll need to start thinking of it as any other distribution platform i.e. you need to figure out how to attract attention, how to present your message well and how you can help players imagine what you’re trying to make. That’s not that easy. I think Larian is going to give it a shot eventually, but I’m not sure if we’ll manage given how fast the platform is maturing and the types of investments that are being made in the pitches. But we’ll try.

G: Top-down or third-person in RPGs? You used both perspectives in the past. But do you have a preference?

Swen: Depends on the game. I loved "Ultima VII" and "Ultima Underworld" equally ;)