Picorinne Soft: Interview with a Japanese Indie Game Developer, Part 2

Where we discusses participating at Comiket and how to sell there, challenges in promoting their games, and advice for budding developers

An Interview with Picorinne Soft, Part 2
Interview by: Douglas Schules; Translation by: Douglas Schules

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Read Part 1 of the interview

日本語で読む

Daedalus Machine
So the story of Infinos Gaiden is the same as Infinos 2. What are the differences between the two games?
 
Picorinne Soft
They're not completely the same. Looking at the story of the entire Infinos series, Infinos Gaiden is positioned as a side story to Infinos 2. I hope this will be touched upon in the instruction book of the final product or online.
 
 
DM
Since you've worked with Playism before, can you tell us about a little about what the process is like?
 
PS
In terms of Infinos 2, when we sold the download version they did the translation for the story. We didn't use many words in the game itself, so they just did the translation of the story in the instruction booklet and how to play the game.
 
 
DM
As an international developer for platforms like Steam, what difficulties have you faced?
 
PS
Because I'm only able to understand a little bit of written English, it was a real hurdle for me to be able to release on Steam. Still, even if I asked someplace else to help with the translation it would take time, so I aimed to make a game that anyone, regardless of language, could play. That's why there aren't many words in the game itself.
 
 
DM
What was the most difficult challenge you had to overcome in designing Infinos Gaiden, and what do you think other designers should learn from this experience?
 
PS
In one word: graphics. It's not an exaggeration when I say that the majority of the time spent making a game goes into designing those assets. But we're not using any special techniques to make facilitate production.
 
If there is one thing to learn from this game, that would be that if you don't have excellent technical skill you might be able to design something if you take your time and pay careful attention to the details.
 
DM
What recommendations do you have for people who want to design games?
 
PS
Recently, the tools and information online to produce games have grown, so I can say that the environment is very easy for game production. I think the quickest route is for people to download free game production software first, and then test it out by making a simple game.
 
DM
Any other advice?
PS
Game production takes time. Even if you use copyright free assets for your graphics and music, for example, it's not easy to make a game. So while game production takes time, I think it's imperative to do something every day. If you do even 0.1% of the game each day, in 3 years it'll be done.
 
DM
I picked up Infinos Gaiden at C91, but was this the circle's first time participating there?
 
PS
This is the second time we've participated in Comiket.
 
 
DM
Can you describe the circle's first experience Comiket? What expectations did you have, and were there any difficulties or surprises?
 
PS
I remember that the people who buy at Comiket make detailed preparations beforehand, and was surprised at how quickly they act. Still, despite it being our first time participating there, we were really happy that a lot of people stopped by to check out our booth.



DM
In the past, Comiket was really only known for fan material like doujinshi, but recently the types of things that are sold there have increased tremendously. In addition to doujinshi, I've seen music, cosplay photograph albums, programming guides, console hacks, and, of course, games. Why do you think this is?
 
PS
I don't really know what Comiket was like before, so this is just my guess, but I think that it's become an environment where a tremendous variety of things can be produced. Particularly now, if you have even one computer it's possible to produce something on a pretty wide scale. I also first began making games for the simple reason that they could be made if one had a computer.


 
DM
Of course, not all of the circles that sell games at Comiket are hobbyists. There are a lot of semi-professional groups selling there, too. What's your opinion on this?
 
PS
I think that a lot of people gathering in the same place is a good thing. We see each other's games and that pushes us to make ours even better.



DM
How important do you think participating at Comiket is to indie developers?
 
PS
I think that there's a certain number of people who only attend Comiket. In order for our products to reach those people, participating at Comiket is the best. And, I think that Comiket is the most appropriate place to release a new product. I've also displayed at other events, but when it comes to new releases, I'll try to do it at Comiket as I have done.
 
 
DM
Many of the people who read this, especially those overseas, may not be familiar with how a circle gets approved to participate at Comiket. Can you explain the process?
 
PS
It seems that the people submitting the application must live in Japan. I think it's possible for Circles meeting this condition (those with members in Japan) to apply. Turning up at the Comiket event space once enables you to purchase an application form for the next Comiket. Once you get the application form, it's possible to apply online. (I'm not sure about the applications from those overseas, so I can't say anything for certain about that.)
 
 
DM
Have you participated in any other conventions like Comiket, or do you plan to?
 
PS
In addition to Comiket, we've participated in Bit Summit, Digital Games Expo, and Tokyo Game Show.