MIKE BITHELL INDIE INTERVIEW
DOUBTING THOMAS
You may know him from Twitter or for making one of the more iconic indie games in recent memory. Alex Calvin talks to Mike Bithell about the surprise success of Thomas Was Alone and how social media has impacted the games he makes
M
ike Bithell’s story is inspiring for any aspiring developer. His game, Thomas Was
Alone, has gone from being Flash title made during a game jam to being one of the better-known indie releases in recent memory. It made Bithell a star. He
even appeared on stage during PlayStation’s Gamescom press briefing to promote his new title Volume. “I’d be a dickhead if the success
of Thomas Was Alone didn’t surprise me,” Bithell says. “It was a game that I always hoped might do okay and quit the day job and go indie, but the scale to which it was played and the scale of interest it had was mind-blowing.“
STORY TIME But Thomas Was Alone wasn’t successful for the reasons that Bithell expected. “The thing that resonated with
people was the story,” he explains. “I thought that I was making a cool game with an okay narrative but it turned out that people really connected with the story, probably moreso than the gameplay.” Narrative might have been one of
the reasons for Thomas Was Alone’s success, but Bithell feels that story- driven games are being neglected by the triple-A industry. Luckily, the
indie sector can scratch this itch. “Narrative-driven games are being underserved in triple-A titles. The industry has gone for the ‘boom-blast’ graphics and set pieces, and not done as much with the storytelling,” he says. “As an indie it’s easy to get
a story done. We have the resources to do that. Story is relatively cheap. Having a great script is something that’s very achievable for most indies to do.”
SOCIAL SKILLS Bithell is also a prolific user of Twitter. There’s no denying how effectively he has used social media to create a brand and communicate with his fans. “There are indies who like
to get into a cave and just make their games. They make better games for it because they are making exactly what they want to make themselves,” he says. “I want to make games that pleases a big audience. The easiest way for me to do that is to put it in front of fans over Twitter, showing off screen shots and sharing the process with people who are ultimately going to be playing it.” Now Bithell is working on his next game, Volume, and this
It’s easy to get a story done. Having a great script is something that’s very achievable for most indies.
Mike Bithell
time around the development process is hugely different. “The big difference is anticipation,” he says. “People actually care this time around. “When I was making Thomas
Bithell’s creations. Thomas Was Alone (left) and Volume (right)
Was Alone I was making it in my evenings and weekends around my day job. No-one was waiting for it. There was no interest. No-one had heard of the game until it came out. I got on with it and when it was done I released it and did some marketing stuff after the fact to promote it.” He concludes: “It wasn’t a mega thing, whereas with Volume I’m very conscious of the fact that there are people who are waiting for it, who are watching trailers for it, reading my Twitter and looking for news about it. That leads into the process as you’re aware of it. You’re aware that you’re being watched and that has an effect.”
www.mcvuk.com 25 August 29th 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44