The BIG Competition is the largest gaming occasion in Latin America, bringing the area’s vibrant gaming scene to the world stage with panels, reveals, and an award ceremony.
One of many large winners of the evening was Argentinian indie studio An Otter Recreation Studio, which beat off stiff competitors from the likes of Aquiris Recreation Studio and Icon Video games to take house the Finest Cellular Recreation award with its title, Sequenza – a musical puzzle recreation.
We spoke to An Otter Recreation Studio founder and director Martín Fernández concerning the recreation, the Argentinian video games trade, and the award.
Please inform us about An Otter Recreation Studio and your position within the firm
An Otter Recreation Studio is a brand new and small studio primarily based within the metropolis of Rosario, Argentina (enjoyable truth for soccer followers, it is the town the place Lionel Messi was born).
We concentrate on making our video games extra introspective, making the participant really feel totally different feelings than what they’re used to experiencing. We’ve got studios resembling Ustwo Video games and That recreation firm as references.
I’m the founder and director of the studio, I ensure that every part works and that the route we’re stepping into is evident. Because of the dimension of our studio, I additionally often put on the hats of lead programmer and recreation designer.
What did it imply to your studio to win finest cellular recreation on the BIG Competition awards?
For such a brand new studio, any trade validation of our work is a large increase, as we began out with a small portfolio to fall again on when in search of funding for our tasks. As well as, the truth that our first recreation received in its class provides us the reassurance that we’re heading in the right direction and that the work we’re doing is of top of the range.
However, successful a world competitors dispels the notion that many Latin American studios have that we can not compete with larger studios with extra expertise and extra assets.
Profitable a world competitors dispels the notion that many Latin American studios have that we can not compete with larger studios with extra expertise and extra assets.
What’s it about Sequenza that makes it stand out?
To be sincere, after I noticed the opposite video games in our class, I did not suppose we had an opportunity, as a result of it was apparent that the opposite video games had been nice video video games with larger productions. Possibly that’s what makes Sequenza stand out, that it’s so easy in all facets and but manages to evoke intense feelings.
The place do you suppose Argentina sits within the Latin American gaming panorama?
I believe Argentina is clearly rising. I believe that due to our historical past and our tradition we now have rather a lot to inform, and videogames are an excellent channel to take action.
Sadly, the financial scenario and unhealthy political administrations don’t enable us to develop as quick as we needs to be rising. That’s the solely factor that retains us a little bit behind the largest ones (Brazil and Mexico).
Fortunately we now have a really sturdy group and we help one another. This may be seen in our nationwide occasion EVA (Argentinean Videogame Expo) the place yearly there are increasingly of us, and the standard of our video games is getting higher and higher.
I additionally suppose we now have excellent references like Trivia Crack by Etermax within the cellular market, Nimble Large co-developing Star Trek Infinite, and Senscape co-developing Silent Hill: Ascension within the AAA market or Daniel Benmergui with Storyteller within the indie market amongst many others. Our trade has rather a lot to offer.
Pondering again over the previous couple of years, what’s the greatest hurdle you have confronted?
The fact is that our greatest impediment, as I discussed earlier than, is our nationwide economic system, which on account of financial inflation doesn’t enable us to economize and that makes us reside day-to-day with a whole lot of threat and takes away our projection capability, particularly once we are simply beginning and we should not have so many instruments to counteract it. However it’s a downside that each one Argentines must cope with.
Significantly in our studio, what we discover most troublesome is to seek out the stability between making video games for shoppers with the intention to survive and discovering time to develop our personal video games.
Which, if any, new expertise within the video games trade excites you most?
Truthfully, we’re not the sort to run after expertise, we search to focus extra on producing an emotional impression from simplicity, as we did with Sequenza. From a private perspective, I’m intrigued by what might occur with AI as soon as the copyright of the works it feeds on is regularised.
What can we count on subsequent from An Otter Recreation Studio?
Our first goal is to broaden Sequenza, and to have the ability to attain the widest attainable viewers. After that, we now have a number of tasks within the pipeline on the studio, with which we hope to develop our personal aesthetic and identification. These tasks discover totally different mechanics, which goal to take the participant on a extra introspective journey.
In March, a Knowledge.ai report examined Latin America’s gaming market.
