I’ve been chatting with Jan Klose, creative directer on the upcoming RPG Venetica. If you don’t know about Venetica, I’m not quite surprised. Despite looking really promising, the game has been met with only quiet appreciation from a handful of people. Still, Klose is pleased with the reception it’s gotten so far, but admits that it’s getting harder and harder for fresh IP to gain traction.
“Of course Venetica does not yet have a huge community compared to established RPG brands,” admits Klose. “Still, most people who saw the trailers or even had the chance to play the game are very enthusiastic about it. Although media coverage for this title has not been huge compared to competing titles, we hope that players will become aware of this title and give it a try. I am sure they will be surprised to see what they’ll get!
“… We were lucky to sign the contract years before the current crisis, and back then support for a new IP was not an issue. I agree that it would be much harder if we were to try the same this year.”
It’s a shame that Venetica had to “dodge a bullet” in order to get the green light, and if they’d have been a bit later in signing a contract, it may never have happened. Sadly that’s the way things are at the moment. I do think responsibility lies with us gamers as much as publishers, however. We need to show companies that we want fresh games and new possibilities. Unfortunately, “sequel-itis” is something we as a demographic help to popularize.
