Getting a new IP noticed in this business is notoriously difficult in a business dominated by sequels and brand names. Frozen North Productions is no stranger to this fact as it attempts to get the word out about Flip’s Twisted World. I asked CEO Julian Spillane how difficult it’s been to find a spotlight for the game, and he was very frank with his answer.
“In a word, impossible,” he admits. “When launching a new IP on a platform that is dominated by nostalgia giants like Mario, Zelda and Metroid it’s very easy to become overshadowed by the imminent release of the next big sequel…especially when we have no real budget to market the title.
“Also, the release lineup for the Wii has been so intense this year, that it’s been a challenge to capture gamers’ attentions. When we’re constantly seeing new trailers for Metroid: Other M, Epic Mickey, Kirby’s Epic Yarn (aside: what’s with all the ‘epic’ this year?), it’s hard for the little guy to get the spotlight. I also think we had a bit of a bad start at E3 last year when we unveiled the game before it was really ready to be shown.”
Nevertheless, Frozen North has been cheered by the responses Flip’s has received from those who care: “It’s been very positive. We’ve had two great recent previews in Nintendo Power (April 2010, July 2010) and the latest hands-on previews have been coming in positively as well. After E3 2009 we really took a lot of the comments to heart and did our best to improve the areas the gamer community thought were lacking.”
It’s a shame that a number of games made with genuine love often get muscled out by the prepackaged titles with huge marketing budgets, and I feel that outlets like Destructoid often have a responsibility to try and get these games a bit of a spotlight. That is, after all, why you’re reading this very post!
Published: Jul 27, 2010 10:00 am