The BIG Competition is the most important 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 huge winners of the night time was Argentinian indie studio An Otter Sport Studio, which beat off stiff competitors from the likes of Aquiris Sport Studio and Icon Video games to take dwelling the Greatest Cellular Sport award with its title, Sequenza – a musical puzzle sport.
We spoke to An Otter Sport Studio founder and director Martín Fernández in regards to the sport, the Argentinian video games business, and the award.
Please inform us about An Otter Sport Studio and your function within the firm
An Otter Sport Studio is a brand new and small studio based mostly within the metropolis of Rosario, Argentina (enjoyable reality for soccer followers, it is the town the place Lionel Messi was born).
We give attention to making our video games extra introspective, making the participant really feel completely different feelings than what they’re used to experiencing. We’ve studios reminiscent of Ustwo Video games and That sport firm as references.
I’m the founder and director of the studio, I ensure that every part works and that the route we’re getting in is obvious. Because of the measurement of our studio, I additionally normally put on the hats of lead programmer and sport designer.
What did it imply to your studio to win greatest cell sport on the BIG Competition awards?
For such a brand new studio, any business validation of our work is a big enhance, as we began out with a small portfolio to fall again on when searching for funding for our tasks. As well as, the truth that our first sport gained 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.
Alternatively, profitable a global competitors dispels the notion that many Latin American studios have that we can’t compete with greater studios with extra expertise and extra sources.
Profitable a global competitors dispels the notion that many Latin American studios have that we can’t compete with greater studios with extra expertise and extra sources.
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 assume we had an opportunity, as a result of it was apparent that the opposite video games had been nice video video games with greater 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 assume Argentina sits within the Latin American gaming panorama?
I feel Argentina is clearly rising. I feel that due to our historical past and our tradition we now have loads to inform, and videogames are an excellent channel to take action.
Sadly, the financial scenario and unhealthy political administrations don’t permit us to develop as quick as we must be rising. That’s the solely factor that retains us a bit behind the most important ones (Brazil and Mexico).
Fortunately we now have a really robust group and we help one another. This may be seen in our nationwide occasion EVA (Argentinean Videogame Expo) the place yearly there are increasingly more of us, and the standard of our video games is getting higher and higher.
I additionally assume we now have excellent references like Trivia Crack by Etermax within the cell market, Nimble Big 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 business has loads to provide.
Considering again over the previous couple of years, what’s the largest hurdle you have confronted?
The truth is that our largest impediment, as I discussed earlier than, is our nationwide financial system, which as a result of financial inflation doesn’t permit us to economize and that makes us dwell day-to-day with quite a lot of threat and takes away our projection capability, particularly once we are simply beginning and we do not need so many instruments to counteract it. However it’s a downside that each one Argentines must take care of.
Notably in our studio, what we discover most troublesome is to search out the stability between making video games for purchasers in an effort to survive and discovering time to develop our personal video games.
Which, if any, new know-how within the video games business excites you most?
Truthfully, we’re not the sort to run after know-how, we search to focus extra on producing an emotional influence from simplicity, as we did with Sequenza. From a private viewpoint, 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 anticipate subsequent from An Otter Sport Studio?
Our first goal is to develop 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 id. These tasks discover completely different mechanics, which intention to take the participant on a extra introspective journey.
In March, a Information.ai report examined Latin America’s gaming market.
