Trailer & Message
Hey, this is Darek, it looks like this is going to be a little different entry than usual.
Probably a lot of people came here to see the Trailer - I won't disappoint you, this is what the full version of the Black Resin game could look like. Don't forget to like the video! ;)
Unfortunately, we will not see it soon, as we have not found a publisher. :(
Big Thanks
I would like to say a big thank you at this point to the fans on discord and itchi.io for their activity and fanart, to the developers for their feedback - especially Eric Chahi, who took his time to polish our pitch. Youtubers for the Letsplays of the prototype, which helped us improve the design. Publishers and investors who were willing to talk to us. I personally would also like to thank the team members, without whom neither the prototype nor this trailer would have been made.
Long journey
After the release of the prototype, both the game and we enjoyed good popularity. AlphaBetaGamer's video cranked out good numbers and the game made it to the Itch.io front-page. While we were tweaking the prototype, we had several options to choose what to do next. We decided to try our hand and find a publisher on our own.
In the meantime - thanks to the players of the prototype, their feedback and the reactions of YouTubers - we knew what to change and improve in the new version of the game. We started to build the foundation of the new version of the game. We designed the design document, Vertical Slice pipeline, we also changed the resolution of the graphics and new materials started to be created.
After a while, we found that we had no idea about the business - how to talk to publishers and what to pay attention to when pricing a budget, etc. So we took the Digital Dragons Incubator course. Then we also focused on the trailer, which would prove that the full version of Black Resin is a completely new quality. After that course, we were already serious about talking to publishers, and we even found a company that everything would have worked out with, if they hadn't backed out of publishing indie games.
It seems to me that we were doing well! Our pitch was used as an example at lectures in Lublin, the prototype became research material (at Solent Southampton University), and we even met Eric Chahi - the creator of Another World, DUST and Paper Beasts.
Conclusion
As a team, we've gone through an interesting journey and learned a lot about the industry, and I myself have not only gotten better at animating and making levels after all this time, I've also learned how to present ideas to the public in a concise manner, and manage a team. Here are some thoughts I'm happy to share with other creatives.
- Talk to people in the industry - like a game and its developer? Talk, ask for feedback. People are willing to help, eager to share their knowledge and experience.
- If you are looking for a publisher, remember that they are looking at the budget, at your team, at the genre of the game and calculating the risk. Be sure that similar genre games will be reviewed on steamspy.
- I recommend Game Jams - it's an accelerated course in gamedev - they help verify how you collaborate with others and how others operate under time pressure. Even if the game doesn't come out, the lesson stays in your head!
- Being an indie is not easy, you have to commit 100% with the whole team, and give a lot from yourself, if you care about the game even publishers will appreciate it!
- It's better to release your first game with a low volume - don't go crazy with a big project and go through all the publishing formalities yourself, this way your second game has a chance to find a publisher and can be bigger - and we as authors have a proven team that survived the whole process to the end.
- Go beyond your expertise - don't be afraid of courses or training. You may find yourself very comfortable in something new, better understand other team members and as a result, for example, be a better designer.
- Difficult decisions - it is better to make some than to regret that you did nothing. Everyone makes mistakes and bad decisions will not be avoided, but it is forward movement!
If anyone is interested in my animations - want to know in detail about trailer or Black Resin’s concept art, I invite you to my refreshed portfolio:
https://www.artstation.com/darek_gawron
Music:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakaprov/
Programming:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/krzysztofzatora/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hubert-welenc-a39563b2
Ex members:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/filip-hausman-9201559b/
https://pl.linkedin.com/in/ksawerykalicki
Cheers, Darek Gawron
Feel free to contact us in any form or write comments.
teamblackresin@gmail.com
Comments
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Hello, developer! I'm new to your project, I don't know much about it much but when I come across your demo game in this store, I was immediately press the game to see the details right away! Everythings looks wholesome: The character's abilities, the areas, animations,..
But one thing that disappointed me HUGELY is the Black blob's design. I know you might have your whole ideas and backstory and script of the Black Blob, but I think the game would look way more unique if the Black blob is its own creature, not something humanoid. It looks just lame as any horror try-to-be-creepy humanoid monsters in those lame horror games. You can look at Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest, the Rain World,... those main creatures really stands out!
I look at the example gameplay Black Blob's characteristic and honestly I feel it of a Blob more of a humanoid, it can move fast in Blob form just fine, maybe you can inspire from Venom in Marvel, they seem alike! Over all, I really like your game's first expression, one thing I really wish to change and took time to write all this is the Black Blob design, but again the entire final production is up to you! ^^
I hope you take this as a very very very small opinion of mine. I know this is a year ago but just in case you're still developing!
Hey Darek, love the animation. Can you share what's next for the Black Resin? Do you still plan on releasing the game (maybe a smaller version of it) or is the development on hold now?
Thank you! We are halting production. :( Maybe some miracle happen over a time. I agree that a small game would be a reasonable move now.
Interesting anecdote, when we were considering a new resolution for BR to make it pixel perfect scalable, I also made the smallest one, that is 320x180 ;p mini BR ;)
I wish I had some contacts to share with you. The demo was great, and your promo trailer looks incredible. I can think of a few publishers where this game would fit right in.
Thank You! I also think we would fit a few publishers. :D
Hi Darek! That's a real shame about the publisher I really loved the game and the trailer looks incredible.
Were there no possibilities with self-publishing/early access/Kickstarter funding?
Thanks for your support ABG! We did of course consider those options, but without much needed experience or funds (especially without a publisher) it did not seem feasible. Publishers were likely further put off by the current credit crunch.
Yeah, it's not a great time due to the credit crunch. I know some publishers who might be interested if you'd like me to check?
Yes, please.
No problem, will do. Will make up a quick little promo vid to help too.
Are there any plans to release an updated build of the game? Would love to check it out if you do! :)
What we could do for the prototype we did. The changes since you played the first time are not radical - we improved the character controller, repaired the design of some locations, a mass of bugs and there are two ways to beat the boss.