![]() Everything is done internally right down to quality assurance to cutting together trailers for big releases, ensuring that nothing falls between the cracks. Focus is basically a middle man, enabling innovation from the sidelines and guiding studios who might have otherwise been lost amidst all the noise. Audiences are still willing to try out new games, but they first need to be funded and marketed in the right ways to be put in front of us. Shipbreaker is a rebellious tale of our dystopian corporate future and how humanity will need to rise up against emergent powers when the time comes, and all of this is wrapped up within a simulator-esque formula of breaking down giant spaceships with keen precision.īasmadjian says that Shipbreaker was turned down by publishers until it found a home at Focus, and here it was able to flourish in early access before exploding onto Xbox Game Pass in recent weeks. Asobo Studio might be riffing on The Last of Us quite clearly, but there aren’t many games out there that have you taking control of rats to take down corrupt religious institutions. Recent examples from Focus Entertainment range from Hardspace Shipbreaker to Greedfall - both games that exist within familiar genres but aim to explore fascinating mechanics and subject matter not seen anywhere else. B-games actively recognises those restrictions and decide to use them to their advantage. Related: The Owl House Is A Metaphor For Grief I Wasn't Remotely Ready Forīut what exactly is a B-game? I think it’s unwise to label it as something that strives to be a triple-A title but doesn’t have the resources or expertise to reach such heights. While it has grown larger and is taking on more responsibilities than ever, chief creative officer Dessil Basmadjian ensures me Focus wants to maintain its punk attitude, either by taking chances on niche genres or providing a home for experiences that might otherwise go unsupported. Earlier this month I visited the studios in Paris to celebrate the upcoming release of A Plague Tale: Requiem, receiving a tour of the premises and a deeper understanding of what the company hopes to achieve with its growing portfolio of ambitious games. ![]() ![]() Even if these titles aren’t meant to set the world on fire, there’s something oddly bittersweet about their absence.įocus Entertainment is a publisher with a plan to bring back those forgotten times, whether it be through bankrolling games that other companies might ignore, or by adopting a culture of welcoming all titles big and small under its umbrella with a similar amount of support and expertise. Jank isn’t something we see much these days, with lower budgets and freeform experimentation now a facet of indie studios instead of larger development houses we might have turned to in the past. Heightened budgets and longer production cycles has meant taking a chance on smaller projects or new intellectual property is riskier than ever, so the majority of studios opt for safe sequels or remasters of games that already exist and guarantee a satisfied audience. ![]() B-games have become a bit of a lost art in recent years. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |