Change is a good thing for many people, and that fact is the key to its success. The way it comes into your life whether you're sitting at home on the sofa, playing hand-held when the TV is picked up or rolled up in bed with a Nintendo & # 39; s console, is always ready and waiting to be easily entered into your busy schedule. The fact that every change is a portable system makes the issue of go-all-digital with the purchase of your game more compelling than ever, especially with other platforms. When it is possible to take every single game in your library with you, why worry about creating a more comprehensive library?
However, there is still a comfortable audience for physical releases – as evidenced by "Original Release?" the answer to each announcement of the indie game on the platform. We are constantly told that physical media is moving in the direction of a dinosaur, yet companies devoted to limited releases and video games on the cartridge and disc thrive, not least on the switch. One of the leaders in the field is the Super Rare Games and today the company is celebrating its second year.
Back at the beginning, it was a quick process where the only question was whether I liked the game or not.
With the physical release of some really good games under its belt, including Snake Pass, Steredenn: Binary Stars, Lovers in Dangerous Space, SteamWorld Demand, Intermediate Gardens and recently announced Goo Land (to name a few), Super Rare has focused exclusively on the Switch release since its inception. In just two years the company has acquired a fantastic 27-game library Switch to its ever-expanding cartridge library, and there is no sign of a need despite the inevitable digital & # 39; s future.
"It's all about the way things have worried us over the past two years," said George Perkins, Head of Stuff & # 39 ;, when asked whether they have chosen the history of the company so far. "I don't think anyone at Super Rare would have thought we would be in such a wonderful place after the company for just 24 months. The response from Swingch fans at our company has always been amazing and so without the dough. SteamWorld Demand it was one of the best photos of my game as one of my favorite indie games of all time. "
looking at The Super Rare catalog, it is more than one number of interesting topics; it's better quality of these releases, both in the mix and in the way but in the games themselves. You would swear that signing these games – most of them hitting the indie releases – would be tricky, though not necessarily. "I never thought about any difficult titles we have released, but we have 4 or 5 major projects in negotiations that have taken a while to get over the line. Fingers crossed it all comes back because everything will be pretty much added to our list."
From the very beginning the lineup has been carefully cultivated, though the process of selecting projects may have been very complex over the last two years. "Our goal of signing is now stronger than ever," continued Perkins. "Back to the beginning, it was a quick process where the only question was whether I liked the game or not. That quickly changed as we became more popular and I didn't feel like releasing the genres and titles I like! and their need for body transformation. "
I would say the average time (from first contact with devs to posting a game) is 6-8 months.
The process may have changed, however team at Super Rare the same as it was then. "As far as the team is concerned, we have always been the same since the beginning. with such a small group. "
In addition to growing the team and the personal vision of the person responsible for the initial rollout, Perkins acknowledges the ways in which things have changed, personally and in the company at large. "I've been reading using emails I sent two years ago, and it's really crazy to me about how I changed over time. I was sending hurt emails back then, so in the text itself, it's amazing to see how much better I am now. then perhaps I could be forgiven. "
As both Perkins and the business have grown, he would be forgiven for waiting for the time from initial contact with the developer to a physical product ready to ship might have dropped after two years of lessons learned, but that is certainly not the case. "The time between initial contact and actually announcing releases has increased over time. This is largely because as we have increased in size, our gaps have started to fill faster and faster. We currently have 18 games. Connection is already underway, and it's crazy! what month they should expect their physical release. I would say that is 6-8 months. "
The success of Super Rare has forced the company to tackle an issue where games will sell out pretty fast and fans miss out on getting limited releases. To combat this issue the company introduced the Super Rare Club Membership, an annual subscription of £ 30 offering various bonuses – very attractive for 48 hours advance notice and a chance to keep up with the new releases. By all accounts, the scheme went down well. "Last year we voted for party members, and found that 90% of the people rate services were 8/10 or higher, so people in the club seemed happy," Perkins said. "We have a 20% growth rate this year, so the number has gone up even more. We are definitely seeing equal distribution, but hopefully we can offer both members of our club, and generally customers, an amazing experience with us."
We ended up not working at (Yooka-Laylee), I was disappointed for days and I never left my bedroom for a week. In retrospect it was a great lesson …
The biggest need to handle is obviously a good problem to have and it's something the team had to deal with. Overall it has been a complete sailing for the company so far, despite obstacles in the season, especially in the beginning. “Right from the start, one of my dream games was signing up Yooka-Laylee, "Presents Perkins." I hate to talk about my age, but at the time of the discussion I said we were working on a topic when I was young and I was very clever about business. Too bad or right, I was expecting a lot to get the title out. "
Sure, Yo-Layee i can get a physical release on Switch, submitted by a limited-edition race company Run Run. After pre-ordering, the company finally teamed up with US retailer Best Buy and the game became widely available physically, but business facts hit Perkins hard. "We ended up being inactive, struggling for days and I never left my bedroom for a week. In hindsight it was a good lesson and I have been over a month that the game was found in their home and that I could own a copy on my shelf."
It was a lesson to be learned; the market for virtual reality indie games has accelerated in the two years since the arrival of Super Rare, as Perkins admits. "The whole & # 39; small print market & # 39; has changed a lot in the past two years. When we first announced it two years ago, we were the first company to take on this Nintendo Switch model. From there, it should be 6-7 new companies."
When we compete with so many people, getting out of the crowd becomes even more difficult. The Super Rare releases include extras such as convertible covers, booklets (personal favorites), stickers and trading cards, but the restaurant, the media market is a bit complicated. "One of the biggest things is our customer service and the quality of our products," Perkins said when asked what sets Super Rare out of the pack. "We try to send the whole order within a few days of receiving it and not many companies can match that service. Our service always responds within a short period of time. we are the leading runner in the community that collects the switch. "
it is very rare that we actually sign a game until we see approval received after the digital launch.
Considering the need for physical removal on all platforms, that community seems to be in good health right now, despite the problems facing many collectors – should I wait for release? With Super Rare's focus on critically-acclaimed titles, the argument of sponsoring indie ads by forcefully buying a digital copy just to get bored when the physical release is announced – sometimes just a few days after pulling the trigger – becomes even more difficult. We asked Perkins if his time between digital and physical versions (or their announcements) could be reduced in the future.
He admits, "This is a difficult situation, as great digital success is what leads to mass removal. Considering traditional marketing, most of the time you will see a physical release coming out at once, but with indie products it can be very risky to commit to making a boxed copy. so much so that we sign the game until we see approval received after the digital launch. They want review scores and the buzz that generates on social media before confirming the release. "
In addition to building contacts in the industry, there are other factors that contribute to the delay in the introduction of the visual version, including tags and other content. "Having better relationships with developers and publishers certainly means that the big games we release may come out physically faster than before, but to be honest it is hard to reduce that much. We also like to wait for all content to be added to the game before performing physical releases, so this can sometimes add some time. too long to announce our partnership. It's really a consumer fraud and we often tell developers to tell people that a future release is coming soon that they have been notified. "
Many people who have gone digital-switches with a digital switch can point to a highly regulated and uncontrollable future all. Indeed, with subscription services like Netflix and Spotify coming in deeper and faster, many young people these days are overwhelmed by the idea of storing data on CDs and Blurays. As media aficionados who carry cards with healthy paranoia you can take away, far under the zombie apocalypse of our online licenses and the availability of the library to be abolished, however we must know that the ease of use of digital media is compelling, especially from a radical, cosmic perspective.
Right now I see Running Games as the first one, which we will compete with and it would be amazing to reach the highest standards in terms of the quality of the games they release. I have great respect for them
However, the future of digital data as a whole has been overlooked for many years, until now it hasn't released an actual article yet. "With the appreciation of broadcast services and subscription models, I think we will definitely see a reduction in physical media over the next 10 years," Meskins said. "Nintendo has always been a physical company, and if you look at sales figures in first-team games, I can't see it changing much in the short term on the Switch and nothing to follow. It's always been a game of physical products. , how big will that audience be? The main thing will keep young generations with a desire for physical removal and ensure that in 30 to 40 years people can still see the joy of collecting social media. "If the rebirth of vinyl teaches us anything, there's always a market for things new, and since social media is taken on an ephemeral online balance, there will always be a demand – albeit a niche – of a game that can be easily touched.
Given the unprecedented success of Turnch and other critical contractors, after just two years there is much to look forward to at the Super Rare conference. "We want to continue to grow as a company and continue to produce the best and best indie games ever! Currently we see ourselves as one of the biggest indie publishers that have been transformed, so we want to keep pushing it further to be the best."
With the best indies found by many companies when it comes to physical releases, that inspires Perkins to work harder. "At the moment I see Running Games as the first one, which we will compete with and it would be amazing to achieve the high standards of the quality of the games they release. I have a lot of respect for them as a company and I'm a huge fan of the founder, Josh Fairhurst. "Interestingly, Perkins suggests that this may be different from the traditional Super Rare releases you've been working on so far. "This can be a completely different experience from what we are currently doing and it may be different from what we are trying to accomplish as a company."
If the company continues to produce the quality output it has been putting, we will definitely add it to our Super Rare collection for years to come. Asked what kind of old Nintendo property George could physically release to Swingch given the opportunity, his answer did not disappoint. "Simple! An Wars of Advance Lots of first three games (I don't let the fourth game be part of the series). He is one of my favorite games of all time! I described my childhood playing these games so it would be a dream come true to see that switch, let alone be involved. "
If you take a look at the Super Rare catalog of physical altercation games to date, the Advance Wars release is automatic all right. Also, even if the following year does not include that particular update, and as digital marketing continues to grow in value and popularity, the future looks remarkably bright for the games that appear on the switch. Here it is!
Many thanks to George for his time and congratulations to the Super Rare team on its second birthday. Do you have any other Super Rage Games titles in your body collection? Let us know below.
