Evgeny Grishakov released a video interview on his YouTube channel with Denis Sabantsev and Alexey Evdokimov, developers at Blazing Planet Studio, a mobile game development studio. They have released four games on various platforms, including the popular Choice of Life game series which has generated over six figures in revenue.
The interview covered everything from how they got into game development, to their game creation process, and more. The developers also shared valuable insights and advice for those interested in creating and developing mobile games. This article compiles the most interesting and useful information from the interview.
Evgeny Grishakov(left) interviewing Alexey Evdokimov (middle) and Dennis Sabantsev (right)
How Did You Get Into Game Development?
Denis said that he has had a passion for games since his teenage days. He started playing games on Dendy (an unofficial hardware clone of Nintendo's third-generation Famicom) and PlayStation, then moved on to playing on a computer. Even at a young age, he had a dream of creating his own game. After finishing school, he went to study as a game developer. Denis set a goal for himself to create his game engine, and he dedicated a lot of time to achieving this goal. However, he later discovered Unity and realized that he didn't have to reinvent the wheel as this engine was perfect for developing his ideas.
Similarly, Alexey has also been deeply involved in the world of computer games since childhood. He never missed an issue of the gaming magazine, Igromania, and with the arrival of YouTube, he also never missed an issue of Videomania. After graduating from high school, he knew exactly what he wanted to do - create mobile games.
The two guys met at the Wargaming Academy, where they were part of the same study group for six months. At the end of their training, each group was required to develop their own game from scratch.
The First Game
Having received outstanding technical skills at the Wargaming Academy, Denis decided to attempt solo game development. In April 2016, he created a game called Druid during Ludum Dare.
"I initially only intended to make a prototype, without considering how to turn it into a full game," Denis recalls about his first project.
Later, Denis came across a review of his game on the Ludum Dare website. The review had a link to Twitter, which led him to a person who did an in-depth analysis of Druid. The developer was amazed by the positive feedback and was motivated to continue working on the game.
The mechanics of the game that were eventually released were all present in the prototype, but it lacked high-quality graphics and dialogues.
Realizing that he could not complete the game alone, Denis asked Alexey to join him in the development process. Alexey agreed and since then they have worked together on almost all their projects.
For two months, the duo searched for a designer to work on their first game. However, their budget constraints made it difficult to find someone willing to work for a percentage of the game's future profits.
After trying out three designers who failed to meet their expectations, Alexey decided to design the game himself. The game was later released with Alexey's design.
The entire development process, including the time spent searching for designers, took the two of them seven months.
Druid Monetization
The developers have released the game on Steam. According to the developers, it takes approximately two hours to complete the game, so they were hesitant to set a high price. It was priced at 60 rubles on Steam.
The initial reviews for the game were negative due to bugs, which the developers quickly attempted to fix. These bugs mainly pertained to the English language and sound within the game.
In the first year, the game sold 190 copies and in total, over 5 years, 53 000 copies were sold. Sales in the first year were really dreadful but a sales boost occurred one year after the release, which was helped by offering discounts. Over 5 years, the game generated $10 000 in gross revenue for the developers.
Next Game
Given the fact that Druid only earned its creators a little over $145 in its first year, it can be concluded that they did not make a significant profit. However, Denis and Alexey gained valuable experience and learned from their mistakes, which will be useful in the development of future games.
The second game, Lanternium, was also published on Steam by Denis and Alexey. The development process took two years because both developers were working in different game development studios. They had to work for hire because their projects did not provide a stable income.
The development of Lanternium was also affected by the decision to make it in 3D, which required additional time and resources. At first, Alexey tried to create 3D graphics on his own, but later a 3D modeler joined the team and things progressed more smoothly.
Despite the scale of Lanternium, the game was not well received, with only 329 copies sold in the first year after its release. The cost was also higher than their first game, at €8. The gameplay of Lanternium was more complex, taking at least 15 hours to complete all levels, which may have contributed to its lack of success. The developers now believe that most players prefer easier games rather than ones that require a lot of thinking.
The total cost of creating Lanternium was around $1 300, and to date, the game has not generated any significant profits.
CyberHive — Denis' Solo Project
After spending two years developing their second game and being disappointed with its lack of success, Alexey and Denis decided to temporarily halt their joint endeavors. Alex attempted to create mobile games, but after facing difficulties with promoting his app, he abandoned the project. Meanwhile, Denis decided to work on a computer game on his own, which resulted in the creation of "CyberHive," a time management game featuring animated girl characters.
Aleksey helped test "CyberHive" and assisted in fixing any bugs before its release. The third project was a partially collaborative effort, but the duo made the same mistake as in their previous games - not taking into account the current trends in the gaming market. Instead, they focused on creating games that they found interesting.
Denis was solely responsible for the programming of "CyberHive," while six designers were hired to work on the graphics and characters. The total cost of the project was $1 300. The game sold 350 copies on Steam within the first month of its release and over 1 100 copies a year later. It was also well received on the Nintendo Switch and brought in €1 600 in just 15 days after its release on Playstation and Xbox, with a 50/50 profit-sharing agreement with the publisher.
The success of the third game inspired Alexey and Denis to team up again and work on a fourth game.
Choose of Life: Middle Ages
Aleksey and Denis, two game developers, came up with an idea to create a card game similar to Reigns but with a twist of character rebirth. This game named Choose of Life: Middle Ages, has an evolving storyline that sets it apart from Reigns.
Reigns is a card strategy game in which the player takes on the role of a king and must maintain a balance between four different sides. If any of these sides fall to zero, the player loses. The player must answer questions by flipping cards and making decisions to keep the balance.
The idea for Choose of Life: Middle Ages was first conceived at a Game Jam, a gathering of developers to create games in a limited time frame. Along with designer Dina, Aleksey and Denis saw potential in the game and continued to work on it after the Game Jam. The game's success is attributed to its well-thought-out script.
In just 10 months, the game was released and sold 170 copies on its release day and over 1 500 copies in its first week on Steam. The average playtime for the game is 40 minutes, and each playthrough offers a unique experience for the player.
The game was successful, bringing in around €12 000 in its first month of sales on Steam and a total of €124 000 from 31 000 sales over its lifetime. The game was also released on mobile platforms like Google Play and the App Store and on Nintendo Switch, where 15 000 copies were sold.
After the game's success on Steam, Aleksey, and Denis left their jobs to focus on improving the game and releasing its second part. Choose of Life: Middle Ages has brought its creators approximately €60 000 from all platforms to date.
Team Structure
With the revenue growth, the team realized that expanding their staff was necessary for the development of the second part of "Choose of Life: Middle Ages". To achieve this, they brought on a part-time designer, screenwriter, and community manager to join their team. The latter was responsible for leading the team's social media presence. For the music, the team opted for outsourcing.
Additional Income from DLC
Downloadable Content (DLC) is a method of distributing official digital media content over the internet, which often requires payment. These are essentially add-ons for games that users can purchase using a digital key or from the Steam store. The DLC appears as a single application within the game's properties dialog box.
The two DLCs released by the developers as an addition to "Choose of Life: Middle Ages" generated a gross income of $1 300.
The Second Version of the "Choose of Life: Middle Ages" Game
In September 2022, the team announced the release of the second version of their popular game, which is now available on Steam.
The second version of "Choose of Life: Middle Ages" boasts several improvements and differences from its predecessor, including:
- Approximately eight times more game events
- Three game cards instead of two
- Added character icons in dialogues
- A comprehensive book that describes all the characters and game items.
The developers of the second version of Choice of Life: Middle Ages 2 made significant improvements, including the addition of an interactive map for character movement and increased variability in gameplay. The events can now unfold differently based on the player's actions. The game can be purchased on Steam for $7.
The developers are currently working on a new game in the cyberpunk genre called Choice of Life: New Centurion. This new game is set shortly in St. Petersburg and is based on a previously released comic book. The game mechanics are similar to the Choice of Life: Middle Ages, but with a different setting.
Cyberpunk, as a genre of science fiction, reflects the decline of human culture in the age of computer technology and is a combination of the words cybernetics and punk. The new game will be geared towards a more mature age group and will feature a tough detective story plot. Alexey, one of the developers, stated that the game will have similarities to Max Payne and will also maintain a comedic element, as the team always strives to make their games both exciting and entertaining.
Conclusion
After the conversation, Alexey and Denis imparted valuable advice to aspiring game developers. They emphasized the importance of not being afraid of making mistakes as every mistake provides a unique learning experience.
They encouraged developers to continue learning and growing through trial and error and emphasized the significance of completing a project, no matter how small. Denis emphasized that finishing a project is far better than leaving it unfinished, as this leads to a lack of certainty about its potential success.
