Have you ever wondered what it's like to work in an indie game studio and how the core members of the development team help shape and bring a game to life? In this devblog, we will be highlighting Goblin Stone's developers, their experiences and the challenges they faced during the development of Goblin Stone.
We spoke with Goblin Stone's producer, Joseph, about how his efforts as the team's overseer influenced the game's development. Let’s hear his thoughts!
The Goblin Stone community is curious about what a game producer does. Can you tell us what is it like to be the producer in a game development studio like Orc Chop Games?
Game producers in general oversee the team's project management and ensure that everything runs smoothly and on time. One of my most important responsibilities as Goblin Stone's producer is to communicate with and coordinate the team. It is especially important for Orc Chop Games, which has two separate studios in Manila and Beijing that collaborate to develop Goblin Stone, to keep everyone informed and be on the same page about the project's goals.
What motivates you to choose this profession? Can you tell us how you got into game development?
I enjoy interacting with others! It's exciting to see people work together to create something big. Learning the various processes and figuring out how to improve and make the team work more efficiently is a challenge, but it is what motivates and keeps me going right now.
It’s a funny story for me. As a child, I was fascinated by video games, but I never had the desire to create them myself. I became interested in programming while at university and enrolled in a Game Development course. From there, I learned the ins and outs of game development alongside a very interesting group of friends I met along the way. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Can you describe a typical day in the life of a Game Producer?
I am primarily in charge of maintaining and tracking the progress of the team's tasks. I met with the team and made sure we had plans in place for any unexpected scenarios that might arise in the future. Although we cannot predict the future, being prepared is always a good idea.
That's mostly what I do on a daily basis, but whenever I have the opportunity, I try to hype up and keep the team spirit high in order to keep them motivated or simply to make the day more enjoyable.
Managing multiple teams from two different studios sounds like a lot of work! Were there any challenges you encountered while working with the Orc Chop Team and developing Goblin Stone?
The most challenging part of managing two different teams in different locations would be communication and collaboration between the two teams. Fortunately, both teams are in the same time zone. This makes it easier for both teams to collaborate because their core times intersect. Coordination is an important aspect of any project, so we worked hard to keep development on track.
Joseph also establishes project milestones and ensures that everyone is kept up to date during Sprint planning.
How would you describe your experience working in an indie game studio like Orc Chop Games?
It's a lot of fun. We're a close-knit team, which makes communication between departments a breeze. I learn something new almost every day, which adds a lot to my day.
What exciting things can we expect from Goblin Stone, and what are your thoughts on the game's upcoming release?
We've been working on a lot of new things for Goblin Stone, such as improving the overall game experience, creating eye candy visuals, and ensuring that the game runs smoothly and without hiccups for the full game release. We also added a lot of new features, particularly to the adventure and combat system that will help improve the game’s replayability and player’s gaming experience.
If everything goes well with the development of Goblin Stone, we also intend to look into localizing the game to different languages and porting it to different gaming platforms in the future.
I, like everyone else, am very excited for the upcoming release of Goblin Stone and eager to hear from our players. We will strive to improve our game based on all feedback, good or bad, in order to provide the best experience for our players. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and share your thoughts and ideas for Goblin Stone.
BIC Fest game expo and B2B with community manager, Aika
Our lead and assistant game producers
Joseph (right) and Rex (left) at BIC Fest
Is there anything else you'd like to share with aspiring producers and the Goblin Stone community before we wrap up this interview?
Don’t be afraid to take the dive. Although it may seem intimidating at first, being a producer is a lot of fun! Remember that everything is a learning experience; don't be afraid to fail because every failure usually results in an improvement. My mentor's favorite quote was "Fail fast, learn fast," and it has stayed with me for a long time. I like the idea of it because it gives a new perspective on failing.
To the Goblin Stone community, thank you for all the support you are giving us! It means a lot to us. We have a strong impression that you all want the project to succeed, so we will do everything we can to deliver the best game possible!
