Interview

Windows Phone the perfect platform for indies, reckons Dare to be Digital champ Kind of a Big Deal

iOS and Android too packed

Windows Phone the perfect platform for indies, reckons Dare to be Digital champ Kind of a Big Deal
It's with a tinge of irony that, just as Microsoft gears up to launch Windows Phone 8 – an update that, to all intents and purposes, severs ties aplenty with its predecessor – developers are beginning to talk up its current OS.

On these pages, Windows Phone developers have often expressed frustration in regards to getting visibility on the platform.

Unless you are branded with Microsoft's Xbox Live tag, they argued, you're almost invisible.

Have things changed, then? According to Dare to be Digital finalist and potential BAFTA nominee Kind of a Big Deal, it's now actually far easier to garner a bit of attention for your game than it is on iOS and Android.

We caught up with team member Kimi Sulopuisto to find out why the firm chose Windows Phone for its Dare to be Digital finalist Starcrossed, and just how a studio from Finland ended up showcasing its wares at at development competition at the University of Abertay, Scotland.

Pocket Gamer: How did you hear about Dare to be Digital?

Kimi Sulopuisto: A representative of Dare Nordic gave a presentation on Dare to be Digital at our school – Kajaani UAS.

We quickly took interest, formed a team and sent in an application!

It's said the Scottish Government helped you secure the place as the competition's Nordic entry. How did that work?

The Scottish Government's sponsorship enabled us to hear about the competition to begin with – Dare to be Digital is not famous in Finland.

The sponsorship also meant that once we secured our place in the competition, we would have our flights and accommodation paid for. We were also given some stipend money to keep us going.

That said, we did have to pay our trip to the qualifiers in Norway ourselves, and we knocked out some amazing teams - including the winner of this year's Dare+ - before we could proceed to the actual Dare to be Digital competition.

How would you describe Starcrossed to a newcomer?

It's a whimsical 2D platformer for Windows Phone 7.

The player guides a crash-landed astronaut, using a rocket launcher to blast himself from asteroid to asteroid till he reaches his home planet.

The player must also collect these tiny stars along the way, while making sure not to expose the astronaut to the burning sun or the freezing outer space for too long at a time.

What kind of feedback did you get from the 10,000 ProtoPlay attendees who played your game?

A great number of people seemed to enjoy the game, but most more important was the age group we're aiming at.



We were happy to see people of all ages understand and enjoy Starcrossed. Kids were especially quick to learn the mechanics, and even some hardened PC players were surprised to find themselves enjoying the game.

What made you pick Windows Phone?

We have previous experience with XNA and Windows Phone 7 development, and we've even released games on the Marketplace before.

We didn't want to spend any of the steep development time learning new tech.

Windows Phone Marketplace is also far less crowded than the App Store for iOS, where getting a foothold often requires the aid of cold, hard cash.

The suggestion by many is that many indie releases get lost on Windows Phone Marketplace without Microsoft's backing. Does this worry you?

This is contrary to what I've witnessed. If you make a good mobile game, Windows Phone Marketplace gives you the best possibility to reach at least mediocre popularity.

On iOS or Android, even a tremendously enjoyable game has the possibility to be completely lost.

Naturally this means that on WP7 one might not reach as many potential customers as on the madly popular iOS or Android, but to me it looks like WP7 is a good place for new developers to start their career.

You don't have to have an insane reputation or funds to back up that gem of an app.

What would winning a BAFTA mean to you?

Winning a BAFTA would further bolster our reputation as young game developers.

Every single person from my team wants to work in the games industry, and this is the biggest chance we might ever have to prove that we mean business.
Thanks to Kimi for his time.

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.