Developing for 3DS: August 2018 Update

   The main reason for this blog post is to issue a clarification: We expect our first 3DS game to come out at the end of 2019—failing that, the beginning of 2020. The "end of 2020" claim was based on outdated plans. Depending on whether Phantomatics is finished when we expect it, this means we are giving ourselves 11 to 14 months to develop the follow-up game. Worst case scenario, we miss our two deadlines by more than a month or two, meaning our first 3DS game releases ~April 2020. Best case scenario, having a bigger team means we have the teamwork to get both games finished early; our first 3DS game releases in September of 2019.

   I have more news. Paper-Soul Theater, our pastiche of late-90s/ early-2000s RPGs, will not be our first game on 3DS. We have decided on a new game that will be developed alongside Paper-Soul Theater and released first due to its humbler size. We will not reveal this new game until it is far into development, but I will say that it's being helmed by Trevor, not me, and that it's planned to be an M-rated game.

Current Plans for Paper-Soul Theater

A sample of lesser-known/ cult, 3D JRPGs. Notice both how the age rating doesn't deter star ratings, but also that star ratings go down over time. A lower price means more stars, but what's interesting is that it almost doesn't matter whether a game is a sequel or a new franchise. I never realized how important it was to be early to the party; the worst-rated game out of all six games is the one that sold the best, despite being a game that only a cult audience knows.

   The platforms Paper-Soul Theater will be available on are a subject of debate. This last week, I've heard mixed things about the future of the 3DS, and nothing but good things about the Switch. Industry veterans are calling for at least 18 more months of life for the 3DS, and yet eShop activity by users is low right now. Considering it might still take many years to finish PST, things are looking grim. 

    While I'm still skeptical of the Switch in some ways, I have to admit that I was wrong for seeing it as a bad option. What the Switch lacks in its userbase compared to 3DS/ PS4, it makes up in its focus on indie games. The Switch is like Steam in that indie game sales are super amplified...with the risk of being buried. Switch owners en masse will scavenge the upcoming page for games that speak to them, and that's something no other consumer does. PST is designed to appeal to Nintendo fans and is our most ambitious game to date (despite being more of a handheld RPG than a console RPG by modern standards) so it has a much better chance of surviving on such a risky platform.

   That's all the news for now. 

    Postscript: Development on Phantomatics is progressing splendidly!

—Matthew Kordon, Founder of Otyugra Media