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BattleBlock Theater Lead Level Designer Talks About The Value Of Player Feedback
In a two-part interview with Gameranx, The Behemoth's Aaron Jungjohann spoke in detail about BattleBlock Theater's lengthy development process. The discussion comes back often to the importance of player feedback, which informs the studio's approach to design.
Unlike many developers, The Behemoth typically announces their games early in the production cycle. Instead of being hesitant, the studio displays early builds and puts them in the hands of consumers at conventions and trade shows.
"I think we value player feedback so much that the game would ultimately have suffered if we'd delayed the announcement. We might have ended up with more wasted time. We could have put in a year and a half on a game and then taken it to a trade show and found out it's not what they player wants."
Jungjohann acknowledges the downside – that interested players have to be patient (in this case for nearly four years) – but states his belief that people quickly forget the long wait once the games come out. Other segments of the interview touch on the influences of other platformers that members of the BattleBlock Theater team brought to the project, the comedy inherent in the narration, and the plans for a Steam version.
Our (glowing) review of BattleBlock Theater is live, and you can read both parts of the interview with Aaron Jungjohann of The Behemoth at Gameranx.
[Source: Gameranx (1), (2)]
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