Exploring Quito, Ecuador (and soccer fever) in despelote
The IGF (Independent Games Festival) seeks to foster creativity in game development and to honor independent game creators who are advancing the medium. This year, Game Developer engaged with the finalists for the IGF’s Nuovo and Grand Prize nominees prior to GDC to explore the subjects, design choices, and tools behind each entry. Game Developer and GDC are sister organizations under Informa.
despelote allows you to explore the streets of Quito, Ecuador as an eight-year-old child immersed in soccer enthusiasm, maneuvering your ball around the city and using it to interact with the places and people you encounter.
Game Developer had a conversation with Julián Cordero, the lead developer of the multi-IGF Award nominated title, to discuss the creation of a game that focuses on the experiences surrounding a sport rather than solely the sport itself, the innovative methods they employed to capture the essence of Ecuador in 2001 as they approached World Cup qualification, and the ideas behind how the soccer ball serves as a conduit for players to navigate the city by kicking it around.
Who are you, and what was your involvement in creating despelote?
I’m Julián Cordero, the lead developer and designer of despelote. The team also includes Sebastián Valbuena, who handles art and music, Gabe Cuzzillo, who assists with production, and Ian Berman, who manages sound design.
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What is your background in making video games?
I studied game design at NYU Game Center, created several games during my time as a student, and despelote was my capstone project six years ago. We’ve been fortunate to receive support from various sources to develop it over the years.
How did you come up with the idea for despelote?
Ecuador has a rich soccer culture, and I played a lot of it while growing up, but I stopped engaging with it after moving to NYC. Realizing that, I began to reflect on the role soccer had in my life and decided to create a game to express this idea. I had always enjoyed major AAA sports games like FIFA, but the soccer portrayed there didn’t represent the kind of soccer I grew up playing, which happened in neighborhoods and parks—not in massive stadiums before millions of fans. I discovered that everything surrounding the game is just as fascinating as the game itself, so we aimed to create a game centered on that.
What development tools were used to create your game?
Unity, FMOD, Scaniverse, and Polycam for 3D scanning, Blender, Ableton, and Photoshop.
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What concepts informed the creation of a world that can provide so much fun, hidden narratives, and mischief for an eight-year-old to dive into?
The game is set during a very specific period in Ecuador’s history. In 2001, the country had just gone through a significant economic crisis, and it was easy for everyone to rally around the national soccer team as a source of hope since they were preparing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. This is one of my earliest memories, although it’s quite blurry and much of it is reconstructed from stories I’ve heard. So, when designing the world, we decided to incorporate various perspectives into this depiction by allowing visitors and families to improvise the entire dialogue in the game. We developed some classic scenarios and encouraged people to pretend they were in 2001 so that they could bring any memories they had about that time into the recording sessions. The results were always incredibly sharp, and their integration into the game became a thrilling project.
Not writing any of the dialogue allowed me to be an observer of these moments, so it was very enjoyable to pretend to be eight years old and come up with ways to be mischievous around them. For example, a couple having an anniversary picnic in the park was a delightful exchange from a real-life couple who incorporated elements from their actual relationship into the recording. Wouldn’t it be fun to be eight years old and use their orange juice as a target? Perhaps the ensuing chaos after it splashes draws inspiration from their real-life relationship as well.
Kicking the soccer ball is simply delightful (and not just because…
of probabilities are elevated that you might possibly have even kicked it at someone). What considerations influenced the creation of the soccer ball kicking/dribbling mechanics to be enjoyable and engaging on their own? How were they designed to be satisfying from a first-person viewpoint?
I recall some of the balls I played with as a child and how intimately I connected with them. A worn-out soccer ball holds so many stories; it’s such a basic object, yet incredibly adaptable. When contemplating how to represent this, our instinct was to ensure it felt very tangible. We aimed to avoid relying on magical forces to keep the ball near you, instead embracing its unpredictable nature. The ball bounces around your feet; you never have complete control over it, yet you can somewhat guide it to where you want it to go. The first-person viewpoint gives the player a direct connection and ensures that the ball is always in focus. And when the ball is highlighted, the background sounds and atmosphere can gradually blend in.
despelote features a striking blend of stylized realistic visuals (inspired by photographs) and captivating characters. What drew you to this visual combination? How do these visuals align with your vision for this exploration of Ecuador in 2001?
Sebastián had been toying with this style for a few years before I approached him to be part of the game. I was quite impressed by some of his 2D animations, but he had never worked in 3D, making it a challenge to adapt his style into a first-person exploration game. However, once we began experimenting with the art, we quickly discovered that the combination of black and white hand-drawn elements with a lively background created a unique visual language.