Kepler Interactive’s Bold Commitment to Innovative Video Game Development
Illustration by Kepler Interactive.
It has been a week since mid-2023, and the gaming industry has faced several harsh reminders that the video game landscape is extremely tough right now for developers of all sizes and forms. While titles like Fortnite continue to dominate, companies such as Narrative Games have unfortunately reduced their workforce. Similarly, teams like Surgent Studios have come to understand the difficult reality that launching a game like Tales of Kenzara, despite favorable reviews, can still lead to insufficient revenue to keep your team employed.
These and various other challenges have prompted numerous publishers to seek new audiences in the realm of UGC games like Roblox, emerging in the field of browser-based games utilizing WebGPU, or the burgeoning PC market developing in China. “Why,” they might ask, “should we place significant bets on the oversaturated PC and console markets?”
Yet some remain committed—such as Kepler Interactive, the British publisher whose array includes survival game Pacific Drive, to football simulation Rematch, to the vibrant Metroid-inspired Ultros and the forthcoming French-inspired fantasy title Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s a unique mix for the publisher that began with the martial arts action title Sifu, all united by a belief that there exists an audience of gamers even within a fiercely competitive market.
Related:Did you know the car in Pacific Drive has a ‘soul’?
Kepler Interactive’s senior portfolio manager, Matthew Handrahan (a former associate in the B2B games journalism community) has examined the market data and acknowledges it portrays a “rather intimidating picture.” However, he believes the focus on major franchises often conceals a significant reality in his work: “The relatively small segment of individuals who purchase new games, I believe, actually buy a fair number of new titles each year,” he mentioned in a recent discussion with Game Developer.
That audience may not be buying all of Kepler’s games. Nevertheless, the publisher’s insight, he noted, is that there are numerous pockets of players with varying interests making those purchasing decisions. He feels developers should recognize that even amid tough conditions, these audiences are worth pursuing, especially if you possess a distinctive game concept worth exploring.
Seeking “true specificity”
According to Handrahan, the overall publishing strategy of Kepler Interactive operates on a kind of “gut feeling” approach. He stated that the goal is to identify games that individuals within the publisher find engaging and could genuinely endorse. While the team still considers traditional publisher necessities such as budgets and production feasibility, there’s a notion that if someone at Kepler is truly passionate about a game, there will likely be an audience eager to share that enthusiasm and want to play it. Having team members with diverse preferences aids the group in casting a wide net and diversifying its roster.
Developers hoping to win over Handrahan and his team should know they’re looking for what he describes as “true specificity.” “Take Sifu for example,” he explained. “Sifu could easily have been a 2D side-scrolling pixel art game, right? It shares a similar structure to various titles…however what Sloclap truly [wanted] to accomplish was to replicate a particular style of Hong Kong action cinema. Not only the martial arts maneuvers, but also the way the camera moves and the editing.”
Referring to that vision as “specific,” he expressed that it is the primary reason the game distinguishes itself from other similar offerings.
He also mentioned Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Pacific Drive as two other games with “specific” visions. “It’s a matter of beginning with an experience they wished to create and then developing [their] way to the gameplay that will deliver that. I observe numerous pitches every year, and I often sense that many proposals go in reverse. They kick off in a genre and then attempt to reach the theme, ultimately landing in territory that feels rather mundane.”
“We want our games to genuinely integrate themselves more thoroughly into culture, not just within the gaming sphere.”
Illustration by Sandfall
Interactive/Kepler Interactive.
If you are the data-driven type who relies on instinct, then Handrahan’s perspective may resonate with you—that’s remarkable. “It might sound overly simplistic,” he conceded. “However, I truly believe any other method is just as easy to dissect.” He referenced market-driven publishing solutions that assist developers in refining traditional genres. “What is the market going to look like in two or three years? I believe there is a risk in focusing solely on what exists today and then greenlighting a game based on that, as 20 other companies might do the exact same thing, and by the time you launch, the market could be oversaturated.”
Developers still require a sense of realism
Handrahan cautiously tempered some expectations regarding Kepler’s “gut feel” method, suggesting that market realities can sometimes overshadow a strong vision. He pointed out three genres—Metroidvanias, first-person narrative games, and 2.5D sidescrollers—as categories so crowded that developers might only speculate about success with limited budgets and small teams.
This is a message he frequently has to communicate to developers during the extensive pitches he encounters at events. He appeared slightly uncomfortable—admitting he’s not a “blunt” person and that delivering such feedback can be challenging.
However, he is striving to be more straightforward in conveying this message and motivating developers to consider whether their vision can be adjusted to meet market demands. He mentioned that it’s worthwhile to do so because “if it’s something you can tell they are genuinely passionate about, then help guide them toward something you honestly believe could be more appealing to publishers in general.”
Image courtesy of Ironwood Studios/Kepler Interactive.
And if you’re pitching to Kepler right now, you would do well to present an exceptional pitch deck along with a playable prototype. The team still believes in visionary concepts, but with the “buyer’s market” for publishers currently, the standards for what developers are bringing to the table are higher than ever. Kepler’s recommendations diverged from those we’ve heard from Finji CEO Bekah Saltsman, so ensure you do your research on what the people you are engaging with are seeking in a pitch deck.
Handrahan noted he looks for concise pitch decks alongside a playable demo that outlines high-level game features, and delves into essential aspects such as progression, systems, and narrative (if those are integral to your game). Calling himself a “freak,” he expressed that he dislikes the notion that developers shouldn’t inundate publishers with lengthy pitch decks. “This may be due to my experience as a [former] journalist, where I’m accustomed to consuming a lot of information, but I believe…you shouldn’t leave too many uncertainties because you can’t presume you’ll have the chance for those questions to be addressed later.”
That said, you should not start your pitch with a 20-page lore document detailing the unique game world you inhabit. He advised developers creating streamlined decks to include appendices and additional documents they can provide to interested parties.
Those documents should include some sense of the game’s budget since Handrahan and his team need to understand whether it aligns with the type of budget Kepler might consider supporting. Unfortunately, it’s somewhat of a tricky balance—your budget should neither be excessively large nor too minimal, but rather quite just right.
Aiming to discover video game talent
The reality that Kepler still sees promising opportunities in the traditional PC and console markets is not a cure-all for every challenge in the gaming industry. The company can only publish a limited number of games, and while similarly positioned entities like Raw Fury, Fellow Traveler, and Hooded Horse are also focused on these markets, there simply isn’t enough capital to go around—and not every game these teams publish will find its audience.
Nonetheless, Kepler’s business strategy (which is already yielding returns) is based on the belief that those audiences are, in some form or another, accessible. This stance counteracts some of the prevailing narratives about the contraction in the gaming industry over the past few years. It’s becoming tiresome to log onto LinkedIn and see some executive disparaging the traditional video game market and urging developers to pivot towards creating games for Roblox.
There is value in seeking out new players—however, with the right strategy, publishers and developers alike can attract those players where they are already present.