Charting The Indie Game Development Scene With Gigadrill Games: Carlos Claridad Talks About “Going Home”, “TalkGO” and Being in the Industry
Being a part of the game development discipline is a challenge as the industry isn’t accustomed to taking a minute to breathe. A moment may mean an innovation, and if you stop to think about your next move, your big idea just might be realized by another.
Suffice it to say, the Game Development industry thrives on its desire to constantly reinvent itself.
As this is the case, admirable is the Game Development studio that knows not only how to play around with its team’s idea, but also how to work at its own pace.
A part of a formidable team of professionals in the field, Mr. Carlos Claridad, a developer for the fresh and exciting Indie Game Studio, Gigadrill Games, knows the ropes around it. Xeno Creatives was fortunate enough to be given the chance to interview Mr. Claridad.
Here, we got an inside look into the development of their partner’s Horror Pixel game, “Going Home” and their other highly-viable and lucrative projects.
Xeno Creatives (XC): Looking into your website and Facebook page gives us the impression that Gigadrill Games has got a lot of things going. And we are finding a lot of interesting stuff. We’re curious to know, as to how Gigadrill Games came about. How did the Indie game company came into existence?
Carlos Claridad (CC): I make Gigadrill Games because I want to publish my own game and I want to try my luck on game industry as an indie game developer. I was also inspired by a lot of big success of Indie game developers like the creators of Fez, Braid, Super Meat Boy, Castle Crushers, Limbo and a lot more.
XC: When did you realize that you guys wanted to get serious in Game Development?
CC: Since the beginning because we really want to make an awesome game and to make a name in the game industry but until now, we are still in progress as I’m also working as a Game Developer during the day and an Indie Game Developer at night; it’s really challenging and fun at the same time
XC: What was the biggest challenge you encountered in setting up Gigadrill Games? What was the takeaway from that experience?
CC: Actually everyday is a challenge because you always need to think what your next move is, or the next game or project you’re going to delve in. Would you just follow the trend or go against it?
XC: We understand that you are well-versed with Unity. How does this translate into your competence within the industry?
CC: Actually, just Unity. One thing I can tell is Unity3d is really a powerful Game Engine if you know how to use it properly. Ten years ago, this kind of tool was just a dream. But now anyone can use even if they’re non-programmers or non-game developers. But of course, the question is, do they know how to use it properly? That’s why the game market nowadays is flooded by poor quality of games which is making the life of a game developer worse and making the development much more expensive.
XC: We are intrigued about “Going Home – A Pixel Horror Game”. What led you to coming up with the idea? Is this wholly a Gigadrill effort? And why Pixel art?
CC: “Going Home” is made by one of our partners in the team. Here is his answer:
“I came up with ‘Going Home’ from my great interest in fantastic films and novels, much like those with plot twists and serious and dark themes.”
Brandon, as he is simply referred to by his peers in the industry, is the genius behind “Going Home – A Pixel Horror Game”. Boasting of a no-nonsense storyline, the game is a dark mystery that follows the tragic story of a young man tasked to solve puzzles in an effort to find his family that had gone missing. Complicating the plot, this man must also make sense of a long-standing haunting in their house.
To find out more about and experience Brandon’s “Going Home – A Pixel Horror Game”, you may avail of it through the links below:
For iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/going-home-a-pixelated-survival-horror-game/id1257547945?mt=8
For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=brbl.goinghome.flam
Furthering our interview, Xeno Creatives went on to ask about a day’s worth of developing for “Going Home”. As with the succeeding questions, Mr. Claridad gave the spot to Brandon to answer the question.
XC: What does a day in production for “Going Home” like?
CC: “Since I’m working solo, everything with regard to the development is not in an organized manner. The time, plan, etc. are not ideal, but it still worked even in my own pace.”
XC: What’s next for “Going Home”? Will there be other installments or updates or will you be moving on to other projects?
CC: “Going Home will only be on continuous support, fixing bugs, minor improvements, and more. But no major features would be added since I’m now planning its prequel/sequel.”
To get to know more about Brandon, you may follow him over at Twitter, through: https://twitter.com/flamendless
Mr. Claridad went on to say that Gigadrill Games’ role on the development of “Going Home – A Pixel Horror Game” mainly delves on publishing, marketing, support, QA testing, bug-fixing and the like.
For further information, you may visit, http://gamejolt.com/games/goinghome/237280
XC: Speaking of other projects, could you tell us a little bit more about “TalkGO”? How did that come up?
CC: Our Patreon Project, “TalkGO” short for “talk and go”, a Location-Based game is one of our current experimental projects. We are planning a lot of big things for it like adding more mini games, more features to make it the next Social Media for people who want greater interaction around their location.
For the skinny on “TalkGO”, you may visit https://www.patreon.com/gigadrillgames or go to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/gigadrillgames/ and click “Like”!
XC: Where do you see Gigadrill Games in the coming years?
CC: Gigadrill games will still continue to make more games and applications and we hope that one of those games or applications will become a success.
XC: What piece of advice or message can you give young aspirants wanting to enter the Game Development industry?
CC: Start Small and dream big. Focus on your talents and strength make it better and better and enlist a trustworthy team. When you fail, just stand up and don’t give up. It’s a long journey ahead but only those who keep going and take everything seriously will win at the end of the day.
With the support and uncompromising faith that it has for the Game Development industry, Gigadrill Games is indeed a Game Development studio to watch out for.
Xeno Creatives is one with Giagdrill Games in its pursuit to come up with more innovative games.
Awesome stuff await you at Gigadrill Games’ Facebook page! Just be sure to visit and hit Like! https://www.facebook.com/gigadrillgames/
