For indie developers, cultivating a relationship with a publisher can make all the difference in realizing a creative vision — bringing resources, support and cash flow to studios that would otherwise struggle for those luxuries. If there are any developers that understand such a relationship, it’sTrek to Yomidevs Flying Wild Hog.
Thestudio behindShadow Warriorhas a longstanding history with self-proclaimed indie games publisher Devolver Digital, so when work started on its newest samurai epic, the foundation for cooperation was already strong. Game Rant sat down with Flying Wild Hog to discuss howTrek to Yomi’s cinematic experience was improved with support from a publisher like Devolver.
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Trek to Yomi’s devs worked with Devolver from the very beginning
Flying Wild Hog knew what it was getting into when working withDevolver Digital, it said, because the studio and the publisher are not new partners. The devs had worked with the publisher as early as 2013 on the first entry in the rebootedShadow Warriorseries.
In March of 2020, the studio was working with Devolver on the company’s summer showcase event, held digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Per the game’s creative director Marcin Kryszpin, around the same time, Flying Wild Hog “received information and a presentation” aboutTrek to Yomifrom independent developer Leonard Menchiari. “We started discussions with Devolver about the game at that point because, from our perspective, this project presented a very nice, unique new idea for a game.”
Flying Wild Hog was particularly interestedinYomibecause the game’s concept brought something new to the samurai genre by prioritizing a cinematic atmosphere over action-packed gameplay. Eventually, during development, “all sides realized thatTrek to Yomihad a lot of potential as a small indie title,” Kryzspin said. At that point, Flying Wild Hog and Devolver decided to extend production with the intention of devoting more time and resources to the project to help it achieve its full potential.
Throughout the development process, Devolver provided a wealth of resources that improvedYomi’sfinal product, the studio said. The production crew worked closely with the publisher’s operations director, Mark Lloyd, a games industry veteran with experience working at Rockstar Gameson theGrand Theft Autoseries. Lloyd assisted the team, providing a unique industry insight during the development process that had a positive impact on the studio.
“His knowledge and experience was outstanding, and he shared that all with us."
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Working with Devolver on Trek to Yomi was a positive experience
Overall, Flying Wild Hog gave a glowing review of its work with Devolver. The studio credited part of the success of its collaboration to similarities between the companies. “They do a lot of experimentation,” the devs said, “and they have a very unique style of developing.”
Devolver’s more laid-back approach to gamesmeshed well with Flying Wild Hog. “From that perspective, cooperating with Devolver was a very good idea,” Kryzspin said. Devolver and Flying Wild Hog are also both about the same age, which also worked to their advantage. Both companies were formed around 2009, and with just over a decade of experience in the games industry, they shared similar outlooks.
According to the devs, the congruence between studio and developer yielded positive results forYomi. By the end of the development process, Flying Wild Hog’s cooperation with Devolver had allowed the game to grow significantly. Among other improvements, the studio was able to triple thenumber of in-game cinematicsand add elements to its combat system, Kryzspin said.
“Working with Devolver, we had a big opportunity to grow both in terms of staff and in terms of the quality of our work."
Trek to Yomiis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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