Exclusive Interview: Jools Watsham Talks Totes The Goat And Renegade Kid

WGTC: You engage fans quite often on social media, and often poll fans’ feelings on matters such as if there is a demand for your games in Europe. Do you feel like this has backfired in the past? Have you found that people are more willing to say yes to potentially buying something, and then not actually make the purchase once they get what they said they wanted?

JW: The polls and questions I pose on Twitter are not an exact science. I always take the results as a small sampling of a specific audience. Anecdotal at best.

WGTC: Renegade Kid always seems to have 2 or 3 games in development at all times. How do you manage juggling that many projects around, and why does it work better for the studio than just focusing on one game at a time?

JW: I would prefer we focus on just one game at a time, but that has not proven to be financially successful for us – therefore requiring us to develop more than one in order to keep rolling along.

WGTC: You’ve recently begun developing mobile games under the Atooi Games banner. What inspired your decision to branch out into mobile games?

JW: I have been interested in the mobile market for a long time. It just felt like a good time to test it out, and to do it solo means I can reduce costs down to a minimum to lower the risk for me.

WGTC: Atooi Games’ first release, Totes the Goat, has been a big success for you. Are you surprised that the game caught on so quickly? The mobile space can be so fickle, that you can never be 100% sure that a quality game is going to find its audience.

JW: Yes, absolutely. I knew going into the mobile market that each game is like a drop in a vast ocean. Even though not much revenue has been generated from the game, the amount of interest in Totes the Goat is very encouraging. I will continue to support the game with updates and plan to release future mobile games under the Atooi name.

WGTC: Mutant Mudds Super Challenge will be Renegade Kid’s next release on 3DS and Wii U. The original game was very challenging, so I was wondering what made you decide to take it up to another level for this new installment in the series? 

JW: It was just an idea that hit me one day. I always liked the idea of doing a “Lost Levels” with the game, and the time felt right. The scope of the game has grown some since the initial concept. I am excited to wrap up the game and see how fans get on with it.

WGTC: Give us your best pitch on why gamers should check out Dementium Remastered if they already haven’t, and why they should look forward to Mutant Mudds Super Challenge in 2016!

JW: I understand that survival horror is not for everyone, but if that genre is something you enjoy I am confident that Dementium Remastered provides a unique and authentic horror experience that really shines on the 3DS. It looks fantastic. It sounds great. And, it is a really fun jaunt through the bloodstained corridors.

Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is certainly a different experience, designed to test the skills of any would-be experienced platformer, but I am extremely proud of both games.

That concludes our interview, but we’d like to give a big thank you to Jools Watsham for taking the time to speak with us. Jools can be found on Twitter at @JoolsWatsham, and more information on Totes the Goat can be found on its official website.