Perhaps you will feel otherwise, but as an outsider looking in, I don’t feel that Microsoft has ever seemed very supportive of the XNA Indie Games channel. Are you worried about the possibility that neither the PlayStaion 4 or the Xbox One will ever provide the amount of freedom that the Xbox 360’s Indie Game channel provided? If that did occur, do you think you would refocus your efforts on PC and mobile games?
Jonathan Flook: My brother and I have said for many months that Xbox One will have a service like XBLIG, but it will take time to set up. I believe their ID@Xbox will one day turn into the new XBLIG. However, I believe it’ll be run much better than the current service. In the meantime we have to try out the mobile markets. They look like fun and I can’t wait to see what can come of it.
Something that will almost certainly change video games as we know them is the coming affordability of quality virtual reality technology. Have you had a chance to experience the Oculus Rift yet? What’s your interest level when it comes to ever making a virtual reality game?
Jonathan Flook: I love the idea of the Oculus Rift. I believe it’s going to have its challenges like motion sickness, but despite that it’s going to be a great little tool. I think there’s room for some of our stupid ideas on the Oculus Rift, like… A Bird Pooped On My Head. Just kidding!
The ending of One Finger Death Punch inspired me to reach out to you for this interview. It’s not very often that you finish a game that you greatly enjoyed, and are then asked to email the creator and let them know what you thought. What are some of the more interesting responses that has led to?
Jonathan Flook: We made that ending because we wanted a chance to pitch XBLIG to all the consumers out there and not just the Avatar Shooting games or the One Finger Death Punch’s but all the small games. We’ve only had good feedback from the ending and we’re so glad we had a chance to hop up on our soap box and spread a little indie game cheer. Even better, we’re so happy when someone writes us and we hear their thoughts on our game. It’s also a huge moral boost when times are hard.
Other than One Finger Death Punch, what are a few of your own titles that you would recommend most to anyone reading this?
All of these games are worth checking out. These are our passion projects. Often unnoticed and forgotten, but I believe some are truly gems:
Blow
Ranger
The Jump Hero
Fatal Seduction
Sins of the Flesh
Mirror
Boom Chick Chick
Blazing Birds
We Got This Covered would like to thank Jonathan for agreeing to our interview, and we wish them the best in their future endeavors. If you are interested in picking up a copy of the PC version of One Finger Death Punch, or would like to learn more about Silver Dollar Games, you can do so here.
