Expectations are high when the first game you release earns the eye of publishers who port it to larger platforms and in a short time gains avid fans who appreciate unique art style, a tailor-made soundtrack, subtle critique of modern society and top-notch humor.
Demagogues managed to surpass all that and have recently released a trailer for their new game “The Cub”. Everything we adored in their first game is in the new one, with new characters, mechanics and a brand new storyline. We are sharing this trailer with you, but also a conversation with Igor Simić, the founder of the studio and the brains of the operation.
SGA: How did you “switch” as a team and as creatives with mobile knowledge to such a complex PC / console project?
Igor: We worked on Golf Club: Wasteland as a mobile project for practical reasons. The goal was to make our first commercial game small, and at the same time to show through the worldbuilding and the radio program that we can build characters, a story, an atmosphere for a console game. That’s why GCW also had a premium business model. The success of that game gave us a place at the table with the publishers of PC/console games. The Cub is a significantly more complex game, but our philosophy of work is the same, only with a bigger team.
SGA: How did you collaborate with the publishers and are you satisfied with the process?
Igor: We talked to the Polish publisher Untold Tales about a third project. They saw that GCW was not ported, so we made an agreement to expand that title. Since the collaboration was successful and pleasant, we had a demo for The Cub, so we agreed on it. In the meantime, the game turned out to be twice as big as planned, but that’s ok.
SGA: And more than OK! Tell us something about the soundtrack, that’s what makes you, in addition to the art style, very recognizable. Who did you work with this time?
Igor: The soundtrack is again Radio Nostalgia from Mars, which is broadcast in Tesla City on Mars, but this time in the helmet of our mutated boy. As before, I write the lyrics and do some desperate, anti-musical demo, and Shane Berry then composes. Then we call associates. For example, Horsman Coyote of Eyesburn is one of the collaborators. The title song from the trailer was created in this way, and the vocals are Goran Grubišić from the band Wooden Ambulance. There are more, but more on that later.
SGA: We have seen very positive audience reactions to the ported versions of GolfClub: Wastelend. How else did you build an audience in advance for a new product?
Igor: Yes, GCW’s reception is surprisingly good. But we didn’t do anything about marketing. That’s what our publishers are doing for now. We maintain regular relationships with the community online, but above all we try to make good, relevant games that will one day become cartoon series.