'Development Limbo', 'Dev Hell', these are just a couple of names given to games that just can't quite make it out of the development process and actually be published. The Conduit was in this development limbo for awhile, before SEGA finally decided to take a shot on it. After reading IGN's exclusive look at Winter, I have a gut feeling someone out there will take a chance.
Winter, is a project that was secretly being worked on by n-Space. The details of the story haven't fully been released, but as of now we know that it follows an EMT worker, Mia. She's stuck in a midwest town that is being blanketed by an un-natural snow storm. She, of course has lost her memory and must try to survive, while trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
Here's IGN's video showing off Winter:
After reading IGN's interview, and watching the video I was completely blown away. The demo itself is down right spooky, and shows off some impressive graphical features. This excerpt from the IGN interview was what really piqued my interest:
"For all interactions, the Wii Remote and Nunchuck became extensions of the player's hands. To open a door, the player points at the handle with the Remote, pinches the A and B buttons, and pulls it open. If I'm worried about what's behind the door, I can pull it open slowly to peek inside first.
Each tool the player finds takes advantage of the unique nature of the Wii Controllers. For example, the flashlight will flicker at times, requiring players to tap the Wii Remote against their hands until it starts working properly. Other examples include a flare that needs to be cracked open with a sharp movement of the Remote, or a glowstick the player cracks and shakes in order to bring it to full intensity. Using simple gestures that make sense was a big part of our design."
The unfortunate part of the story, is that Winter is on the 'Cancelled' list. The n-Space developers tried to sell their game to a numerous amount of publishers in the industry. All of them answering in the same way (I'll paraphase), 'It's a great looking game, but we can't take a chance on a new survival-horror game at the moment'.
After reading the interview, I've come to a couple of conclusions as to why Winter hasn't been picked up. First, publishers are real antsy about investing into a new IP, specifically ones that could run into delays, and high production costs. Of course, judging by the fact that only a 12 person team worked on the Winter demo, those points could easily have been avoided.
The main reason that Winter hasn't found a publisher, is n-Space hasn't hyped the game up at all. In the interview, they mention that the movie we viewed was created in March '07. I would then ask, 'Why is this the first time I'm seeing it?'. The Conduit was going through nearly the same struggles that Winter is. It was uncertain as to whether or not The Conduit would find a publisher. So, what did High Voltage do? They created a massive hype for it by advertising it on the internet. They allowed numerous sites to view their game in action. They showed off demos to the public at all the popular gaming conferences. Then, once the snowball started rolling publishers began to take notice. Then, SEGA decided to invest in it, which in turn will likely lead to them reaping the reward.
So, what should n-Space's next move be if they really want to progress forward in the hunt for a publisher? I don't claim to be a huge expert, but maybe having a company website offering more that this is a good start.
Now that the game is out there, really try to start building the hype train. Make a blog, start a Facebook community about the game, show up at all the huge public conferences. Engage in interviews, and go onto as many gaming sites as humanly possible. If you give me reason to, I'll praise the advancement of Winter until there's nothing else to write about. Create a media circus around your demo, and I'll guarantee a publisher will take notice.
I might have sounded harsh towards n-Space, but it really is tough love. Winter looks like a game that could be quite an amazing experience on the Nintendo Wii. If 12 guys were able to come up with something so freakishly delightful, then I'm ready and willing to play a final product. Unfortunately, having a solid product isn't enough anymore. You have to prove to investors that your product is going to sell. With the population on the internet, there's quick and easy ways to do so. Hell, contact me and I'll give you some good start points.
I want to see what lies ahead for Mia, so please n-Space do something.