Today, we take this opportunity to tell you about a small independent study as it is Always run. The team behind Morbid: the seven acolytes. A game that surprised us from the first trailer thanks to a simply brutal artistic section.
Since we first saw this release, it was clear to us that we wanted to know more about the studio behind it. That’s why we contacted Still Running and within days we had a response and just got down to business. As a result, we bring you an interview that leaves us many details about development of independent video games.
1. What is the origin of Still Running? How was it founded and with what motivation?
Still Running was founded in 2014 by our CEO Santeri <
2. How many people are currently working in the studio?
At the moment, our firm is made up of a team of 6 very talented people. Santeri (CEO / Lead Programmer), Simo (Composer / SFX / Writer), Elias (Animation Leader), Olga (Environment and asset design), Jorge (Level designer) and Nana (Public Relations). For Morbid, we also worked with Rama to help us with the programming. From the start, Still Running has been a constantly growing company.
3. Tell us a bit about the indie game development process. Which task is the most difficult? Which one do you like the most?
It really depends on the role and the person, but one thing that comes to my mind that we all agree on is that time is your worst enemy. Even with a perfectly coordinated project, sometimes you find yourself running or running out of time. But that doesn’t stop our work from being enjoyable. Being under the occasional pressure from time to time pays off when you enjoy your job.
4. Can you tell us more about the development of Morbid: the seven acolytes? When did you decide which way to go and what would be the style of the game?
When we started designing Morbid, we had a pretty little idea of what we wanted it to look like. We just get together and ask ourselves: what do we do best? And what are we interested in? By combining the answers of the whole team to these questions, we lay the foundation for the dark and sour world of our ARPG game. Filled with monsters, bosses and a tragic story.
5. What are your main sources of inspiration?
For Morbid, I would say that HP Lovecraft’s work had a great influence in shaping the world and its narrative. If we talk about gameplay, games like Dark Souls, Diablo 2, Sekiro, Resident Evil, Hyper Light Drifter, Bloodbotn o Titan Souls these are some of the works that we have studied looking for our own style.
6. Talking about the different platforms the game is launched on… which would you say it is easiest to develop on? Did you encounter specific issues while porting the game to a specific device or console?
Rellu es a machine during programming and porting. There have been no serious issues on any platform. Seeing that you are from the Xbox zone, I will tell you that … probably, Xbox is the most stringent console in terms of product quality control.
seven. What plans do you have for the future? A DLC or an update in mind?
We have many projects, but we cannot share them yet. In the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda, << Toca esperar >>.
8. What do you think of Xbox Game Pass? Have you ever considered bringing your game to the service?
My personal opinion is that Xbox Game Pass is a great service and provides great value to the consumer. I cannot say if we will be successful in the service at some point in the future.
9. And finally. How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected the study and everyone behind the game?
When the virus reached its peak in the spring, we had to work remotely for a few months. Fortunately here in Finland The management of the pandemic was very good at the start, and we were able to return to the offices (with precautions of course) for most of the year. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen this winter, and it looks like the second wave here is starting to become a bigger problem.
From here, We thank the Still Running team for their time and facilities to carry out this interview. For us, it is a great pride to be able to conduct interviews like this with different studios in the world of video games. Remember, we have a lot more interviews here.