Shawn Allen of NuChallenger is developing Treachery in Beatdown City, a Bad Dudes-style beat-em-up with turn-based tactical elements and a diverse cast of characters. Do games that stray from the typical “grizzled white male” protagonist risk their commercial viability? What concerns did Allen have before deciding to feature black and female heroes? Ultimately, all games provide social commentary, and Allen’s is one that reflects his New York City.
In this interview, he discusses why he left Rockstar Games, what he learned from Treachery in Beatdown City’s two Kickstarter campaigns, why minorities are underrepresented in the indie development scene despite increased access to tools and crowdfunding, his experience attending GaymerX, and how GDC and PAX East 2015 being the same weekend is bad news for anyone attending even one of the shows.
This interview is available as video on YouTube and as audio in Apple Podcasts.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Treachery in Beatdown City from NuChallenger
- Shawn Alexander Allen on Twitter
- Beat Down City on Twitter
- Treachery in Beatdown City’s first Kickstarter
- Treachery in Beatdown City’s second, successful Kickstarter
- Shantae: Half-Genie Hero on Kickstarter
- "From Poverty to PlayStation…One Game Dev’s Climb Toward Success"
- Breach TD tower defense game out of Puerto Rico
- Kotaku’s report on Shawn Alexander at GaymerX
- Vimeo talk: How Urban Black and Latino Cultures Can Be the Next Frontier for Indie Games
Polygamer explores issues of equality and diversity in the gaming industry. New episodes air every other Wednesday on YouTube and in Apple Podcasts.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:18:04 — 41.3MB) | Embed
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