More than just "kids' stuff
Boutiq has just won the "Swiss Game Award" with its previous game "Perils of Man". This calls for further sequels.
WW: Is it a logical step to enter the world of game development with your boutique for animated films?
Mike Huber: Absolutely. In media terms, the moving image has long since become interactive or at least gone "online". But it also makes a lot of technical sense: many of the high-end 3D technologies used in films now come from the world of games - and no longer the other way around. What's more, our expertise in storytelling, design and 3D animation is almost crying out for us to move into the gaming sector.
What triggered the impulse to found IF Games?
Philipp Zünd: IF Games grew out of Boutiq. When it became clear to us that games would continue to play an important role in our lives in the future, we decided to strategically separate the division in order to be able to present ourselves more clearly on the market and also to open up the possibility of involving investors or funding.
What does "IF" actually mean?
Huber: On the one hand, it quite banal embodies the "if" from the programming formula "if ... then". On the other hand, it could be an abbreviation for "interactive fiction", for example, as we have a great love of narrative games.
"The Perils of Man" was a commissioned production for Swiss Re. What had to be changed for the version that is now available to the public?
Zünd: We didn't have to change much, as we worked with the client early on in the development process to ensure that Swiss Re remained in the background, but that the game experience was all the more important. This is the only way to make the game interesting for the gaming community, regardless of whether it is a branded game or not. But of course, the more we took full responsibility for the success of the game, the greater our ambition became. We invested a lot in the visual and content details. We also made all the preparations to be able to release the Android and PC/Mac versions very quickly after the release of the iOS version.
How interested is the advertising industry in games - in Switzerland and abroad?
Zünd: There are already a lot of very successful campaigns abroad, as the gaming world is no longer seen as "kids' stuff". In Switzerland, this channel is not yet taken as seriously. However, there is a great deal of interest and we see it as an opportunity, but there is often a lack of courage. With Swiss Re and Minor, the first daring companies have decided to take this path, and we are sure that these brands will go down in Swiss gaming history as pioneers!
Will IF Games also develop games without a specific order from third parties in the future?
Huber: That is a very important and possible scenario. It's similar to the advertising film industry: those who have already made feature films are also taken more seriously in advertising. But, as always, the financing has to be in place. That's why it will probably always be a mixture of commissioned and independent projects.
You were in Japan last week. What are the chances that your award-winning game in Switzerland will also be marketed abroad?
Huber: We are in talks with well-known companies who want to localize, publish and possibly market our game. The Japanese are crazy about games. An "import" of a game like "The Perils of Man", which is also very well received stylistically, makes a lot of sense. Of course, we hope that this will happen.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri
