Reboot Develop 2018: Housemarque's Mikael Haveri on Design and Indie Games
Shacknews chats with indie developer Housemarque about Reboot Develop 2018 and Finnish notions of solid game design.
This year's Reboot Develop 2018 conference was held in scenic Croatia, and Shacknews was on location to cover some of the hottest names in game design and development. We had a chance to meet up with Mikael Haveri from Housemarque to discuss the Reboot Develop experience, the role that Finnish culture plays in the studio's various titles, plus some of the perks of being surrounded by both business partners and friends.
Haveri uses the interview as a chance to drop teasers for upcoming title Stormdivers, a game that Housemarque sees as something bigger than the titles they've created in the past, as well as the Housemarque VFX Engine. He also touches on some of the studio's general design focus goals concerning essential controls and playability.
Housemarque is a bit unusual as an independent game studio with close ties to hardware manufacturers like Sony, but Haveri does have some insight into how business partnerships have helped the team work toward their goals. In particular, relationships with publishers and a drive toward the independent game feel has allowed the studio to stick to its Finnish gaming ideals, which apparently hold both Japanese and American arcade classics in high regard.
