We’re currently playing UNBOX: Newbie’s Adventure for a review, so we got in touch with Prospect Games to talk about the game’s development for PS4 with Merge Games.
PS4Blog: Good morning. Thanks for joining us at PS4Blog.net. Would you please get us started by introducing yourself to our readers and letting them know a bit about yourself and your work at Prospect Games?
Hey, I’m Andrew Bennison, and I’m the Managing Director of Prospect Games. I started making games at University (on a course called Computer Video Games no less) and moved on to making L4D2 mods after graduating. While that was fun, it doesn’t pay the bills! After lots of planning and saving, I formed Prospect with my friends Tim Sherliker and Jack Bognar. My role at Prospect is to make sure the business is sustainable and profitable, but often times I also wash the dishes.
PS4B: UNBOX: Newbie’s Adventure is making its way to PlayStation 4 very soon. How would you describe this game to someone who has never heard about it?
It’s a 3D platformer about the ultimate postal service: Self-Delivery Cardboard Boxes! Roll, jump and unbox through massive singleplayer worlds that are packed with collectibles, challenges and boss battles. Grab your friends (if you have any) for local multiplayer madness featuring racing, arena fights, and tournaments!
PS4B: .- It’s interesting that the game offers a single player experience as well as a split-screen option for up to four players. What made the team decide to work on this setup?
It was borderline accidental. UNBOX: Newbie’s Adventure started life in a game jam where you typically try cram as much fun stuff together as you can. We started with a local multiplayer mode as we were a team of 5 and wanted to play something together. When we decided to develop UNA into a full game, we immediately chose not to develop any online gameplay as it’s technically challenging and financially costly. This meant we needed a single player mode or risk alienating a large portion of gamers.
PS4B: Where there any particular challenges during the game’s development for PS4?
Developing for PC is quite similar to the wild west, it’s lawless! There are very few barriers to entry on a platform like Steam, while the PS4 is the opposite of that, and with good reason. The advantages of a closed, controlled system are there’s a level of quality that all products on that platform have to meet. Despite knowing the challenges of porting, it’s still been a steep learning curve for us.
PS4B: Now that the game is ready to be released, is the team working on additional content for UNBOX? Moving on to a new project? Resting for a bit?
We’re now focused on getting UNA ready for the Nintendo Switch, once that’s out we’ll take a few days off! We always celebrate major milestones with a trip to the best Indian restaurant in the world, Purple Pakora, so expect to see us there multiple times over the next few months. In terms of what’s next for Prospect? My lips are sealed for now…
PS4B: that’s all the time we have for today. Would you like to add anything else before we go?
If you love 90’s platformers, retro gaming, corny comedy and multiplayer madness then make sure to pre-order your copy of UNBOX: Newbie’s Adventure via our website: www.unboxgame.com!
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You can order a limited edition physical copy of the game from Signature Editions by clicking right here.
