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Making history: From Blasphemous to Ninja Gaiden - David Erosa OXO Video Game Museum Interview
After the huge success of the first two Blasphemous, and with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound around the corner, The Game Kitchen already are a significant part of the Spanish video game industry. Here we learn more about their past, present, and future, with their dedicated panel of Málaga's museum exhibition in the background.
Audio transcription
"Hi friends, I'm in Málaga at the OXO Museo del Videojuego.
We've been here a couple of times, but now a new exhibition about the history of Spanish video game development has just opened its doors today."
"It's great to be with some of the creators of those games that are making the history of Spanish video game development.
One of them, it's very prominent in the last few years, is The Game Kitchen.
So thank you so much for joining us, David.
You are here because of Blasphemous."
"You guys released the first game, the second game, it's been a huge success so far.
And you are part of the exhibition.
There are some videos there telling your development stories, etc.
And you are of course working on several new games."
"How does it feel to be here, both physically in this exhibition and to be already a chapter in the Spanish video game industry?
Well, it's of course an honor for us to be here among these great developers.
Some of them have been part of our childhood."
"We've been playing those games for many years before we even knew that we could one day make a game and be part of this industry, of this movement.
So this is not only a recognition of the many different games and developers and people who have been creating these amazing games."
"It's also a legacy for the future generations to know that you don't have to be a huge company or to be someone with some kind of special ability to make games.
Anyone can be here and it's amazing to be here and to be part of this museum.
What would you say you learned coming from Blasphemous 1 to Blasphemous 2 and what is the main lesson that you guys learned from these really important games for you and for the Spanish industry?
What is the main takeaway from those developments?
From Blasphemous 2 and Blasphemous 1 and Blasphemous 2?
The main takeaway for me is that it doesn't get easier."
"And we're not talking about the difficulty of the game.
No, we're not talking about the game.
We're talking about the challenges that you have to face during development.
For the first game, the difficulties were, you know, it was the first game, the game kitchen, we weren't sure about, will the game be liked by the players?
Will it be a success?
Any mistake can destroy the project."
"And it was really hard to finish that game and to make it the success that it happened to be.
Blasphemous 2 had their own set of difficulties.
We no longer had the economic challenges.
We no longer had the difficulty to find, to increase the size of the team."
"But the challenges were different.
You have some expectations from not only the fans, but ourselves.
We have to compete against the first game, which is something that is always watching you.
Hey, what are you doing? Is this going to be better than the first game?
So, and people, you know, the fan base is always watching you with their own desires for the sequel."
"They would like the game to be this way, not that way.
And you can't always please everyone.
So it's really hard to make those decisions that you know that not everyone will like.
But you have to make a commitment with the game."
"Part of growing as a team and as a studio is taking those decisions and knowing that you have to be loyal to your, you have to be true to your vision of the game.
I guess all the things you just said about Blasphemous 2 could be applied to Blasphemous 3 as well.
It's the same sort of challenges you are going to face."
"If that happened, I guess that we would face the same set of...
But with the knowledge, right?
Sorry?
You would face them, but already with previous knowledge."
"In development, in software development and game development, we say that the first game is the one in which you fail many aspects.
The second one, you think that you already solved those problems, but it's the third one in which you already know what you didn't really know in the second game."
"And that doesn't make it any easier.
I guess it doesn't make it any easier.
Anything you would like to tease about that potential game, third game?
Anything that you would like to share?
Is it really coming? Can we know? Anything else?
It's like..."
"Before we announced Blasphemous 2, we weren't really sure about making any sequel.
I know.
It wasn't a marketing trick.
It's the reality."
"It was the reality and now it's exactly the same.
Okay.
There's nothing in the horizon right now about the sequel.
What we know is that we would like to keep on creating around the..."
"I'm not going to say the Blasphemous world, but the Cvstodia world.
The universe.
And you guys had an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign for the tabletop game.
And you guys released on mobile as well."
"And we've been catching up with Mauri several times.
But there is another game that you have been developing because it's about to release.
And it's none other than Ninja Gaiden Ragebound.
Which is an external IP, so it's something different."
"But first, before we get into the game, what do we Spaniards have that some of the most beloved and known IPs around the world have trusted Spanish developers with extremely good results?
We had MercurySteam, of course, with Metroid and with Castlevania."
"And now it's you with an IP property known and beloved such as Ninja Gaiden.
What do you think made the difference for them to choose Spanish-based studios?
I think that it's not only the passion that we put into the games.
But also that we agree with those games."
"So we know them and we love them.
And we have always dreamed about making that kind of games.
So I think that it's something that shows in the game.
When you play Blasphemous, you feel that Castlevania flavor."
"You feel that Metroid flavor.
You know that it could be a good arcade platformer like Ninja Gaiden.
The art style also has a lot to do with that.
We know that we make pixel art, but it's modern."
"We like to call it modern pixel art.
We are not limited by the technical limitations that we had in the past.
We are not limited to a fixed number of colors.
We can be way more creative with the art."
"So I think that this is something that is seen as a great way of bringing back those games to the present.
Tell me a little bit more about the game.
We had a preview very recently. It's about to release.
And my colleague Alberto said it's accurate."
"It's lethal.
And it's super fast.
And I think that's something you can say about any previous good Ninja Gaiden release.
So were those the main ingredients that you were pursuing here?
Or what can you tell me about the feeling you wanted to convey when you play a classic style Ninja Gaiden?
The Ninja Gaiden team is really, really knowledgeable of the Ninja Gaiden franchise."
"So they are really aware of what they wanted to do with it.
They wanted it to be fast, and as you said, lethal, unforgiving.
More unforgiving than Blasphemous?
In some aspects."
"In some aspects.
Because it lets you respawn faster or get to the point, right?
Yeah, exactly.
But it's not the same genre."
"So it doesn't have to be difficult in the same way.
Blasphemous 2 is a pure metroidvania.
Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is an arcade platform.
So it's a linear game."
"You don't have to go back.
You don't have to acquire new abilities and go back to unlock new paths.
So in a sense, it has to be a faster game.
It's a 2D hack and slash, we could say, right?
Yeah, it's more about running through the enemies than staying in combat for a short period of time and then going on."
"Okay, and a double question about Ninja Gaiden.
How did it feel or how did it fall in the studio when you got the news that you were developing this game?
And how did it feel when we all realized this wasn't the only Ninja Gaiden game we were getting this year?
But it was like the comeback year for Ninja Gaiden."
"We got the remasters.
We are getting a new entry in a few months.
So how did it feel, you know, both the news of the project being handled by the Game Kitchen and also the comeback of the whole franchise, which of course makes the game more prominent as well?
It was great."
"I can hardly describe how we felt.
I remember that Mauricio, he called us to a meeting room.
He told us, I've been talking with Dotemu.
They want us to make a game for Koei Tecmo."
"They want us to make a Ninja Gaiden game.
And it felt, I know, well, not that I know.
I remember that Raul Vivar, who is our lead animator, he couldn't believe it.
He raised his hands to the head."
"I thought that he was going to cry.
He didn't, but he was really emotional about that moment.
But we were in the middle of developing Blasphemous 2.
So we had to deal the project to another team from the Game Kitchen."
"We've been collaborating with the production as much as we could.
We have been sharing artists and designers.
So let's say that it's a co-production between the Blasphemous team and the Ninja Gaiden team.
What was the other question?
The news on the one hand and the coming back of the franchise on the other hand."
"As I said, the team is really, really fond of the Ninja Gaiden and the Shinobi series.
So they are really sure about what to do.
And I think that it shows.
There's a lot of heart poured into that game."
"And you were happy that you were the different sort of classic take on the genre and on the franchise.
And being accompanied by both the remasters and the new ones.
That was good news as well.
Yeah, absolutely."
"Also because, as you said, this is the year of the ninja, as we call it.
Having these games being released together.
It's not only something cool because all the games are coming out together.
But it's also an important marketing bit for all the games."
"Because the moment the new Ninja Gaiden is released, that's good for us.
The moment that we are out, it's also good for them.
So yeah, it's a really beautiful coincidence that this year we have this many games.
Are you in contact with PlatinumGames at all?
Or with the other teams?
Are you sharing any sort of collaboration?
No, not from our side."
"This is something that is being taken care of by Dotemu.
So, we don't have.
Fantastic. It was a beautiful story you told us with the news that you guys were doing Ninja Gaiden.
It gave me the goosebumps."
"And it's not about the air conditioner here.
So again, as always, thank you so much for your time, David.
And congratulations about being part of the exhibition, being part of the Spanish industry.
And also the game you are about to release."
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