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Why a major indie game was announced — then immediately canceled

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Why a major indie game was announced — then immediately canceled

As someone who has spent years in the gaming industry, I can wholeheartedly empathize with the challenges faced when bringing a complex strategy game like Magic School to life. The intricate systems and interlocking mechanisms that make this game unique require significant investment of time and resources before reaching the prototyping phase.

Towards the end of July, unlike many other game studios, Dinosaur Polo Club made an unusual move: They announced a new game on their website and social media platforms, only to follow up immediately by explaining why they had decided to cancel it.

The development of the game titled “Magic School” took several years, and it significantly surpassed the minimalist approach seen in the studio’s initial two games. The title itself gives a good indication of its concept: “Magic School” was designed to be the antithesis of games like “Mini Motorways” or “Mini Metro“, as Robert Curry, co-founder and designer of “Magic School“, referred to it in an interview. He described it as a “maximalist simulation game”. The idea behind “Magic School” is much more intricate than a typical boarding school; it encompasses multiple systems for classes, housing, meals, and daily life, not just for students but also faculty, and these systems operate on both a short-term and long-term basis.

As a gamer, I might say: If another studio had developed “Magic School”, it could’ve quietly appeared and disappeared without a trace, with chats about the game confined within their studio walls. But Dinosaur Polo Club took a unique approach to honor their creation and let their team flaunt their skills. This is something that often happens with canceled games – after spending years on a project, when it gets axed, there’s nothing for the team to show off as they’re bound by tight confidentiality agreements.

Despite the fact that Magic School won’t become a reality, Dinosaur Polo Club demonstrated the game to give people a glimpse of it, as they found it thrilling. In an interview with TopMob in August, members of the Dinosaur Polo Club development team (Robert Curry, studio co-founder; Blake Wood, art director; Casey Lucas-Quaid, community and engagement manager; and Zala Habib, lead game designer) shared that while Magic School was captivating for them, it wasn’t their project to bring to life.

[Ed. note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

Question: Could you explain what the concept behind Magic School is? And how did this idea emerge from both Mini Motorways and Mini Metro? At first glance, they seem quite dissimilar.

As a devoted fan, I’ve been captivated by the development process of Mini Motorways. One day, during our creative discussions, we found ourselves yearning for a change in direction. I believe our new concept wasn’t so much an organic evolution from Mini Motorways, but more like, “What else could we create?” I was eager to offer fresh experiences within the studio, and that included exploring elements such as characters and animation – aspects rarely found in Mini games.

I’ve gone through every book in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. As a child, I also delved into works such as “In the Name of the Wind,” which presents an engaging magic school setting. The intricacies of the educational system and its interconnected elements truly captivated me.

Following our work on the Metro simulation, we considered developing a game centered around airport management as another concept. However, a studio we were friendly with in New Zealand was already working on a similar project. Yet, I found myself yearning for another management simulation experience, which ultimately led to the formation of this new idea.

At what point did you become aware that something was going wrong? Could you share some insights about the discussions that eventually resulted in the decision to call off the match?

Curry believes it all began around last year when Josh joined our team. As our primary programmer, he had been with us for several years but hadn’t been heavily involved in the project. When he came on board, he was taken aback by our current state of progress. This unexpected situation sparked a period of self-examination within the team, questioning whether this was the game we truly wanted to create and if we were moving in the right direction. It proved to be an excellent stimulus for long-overdue discussions among us.

Having spent years immersed in the world of education and innovation, I can certainly relate to the lengthy process of ideation that often comes with creating something truly unique, such as a Magic School. It’s not uncommon for this phase to last several months, even stretching out over six months in my experience. In this instance, the team was dedicated to exploring and refining the concept, going back to the drawing board time and again to ask ourselves questions like “What is the essence of a Magic School?” and “What are our goals for this institution?” As the year progressed, discussions became more frequent and in-depth as we delved deeper into the intricacies of our vision.

Ultimately it was just a bit of fatigue and a lack of sight about us.

Zala Habib: Consistently, we encountered scope-related problems. As our vision became clearer, it seemed to expand in size as well – figuring out how to reduce its scale without feeling like we were compromising on our progress proved challenging.

Blake Wood: I found it commendable during our debates on whether to proceed with the project that decisions were made at the team level rather than from the top down. It involved having heart-to-heart conversations about people’s genuine feelings towards it, and having numerous discussions: What’s the enthusiasm level? Are people growing weary of the concept? I believe this approach was a contributing factor to the challenges we faced when trying to redefine the idea and determine the core elements of the game, as this process extended over a significant period. Prolonging it like that eventually left us with a team that felt rather fatigued.

Habib: Additionally, some newcomers found themselves feeling drained due to extended hours of work. It wasn’t about the length of time a project needed to be completed, but rather the sheer scale of it being beyond what our small studio could comfortably handle. This, in itself, can be quite taxing.

Why a major indie game was announced — then immediately canceled

In most game development scenarios, a degree of openness and sincerity among the team and towards the public is not commonly encountered.

As a fan, I’d like to express my admiration for the game we’ve created, and I’m eager to shed light on the process behind it. My primary motivation was ensuring that every artist, designer, and programmer here could proudly showcase their work. For artists especially, when their creations are shielded by Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), they can only hint at what they’ve achieved. It becomes challenging to articulate the details. Our goal was to provide a platform where everyone who dedicated several years of their professional lives to this project could say, “This is what I contributed,” without any secrecy holding them back.

Wood: As an artist and on behalf of my team, it’s rewarding to exhibit our works, particularly for those in junior positions who might not yet have a substantial portfolio. Often, this job serves as a significant part of their work history, allowing them to showcase their skills to potential future employers. It’s truly satisfying to provide that opportunity.

Habib: Since the project was at a critical stage and its success hinged heavily on both the mechanics and aesthetics, it was essential that everyone on the team remained motivated and enthusiastic about solving problems and shaping the game. We aimed to ensure that our team members retained their energy and commitment to keep working on the project, as we were aware that if they were exhausted or lacked interest, we might not find effective solutions to the challenges we faced. We didn’t want to force people to work on a project they weren’t genuinely passionate about.

Wood:I believe this strategy heavily prioritizes the team’s interests, as there might be misconceptions among the gaming community regarding certain decisions, like canceling something. This could lead to confusion and frustration: “Why did they cancel that?” I think it’s beneficial for the team to disclose information and clarify the actual situation to the public.

Casey Lucas-Quaid: One important goal we had was ensuring our community, fans, and players who have appreciated our first two games got a chance to witness these new elements, as we believe they’ll find them fascinating. It’s almost self-evident to mention, but it’s easy to overlook this aspect when working on a project for an extended period or if you’re not directly engaged with the community. You might forget that there are people eagerly anticipating more from us, excitedly saying, “I can’t wait to see more of what you create!”

We’ve consistently appreciated the backing our community has provided us and their enthusiasm for our initial two games. It’s beneficial for us, as we had an opportunity to offer a sneak peek behind the scenes and reveal the inner workings of what we’re doing, which is particularly valuable since there are other projects in progress that we can’t discuss yet. Showing them something is exciting because people tend to draw energy from each other’s excitement.

Why a major indie game was announced — then immediately canceled

What did you learn from this project that you’re going to take with you?

In my opinion, conveying ideas effectively can be quite challenging. It involves translating thoughts in your mind into a form that others can easily understand, and identifying areas where clarification or additional explanation is necessary. This ability to communicate complex concepts clearly is crucial.

I don’t operate as a sole creative visionary who simply hands down a complete idea for others to execute. That’s not my style. Even if I could outline every task necessary for the project, the result would be a lackluster experience devoid of any player input or creativity. It’s crucial that we collaborate on this.

As a gamer, I’d say the experience feels akin to stepping into two different video games. The first one, let’s call it “Game IV,” was great because it wasn’t just my vision. There were compromises made, collaborations with others involved. It turned out fantastic despite not being exactly what the game creator had initially envisioned.

In developing a game: We discovered that it was more challenging than expected to establish a fundamental understanding of the game’s essence. A game consists of numerous intricate components that interconnect, and in order to test the main loop effectively, it is crucial to develop these smaller components, at least partially, beforehand. However, if you are unclear about the core loop or unsure about which elements to test, reaching the prototyping stage can be quite challenging.

In simpler games, it’s easier to reach a prototype stage because they often have a straightforward or minimalistic design that can be easily tested and iterated upon. However, when dealing with more intricate simulation games like this one, it takes more effort and time to develop the initial prototype since their complexity makes it harder to get started.

Before getting to that stage, it’s advisable to have at least a general idea of what that stage should look like and explore efficient ways to implement it. To verify this in an easy-to-understand manner for testing purposes, consider creating a simplified prototype or mockup of the gameplay aspect you’re focusing on, especially since implementing such features can be challenging in games similar to this one.

Curry: It’s been discovered through discussions with colleagues in the gaming industry that creating a strategy game is quite challenging due to its complexity. Strategy games require numerous interconnected systems, making them more time-consuming to develop compared to platform or action games which can be prototyped within hours to days. Contrary to popular belief, it’s better to start with a larger foundation for a strategy game and then refine it through iterations, rather than starting small and building up. Interestingly, while Magic School appears more sophisticated compared to our previous games, the simplified versions we’ve created in the past have allowed us to conceptualize and outline the game in a matter of days. However, the development of Magic School took significantly longer than that.

As a gamer, I can’t stress enough the importance of understanding your limits and sticking to them. In my gaming experience, I’ve learned that having a clear sense of boundaries is crucial for success. For instance, in one game we played, we were so adaptable that it became an issue. We didn’t know the exact size of our team, so we were open to adding more players – thinking, “Perhaps we could do this if we had one or two more members“. The same went for deadlines; being too flexible with them allowed us to have too much fun. In hindsight, having strict boundaries would have made our gaming journey more focused and efficient.

If there are no limitations during the process, you might find yourself frequently changing your decisions while constructing it. Building a prototype without intricate interconnected systems allows for changes, but if you alter your mind often, you’ll end up repeatedly extending and reworking parts, primarily design aspects. Establishing restrictions early in the process enables faster solidification as you clearly understand the boundaries within which you can operate, ultimately helping you find the optimal version of what you’re creating.

Why a major indie game was announced — then immediately canceled

Could you share some of the memorable instances during Magic School’s development that you particularly enjoyed, or accomplishments that you feel particularly proud of?

Habib: The project wasn’t about a specific moment, but rather a collaborative approach. What truly stood out was the genuine care and enthusiasm everyone showed. It seemed as if every individual yearned to contribute to the design process. Unlike some studios, we welcomed anyone with a design idea to participate. This openness led us to brainstorm concepts that might not have emerged otherwise. People from diverse fields would offer suggestions, which were treated equally alongside others. We’d walk around tables discussing ideas, such as, “What if we add this music here?” or “What about this approach for Magic School?” Our discussions often revolved around questions like, “What is your vision of Magic School?”, “What do we envision it to be?”, and “What do we want it to become?”

In a remarkable display of dedication, the studio allowed us to embrace every emotion, no matter how subtle, during our collaborative process. It was evident in those tense meetings that everyone’s feelings ran deep, as they were open and truthful even when the discussions were challenging. This sincere care for the game is something that has remained unwavering throughout.

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2024-08-07 21:20

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