Super Rare Games Talks Digital Publishing, Criticizing “Shorts” and Looking Forward to Switch Successor
Nintendo Life: Looking back, it’s crazy that the first time we talked was on Super Rare’s 2nd anniversary back in February 2020. A lot has happened since then! What would you say is the biggest difference between how Super Rare operates then and now?
George Perkins, Super Rare Games: It feels like it’s been a long time since we last talked! A lot has changed. I think the two biggest things are, first, our team is much larger. We started out as a small team and a great shipping team. Now we’re around 25 people, whereas everyone was there at the time. As a company, we’ve grown a lot, I was 19 when we started, and since then, I’ve grown a lot as a person, as has the rest of the company. We’re incredibly successful at what we do, [and] There are many new processes and methods to ensure internal and external communication with our partners and with our community is effective, transparent and positive.
Another big thing is how strong our brand has become. Before, the pitching process was really complicated. We were competing with a lot of more established players with longer track records. Now it’s a lot easier, we’ve actually released over 100 games, worked on some of the best indie games of the last 10 years, as well as great games that people might not have heard of before.
Have you seen the demand for physical Switch games change over the years? There are over 140 million consoles sold now, but your average print run seems to be pretty steady at around 3-4k.
With what we do, it’s always been a niche market, we never expected to release a game and sell thousands of copies. Our numbers over the last six and a half years have been pretty steady. Our goal as a company has always been to run it in a sustainable way, and we’ve kept that goal. The games we work on are usually made by one to five people, so relatively speaking, selling that many copies is very worthwhile.
Our goal as a company is to always operate in a sustainable way.
We’ve been obsessed with branding since the very beginning, and releasing a physical version of a game is a great way for developers to engage their biggest fans.
You told us that when you started, your only criteria for publishing was whether you liked the game. That quickly changed, but how does the signing process compare to 2020? Is it easier now that Super Rare is so well known?
The honest answer is that for the most part it is! In the fortunate position I am in now, I can not only sign important documents to myself (such as A short walk), but also with those closest to me. My dad was a big fan of The World of GooSo being able to surprise him with that release was really exciting, as well as Sally faceit is my brother’s favorite game
This isn’t always true, for example, I get scared easily, so I’m not naturally drawn to the horror genre. Same with some other types of games I don’t tend to play much.
In 2021, you announced Super Rare Shorts and the negative reaction resulted in a quick course correction. Can you share a little bit about your experience dealing with the feedback in the short period after the announcement? Did you have any internal doubts or anticipated reactions?
Super Rare Shorts is a project I’m very passionate about. The idea is to support small developers creating sustainable games. Due to the sheer volume of titles released every day, many small teams will never even sell a few thousand [copies] of the games they’ve spent a lot of time creating. Knowing this firsthand, we wanted to create a sustainable way for developers to release more niche titles and allow them to be profitable from day one. When we announced Super Rare Shorts, we sold 5,000 copies of all our titles in the first few weeks, so we knew this would be a huge benefit to developers.
Issues surrounding it [and] The criticism we received – it was all valid feedback and I completely understand it. Limiting the success of the game was the main thing, and I understand that. Putting limits on any type of media will always be seen as negative, but I still stand by the intention and why Super Rare Shorts is something I’m passionate about.
How did that experience influence your approach and the direction of Super Rare in the years that followed?
I think it was a good reminder to always consider all stakeholders in a release, developers are always our priority, but it became clear that thinking about our audience and our fans was also important. While we’ve always been proud of how we treat our audience, both in the quality of the work we produce, but also in the level of transparency we provide, it was a pivotal moment to make sure we’re on board and continue to be on board with our fans.
Super Rare Originals saw you move to digital publishing. How do you see that shift in bringing digital alongside your physical product?
Most people I spoke to found the physical market much harder to get a handle on, so it was exciting to enter the digital publishing market after having mastered the physical space. It created a few hurdles to overcome and a lot of lessons to learn, but it was a great time and incredibly rewarding to be able to get more involved in projects. Our involvement in a game is much higher than our physical releases, so it takes a lot more planning to get it done. We brought in a lot of new faces with incredible experience in the space, so it meant we weren’t going in completely blind.
Has the post-pandemic turmoil in the industry over the past few years affected Super Rare? If so, how?
The short answer is no. Initially, we saw a slight dip in physical book sales, but this year we’ve seen a resurgence and this year is shaping up to be our biggest year yet. The digital market is incredibly challenging right now, but we’re still in a position where we’re actively investing in new titles. We’ve always focused on a sustainable business model, so that means we never make wild decisions about what we fund, which means we can continue to operate in the same way as we have. We’re very fortunate to be one of the leading independent publishers of physical books, which gives us a lot of stability in everything outside of that.
You’ve also switched to physical PS5 games since we last spoke. How does the limited edition run of Sony and Nintendo games differ?
Our general rule of thumb is that demand for PS titles is only 25% of Nintendo Switch.
The process is largely the same! Both the way we work with developers and the platforms themselves. The demand for physical PS titles is definitely smaller, but that’s to be expected. Nintendo has always been a company built around fan service and a deep connection with their fans, so that fits with what we’re working on. Our general rule of thumb is that we see 25% of the demand for a PS title compared to a Nintendo Switch, but of course it depends on the game.
What do you think about the Switch eShop from a publisher’s perspective? Is there anything you’d like to see implemented that you believe would improve your game’s visibility on the store?
The Switch has always been a very receptive place for indie titles, so it’s definitely a great place for us to share our games. With that said, it’s often a difficult place for new players to encounter new titles. There are charts and intros, but they tend to only benefit big titles or a small number of other titles. I’d love to see some new features to increase visibility, but I’m sure Nintendo is aware of this and will continue to make changes to the eShop to benefit smaller developers.
Looking back at Super Rare’s history, is there anything you wanted to do but couldn’t for some reason?
There are always real games I would love to get a chance to make! GRIS, Heaven, FablesAnd Dead end comes to mind when thinking about games I would like to be involved in.
Digitally, we don’t work with big budgets, so there are some titles that we don’t have enough funding to support.
Is there a Super Rare version that you’re particularly proud of when you look back?
Our engagement with the game is much higher than with a physical release, so there’s a lot more planning involved.
There are a few, but it feels like picking a favorite! The most obvious is A Short Hike, the package we made for it is the best thing we’ve ever made! It’s also a game that changed the way developers think about their own projects, so we’ll look back on it as a hugely important release for a huge number of developers. Other games that come to mind are AbzuIt’s really a masterpiece and took a long time to sign, so it’s been great to get to work on it.
Digitally, it would be Tiny Terry’s Turbo Ride. When I first met Lars [snekflat]game developer, I knew right away I had to work with him. When I presented internally, I must have played the intro video dozens of times a day to the whole team. I said if we didn’t sign it, I would resign immediately. Luckily, everyone loved it as much as I did and we worked on a great game.
Looking ahead, do you plan to continue releasing physical versions for the “Switch successor” in the coming years?
Yes! We’re really excited about whatever Nintendo decides next. I’m always excited about a new console coming out. It brings a lot of new opportunities and a fresh start to start a new collection of titles. We envision it being a really positive moment for us and our fans.
Finally, last time we asked you if you had a dream game you wanted to see physically released on Switch (you said Go to war).Do you have your eye on any white whales right now?
This is a difficult question to answer, there are so many questions. The titles that come to my mind are The Last Campfire, The case of the golden statueAnd Another Crab’s Treasure. I should stress that these are all titles we haven’t signed yet and are just a handful of my favorite indie games of the past few years.
A big thank you to George for taking the time to answer our questions (with a speedy response!) and to Chris at Dead Good for putting it all together. You can learn more about Super Rare’s impressive collection and upcoming releases here on its website.
