D20 Studios is an up-and-coming video game developer focused on delivering community-driven interactive adventure games. Summoner’s Fate is their newly released top-down deck builder adventure game featuring fast turn-based combat.
I love being a gamer. Although I don’t have the opportunity to play as much as I would like (adulting takes up a lot of time!) I have never felt more connected to the culture and the people of gaming as I do right now. That’s probably because being involved in a charity-focused gaming community like A-TECH Gaming gives me the opportunity to see just how connected and powerful the gaming community can be. I get to go to shows like DREAMHACK and E3 and meet gamers and developers who love what I love. What could possibly be better?
Those of us who cover gaming events and report on the industry know how it goes at big gaming expos: there are 2 types of developer contacts. The first is the big $$ developer who looks to see if you have press tag before he will make eye contact with you. Unless your creds say PC Gamer or IGN he looks right past you. The second type is the smaller indie developer whose GAME is his LIFE. He will rush out to meet you and tell you about his creation, but even more remarkable is the fact that these guys really want to know if you LIKE their game. What would you change? Have you ever seen anything like it?
It is this type of person that makes me love the gaming culture. It’s like being in a gallery with the artist standing there watching your facial expressions to see if he made an impact with his work. These guys are so genuine that you can’t help but want them to succeed.
In November, at Dreamhack in Atlanta, I met one of these guys. His name is Ross and he is the brains and creative talent behind D20 Studios.
Ross has a passion for his work, but more precisely, he has a passion for transforming jaded consumers into stoked and engaged gamers for life.
Here are some phrases that came up during our recent phone interview:
“Our philosophy is true community driven development”
“We want to bring back ethics in game design.”
“No exploitation of customers.”
“Games should be Infinitely replayable.”
“Heart-driven development. “
“We encourage winning in the most creative way possible.”
“We value exploration and personal growth.”
Does this sound good to you? It should. In the current climate of incomplete games with microtransactions and expensive DLC, this is an encouraging throwback to an earlier time.
Concerning development philosophy, Ross loves games that you come back to over and over like a hobby rather than games based on incremental progress or acquisition. Like tennis, the game itself is why you come back. It is this principle that has driven D20’s previous games and it’s brand new, just released game, Summoner’s Fate.
D20’s first game, Hero Mages, launched in 2009 for web and went cross-platform to mobile in 2012. But previous to being released as a digital game, the original concept was a table-top adventure game that started as an idea and was later produced and distributed. The concept met with so much applause that Ross was encouraged to create a digital game based on the Hero Mages table top concept.
In 2012, Ross went to work for EA as an engineer manager and producer in a key leadership role for an 80+ member AAA mobile team. Then in 2016, having collected valuable experience in the Big Games industry, Ross left EA to bring these production skills and business insights to fulltime indie game development.
Following the theme of community-driven development, Ross reached out to Hero Mages players for feedback on his next project. D20 started working on this new game in May 2016. In October 2017, a kickstarter was fired up to raise funds and awareness for the new flagship project, Summoner’s Fate. The kickstarter raised $11k and was backed by about 200 followers. This dollar amount is significant, since for mobile free-to-play games, less than 30 have raised more than $10k.
Now nearing completion, Summoner’s Fate is a premium title that is being rolled out on just about every platform, starting with PC on February 6th.
Here’s what you need to know about Summoner’s Fate:
Summoners Fate is a top-down deck builder adventure game with turn-based combat. Determine the destiny of hundreds of diverse characters by choosing cards as you explore an ever-changing single player experience. Battle other players on desktop or mobile in real-time cross-platform multiplayer.
My impressions of the game are that it has elements of both Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering. Your character can use abilities and weapons by way of collectible cards that you choose or are awarded during gameplay. There is also an element of resource management as you chose to heal or attack, using the same source of mana to pay for either action.
And to add to the interesting nature of the game, it feels like their is an implied (but not overstated) puzzle element. In some scenarios, it seems that only one combination of your powers and characters will lead to success in the mission. This facet of gameplay kept me trying 4 or 5 times in one scenario in order to win in the most efficient way possible.
But also, it feels a bit like a Divinity type turn-based strategy game as well. It’s tough to describe adequately, so go over to http://summonersfate.com and take a look for yourself!
This game is truly built by the gaming community. From the musical score which was selected from submissions to an online contest, to Ross working to implement suggestions in real time from live-stream viewers, you can tell that D20 listens closely to players. The artwork direction, abilities and weapons all came from the community.
Summoner’s Fate includes deckbuilding, top-down adventuring, and will include over 200 characters. Play with attack squirrels and steampunk rats in your arsenal!
The game is extremely lightweight and fast due to the the use of vector based artwork that easily scales to large or small screens
D20 has placed a huge emphasis on accessibility. Summoner’s Fate includes true cross-platform play. You can play in multiplayer matches with users on PC, consoles, phones, tablets, including Apple or Android in real-time! In any orientation, portrait or landscape. With all of your progress synchronized between your devices. Not many games can boast that kind inclusiveness.
Rounding out the features of Summoner’s Fate is an “undo” model so you can roll back your last move if it didn’t work out the way you hoped. And all of this is done including a drag-and-drop battle model which makes game play easy and fun.
When you meet a developer who cares so much about his craft and his customers, it is hard not to be excited for the games the developer creates. In the huge blur of AAA games that only want to hook you and drain you dry, D20 and Summoner’s Fate bolster my confidence for the upcoming crop of leadership and products in the gaming culture we love so much.
These guys are worth a look. They promise they won’t waste your time. And if you like Summoner’s fate, tell Ross. He will listen.
Thanks and Game on! – DMikeyL
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