Surviving in a Niche

How three developers are handling the tricky business of creating adventure games in the modern world 

- Fraser Brown

The popular narrative for adventure gaming is that it died with the commercial failure of Grim Fandango before re-emerging a decade later, largely thanks to an explosion of indie developers as well as Telltale’s new spin on the genre. Words like “renaissance” are thrown around a lot. The reality is a bit more complicated.

Who plays adventure games now? Wadjet Eye’s Dave Gilbert, currently working on Unavowed, says that it’s people like himself. “People who grew up playing games with a story or narrative bent to it; people who maybe don’t have a lot of time to play a game. That’s why our games tend to be on the short end.”

These people make up the core, Gilbert tells me, but they’re not the only adventurers. Owl Cave Games’ Olivia White, whose latest project, Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You, is an adaptation of the famous MR James ghost story, believes that her audience is as diverse as they come. “A cross-section of pretty much anyone across society,” she says.

A broad audience doesn’t always translate to a big audience, however. When Gilbert released the final chapter of his well-received Blackwell series, before it was in any bundles or sales, he sold 7,005 copies on Steam. It can be hard to get the word out.