原作者：Matt Suckley 译者：Willow Wu

很大程度上是由于现在移动市场的可持续自主发展已经越来越难了。

用户获取成本上升，巨头公司大展拳脚，这都是很实际的问题。

但是，独立开发者们并没有放弃在这个平台上继续发布精品。近几年来，几乎没有哪个工作室可以比Frosty Pop Corps还高产。

这个位于（加拿大）不列颠哥伦比亚省的维多利亚市的游戏工作室由独立游戏设计师Faisal Sethi创建，自2014年10月以来，已经发行了14款iOS游戏（外加两款tvOS移植游戏，三款iMessage贴纸包）。

近期他们又发布了新游戏Puff——这游戏的宣称是Flappy Bird和Downwell的结合体。为了进一步了解Sethi，探究他的开发途径，听他说说做一个独立开发者是怎样一种感觉，PocketGamer.biz邀请他进行了一场访谈。

PocketGamer.biz: 请简单回顾一下你目前的游戏开发经历。

Faisal Sethi: 我在游戏开发这个领域的经历还是挺奇特的。

在Frosty Pop Corps成立之前，也就是2014年，我对于游戏领域涉及最多的也就是偶尔玩一玩Uncharted，还有其他类似的游戏，把它们调到最简单的模式。

老实说，我不怎么热衷于尝试当下流行的游戏。

我之前已经在创意部门呆了挺长一段时间了，当过平面设计师、艺术总监还有印刷品、电子平台产品、影片的创意总监。

我感觉游戏就像是创意的简单延伸和发展。

对我来说，制作游戏就是简单地把我的创意特长应用到某件事中——设计、音乐、写作、解决问题等等。

我更喜欢被称为游戏设计师而不是游戏开发者，因为我并不是程序员，我同时也是一个企业家。

实际上，我的第一个游戏（就在Frosty Pop成立不久前）是Facebook平台上的一款社交游戏，Quiz Monsters。

那是个很可爱的游戏，设计得像是Maurice Sendak的儿童读物，但是也让我认识到了一个无情的现实：这是一个艺术和商业并存的行业。这游戏没有收益。

你把你的作品描述成“设计精美的电子玩具”。这和你的游戏开发方式有什么关系吗？

从表层上来看，我的游戏都不复杂，很简单，核心只有一种构思巧妙的机制，再加上无可挑剔的设计。

当我拿我的游戏去跟那些很有深度，需要复杂思维的“超写实”游戏比较，我感觉我的游戏就像玩具一样，而且那些游戏的背后还有庞大的团队投入。

我的游戏就跟我小时候玩的一样简单，我遵循着移动设备优先（mobile-first）的原则，意思就是在开始设计时，我就要充分考虑到移动设备的种类和功能，还有它本身的限制。

这样也能激发出更多创意。我能从生活中的各种地方受到启发——杂志中某个我喜欢的字体，候车亭某个标志所运用的色彩，阅读时看到的某一段话。

一个简单的游戏可以从这些东西里汲取灵感，我希望这游戏可以让人们在早晨买咖啡时享受他们的排队时间，或者是在一个下雨的周日早晨惬意地蜷缩在沙发中玩游戏打发时间，或者是跟孩子一起。

我确实也有一些宏伟的想法，跟上面所说的完全不一样的类型，希望在将来，我会和制作“电子玩具”时一样，投入同样的的精力实现它们。

你们发行游戏的速度让人佩服，2017年已经出了2个游戏了。你们是怎么实现这种发展速度的？数量要求是不是维持你们的工作室顺利运作的要素之一？

我把开发工作全都外包了。这就能够让我顺利地解决问题，继续往前走或者是同一时间内快速地淘汰掉好几个项目，根据不同进度计划我的游戏发布时间。

我脑袋里的主意很多，但是知道要怎么下手的就没那么多了。好在丰富的创作经验可以让我快速地执行它们，把注意力都放在修改细节上。

这就是我拥有的“不公平”优势。寻找资源——时间、金钱、开发者们，然后实现它们，这就是我的唯一要过的关卡。

数量是有帮助，但这并不是硬性要求。数量多的话就能在一定程度上减少风险——如果我的其中一个游戏亏钱了，另一个就可以弥补。

数量多的话也能引发复利效应。每发布一款新游戏，我之前的那些游戏就会得到一批新玩家。

比数量更重要的是质量。高效地创作出一批质量不怎么样的作品，即使它们很赚钱，但对我来说这个过程毫无价值。

如果一个游戏在我个人看来并不是满意之作，那我宁愿承担损失把它抛弃掉，也不愿意让它流入市场。（等我申请破产的时候再问我这个问题看看）。

在2017的移动行业背景下，当个独行的独立开发者是什么感觉？感觉更艰难了吗？或者你觉得“独立游戏大灾难（indiepocalypse）”这个词太夸张了？

作为一个不起眼的独立游戏开发者，我认为没有比现在这个时代更有利于制作游戏了，但是要（持续）收益是更困难了。

现在的移动市场被某些游戏渗透了，它们争先恐后地想要引起玩家的注意力，而这群玩家大多数都改变了观念，他们认为游戏（可能甚至包括音乐、电影、艺术）应该是不要钱的。

实际意义就是这种商业模式并不不好。我真的算是一个走运的人，但是我一直都没有注意到。

App Store重点推荐了我的游戏，所以我的用户获取成本非常低。这样一来，保本对我来说就变成了一件比较容易的事，甚至还能转为盈利。我对这此非常感激。

给那些有所抱负的游戏开发者们一句忠告：眼巴巴地盼着App Store推荐你的游戏也不是一种明智的商业模式。

你的作品已经被苹果推荐了27次。那么对于小型开发团队来说，游戏热不热门还重要吗？还有，这是你为什么不为安卓设备开发游戏的原因吗？

我得说清楚，我是被推荐了27次，但是有些游戏是被重复推荐的（在不同类别，用不同的推广方式）。

我之前发布的16款游戏都有被最佳新游戏（Best New Games）板块推荐，在世界各地的很多国家都可以看到。

App Store的推荐是我成功的关键因素之一，对于小型开发团队来说也是挺重要的，你的手头的资源有限，但是App Store的推荐可以帮助你获得人气。

即使你的资金并不充裕，也没有强大的人脉关系，App Store推荐也可能让你的游戏成为佼佼者。这绝对不是什么不为人知的秘密。

总的来说，我放弃安卓平台并不是因为App Store推荐。

这原因其实是跟商业方面有关：我的资源是有限的，如果要返回游戏再开发一个安卓版本的，那么我的收益将会变得少之又少。

就是很简单的原因，安卓游戏对我来说性价比不高。更不用说你还要应对麻烦的隐私问题、多种分辨率的适配，或者是另外一个平台的用户服务问题。

我没有时间，也没有金钱去认认真真地把它做好。

虽然我知道安卓市场很大,能获得一笔可观的收益(我有一台Nexus 5备用)。

近期我跟一位中国发行商达成了交易，计划把我的其中一些游戏移植到安卓平台上。这就减少了我上面提到的那些麻烦。

你觉得iMessage贴纸是挣钱的好办法吗？从你的经验来看，你觉得消费者们会更愿意把钱花在买贴纸而不是付费游戏上吗？

我确实理解消费者们更倾向于把辛苦钱拿去买贴纸而不是买付费游戏。这真的是个不为人知的秘密。

整个生态环境对我来说都很陌生（大概是Snapchat这一代的新APP）。我认为比起玩家来说，这一消费群体还是相对比较少。

Monster Maker Mega Pack的截图

但是iMessage贴纸又是一个复合效应的优秀例子。

贴纸不需要成为稳定的收益来源，但是小小的投入就能获得用户的关注。

iMessage贴纸本身就带有社交性，因此当用户下载、分享之后，其实也就在间接地推广我的品牌、我的游戏。

再加上做贴纸也是一件很有趣的事情。

你近期发布的游戏，Puff，制作它的时候有什么想法吗？开发过程有多久？你对这游戏有什么期盼？

要是Flappy Bird和Downwell生了一个孩子，天天就喜欢晃来晃去，还喜欢dubstep音乐呢？从根本上来讲，Puff就是我对这个问题所给出的答案。

这就是个开头，游戏玩法和主角的运动方式（最终决定是左右射击）有了雏形。

小时候玩老游戏的经历结合灵感素材，我把目光锁定在简单、画面粗糙的像素风格上。关于色彩我只也选了区区几种，为画面增添美感，也为游戏增加氛围。

迄今为止的反馈都是一片好评。

从概念萌生到最终测试版本发行，完成Puff总共用了6周时间。不管你是不是经常玩游戏，我希望这种复古街机游戏风格能让每个人都情不自禁地嘴角上扬。

正在阅读这篇文章的人，如果你们知道哪位先生或者女士在Puff中得到了232，113分，请给他/她一个大大的拥抱，在两边脸颊都亲亲。

太厉害了，值得嘉奖。

Frosty Pop Corps接下来还有什么值得期待的动作吗？

这个嘛，为了将脑中的各种创意、疯狂想法在游戏中实现，以及再次证明我的灵感可以来自生活的各个角落，我目前正在制作：

一款和武士有关的游戏(Cloak & Dagger)

一款不会死的射击游戏(Boomstick!)

一款内含10000+谜题和数学思维的解谜游戏(rvlvr.)

还有对我的游戏Teeter进行一次大更新（顺带一说，我觉得这是我的得意之作）。

更新Teeter和发布rvlvr.可能会同步进行，在三月末或者四月初大家应该就能看到了。

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

Much is made of the growing difficulty of sustainable independent development on mobile.

With user acquisition costs growing and major companies flexing their muscles, it’s a valid concern.

However, indies continue to produce impressive work on the platform, and few have been more prolific in recent years than The Frosty Pop Corps.

That’s the banner under which lone Victoria, BC-based game designer Faisal Sethi operates, churning out 14 iOS games (plus two tvOS ports and three iMessage Sticker packs) since October 2014.

Following the launch of his latest game Puff – billed as Flappy Bird meets Downwell – PocketGamer.biz reached out to learn more about Sethi, his approach to development and what it’s like being a one-man indie in 2017.

PocketGamer.biz: Please give us a brief overview of your career in game development so far.

Faisal Sethi: My practical experience in game development is still quite novel.

Prior to founding The Frosty Pop Corps in 2014, most of my involvement in the games industry was limited to the infrequent play of Uncharted, and games of a similar ilk, set on the easiest mode possible.

Truth be told, I’m not much of a contemporary gamer.

I’ve been in the creative sector for quite some time though, professionally as a Graphic Designer, Art Director and Creative Director in print, digital and film.

I feel like games are a simple extension and progression for me creatively.

For me, making a game combines many of my creative proficiencies into a singular experience – design, music, writing, problem solving and so on.

I much prefer to be called a Game Designer than a Game Developer – I am not a coder. I am also an entrepreneur.

Actually, my first game (this was just before I founded Frosty Pop) was a social game on Facebook called Quiz Monsters.

It was a lovely game designed to look like the pages of a Maurice Sendak children’s book, and provided me with an unforgiving realisation: this is an industry of both art and commerce. It made no money.

You describe your work as “beautifully designed digital toys”. What does this say about your approach to game development?

On a surface level, the complexity of my games is largely elementary, focused on a single, clever mechanic and impeccable design.

When I compare my games with the impressive amount of thought and depth that goes into making “real” games – the scale of some games and the large(r) teams behind them – comparatively, my games feel more like toys to me.

My games are simple like the ones I played with as a young boy, and mobile-first in the sense that I am contemplating the form and function of a mobile device and its inherent limitations when I start the design process.

This also opens up a lot of creative possibilities for me. I see inspiration for games everywhere – a font I might like in a magazine, the color palette of a sign in a bus shelter, a paragraph in a story I am reading.

All of these can inspire the idea of a simple game that I hope someone can enjoy standing in line waiting for their morning coffee at a local café, or curled up on a couch passing time on a rainy Sunday morning alone or with kids.

I do have a few epic ideas in me that are outside of the moderate scope described above, and in time, I hope to be able to bring them to life with the same vigour and attention to detail as my “digital toys”.

The speed of your output is impressive, having launched two games already in 2017. How do you approach this pace of development, and is volume required to make your business sustainable?

I outsource all of my development. This allows me to manage, move forward, or quickly discard multiple projects in parallel, and plan my release schedule accordingly.

I have more ideas than I know what to do with. The depth and breadth of my personal creative experience allows me to execute on them swiftly, and with a keen attention to refined details.

This is my unfair advantage. Finding the resources – time, money, developers – to bring them into fruition are my only limitations of significance.

Volume is helpful, but not required. Having volume mitigates the risk of loss to a certain degree – if one of my games loses money, another will make up for it.

Volume also affords the effects of compounding interest. With each new release, my back catalogue of games sees an influx of new players.

More important than volume is quality. Creating a bunch of mediocre products with efficiency, even if they make money, is not a rewarding process for me.

If the game is not at a level I am comfortable with on a personal level, I’d rather take a loss and trash it than put it out into the wild (ask me this question again when I’m filing for bankruptcy).

What is it like being a lone independent developer on mobile in 2017? Has it got harder, or is the so-called ‘indiepocalypse’ exaggerated?

As a small, independent game developer, I believe it is easier now than ever to make games, but more difficult to make (sustainable) income.

The mobile market is saturated with games vying for the mindshare of the gaming populace, a populace that has generally shifted to an expectation that games (perhaps even music, movies, art) should be free.

In a practical sense, this is not a great business model. I am truly one of the lucky ones, and this is not lost on me on a daily basis.

My games have been featured in the App Store, so my user acquisition costs are minimal. This makes it much easier to break even or turn a profit. It’s something I am super grateful for.

A word of warning to aspiring game developers: hoping to get a feature in the App Store is not a sound business model, either.

You’ve been featured by Apple 27 times. Does this remain crucial for smaller developers to gain traction, and is this a factor in your decision not to develop for Android?

I want to qualify, I have been featured 27 times, some games multiple times (in different categories and promotions).

My last 16 releases in row have been featured in the Best New Games category (among others) in various countries around the world.

The App Store features have been critical to my success and can be important for smaller developers, with limited resources, to gain traction.

The exposure an App Store feature provides for an independent game is impossible to match without a significant amount of fiscal resources and/or industry connections. Not a revelation, by any means.

Being featured by Apple is not a factor in my decision to forego Android development, in general.

The reasons are commerce-focused: my resources are limited and the return on investment for creating an Android version of my games is minimal at best.

Android games simply do not generate enough revenue for me to justify their cost. Never mind having to deal with rampant piracy, seemingly dozens of screen resolutions, or another platform to support on the customer service tip.

I just don’t have the time or money to do it correctly and with sincerity.

I do think the Android market is large enough to warrant consideration, though (and I have a Nexus 5, just in case).

Recently, I signed a deal with a Chinese publisher to bring some of my titles to Android devices. This helps alleviate many of the issues I mentioned above.

Have you found iMessage stickers to be a good revenue stream? In your experience, are consumers more willing to pay for them than premium games?

I do get the sense that consumers are more agreeable to parting with their hard-earned-cash-money for stickers than premium games. Quite a revelation, really.

An entire ecosystem completely foreign to me (the Snapchat generation, I suspect). As a qualification, I think it’s still a comparatively smaller group of consumers than gamers, though.

Screens from Monster Maker Mega Pack

But iMessage stickers are another good example of the compounding effect.

They are not necessarily a good revenue stream, but they are another way to capture the mindshare of an audience with minimal additional investment.

iMessage Stickers are inherently social and therefore implicitly promote my brand and games when they are downloaded and shared.

Plus, they are fun to make.

What was the thinking behind your most recent game, Puff, and how long did it take to develop? What are your hopes for it?

At its root, Puff is my attempt at answering a benign question of little international significance: What if Flappy Bird and Downwell had a love child with the shakes and a penchant for dubstep?

Using that as a starting point, the gameplay and principal movement of the protagonist (as a consequence of shooting left or right) began to take shape.

Taking a cue from my childhood retro-gaming experiences and inspirational source material, I fixated on simple, chunky pixel art and a limited color palette as an aesthetic choice for the look and feel of the game.

The feedback thus far is overwhelmingly positive.

From conception to release candidate, Puff took about 6 weeks to complete, and my hope is the game provides gamers and non-gamers alike with a burst of a nostalgic arcade action that will inevitably make their faces dissolve into an uncontrollable grin.

If anyone reading this knows the gentleman or woman that scored 232,113 in Puff, please give them a well deserving bear hug, and kisses on both left and right cheeks.

Incredible.

What can we expect next from The Frosty Pop Corps?

Well, to exemplify the creative, schizophrenic mind at work – and perhaps reiterate that my inspiration comes from myriad sources – I am currently working on…

A samurai game (Cloak & Dagger)

An undead shoot ‘em up (Boomstick!)

A puzzle game with over 10,000 puzzles and counting (rvlvr.)

And a major update to my game Teeter (which incidentally, I feel is my best game).

The update for Teeter and my puzzle game rvlvr will likely be released in tandem, and should be out at the end of March or early April.（source：pocketgamer.biz ）