LOOT Interactive wasn’t always a part of the ever-growing gaming industry. They started off developing the DVD platform as engineers with Sony Japan. They were constantly around assisting with new playable formats for Sony who constantly innovated on disc storage to even more portable formats such as UMD’s to Blu-rays. They were also a big proponent of virtual goods on the PlayStation platform with applications such as Crackle. And for quite some time, they delved into something they never done, by developing games on multiple platforms from consoles to mobile. Then they decided as a company to diversify their business by branching off to become their own studio outside of Sony to seek out indie developers who lack the resources to ship their games to consoles.
LOOT Interactive Director, David Sterling, spoke about what their mission is since becoming a video game publisher.
“Our mission on the game aspect of things is to continue to find the greatest indie games out there that just haven’t had the ability because of resource issues to come to consoles,” said Sterling. “We’d like to keep the developer, developing while we handle the porting and the marketing for the game so they can do keep making a great game.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean they will pick up any project that needs some traction, LOOT Interactive prides themselves for bringing new unique experiences that aren’t your run of the mill copycats to the marketplace for console gamers. Because of this quality standard they have found some of the most strenuous yet fun games.
“We’ve actually found some of the most difficult games I have ever played. Challenge is very important I think that’s why we play,” he said. “But at the same time we aren’t looking for impossible games, we are looking for games that bring a challenge to the console audience but they need to have that nice balance to reward the player.“
To find said games, LOOT Interactive goes through a hardcore evaluation of many different aspects of the games, outside of character and gameplay design.
“We look for the deep down touchy feely stuff about a game and we try to quantify that but it’s a group effort that I lead,” he said. “We obviously look at it for its commercial value but also how does it relate to the player? What does the player get out of it? And how does the game speak to them in terms of rewarding them? Is it too long? Too short? We go through a long process to ensure it’s a quality product.”
As a video game publisher, they have over time created a beneficial relationship between the console manufactures, except Nintendo.
“For now it’s just Sony and Microsoft, because we haven’t found the right game to come out on Nintendo platforms,” he said. “But maybe soon.”
But PlayStation fans rejoice, the company has an aggressive lineup slated for PlayStation platforms coming this year and they’ll be showcased at the biggest expo in gaming, E3 2015. The three games that will be on the show floor are, Whispering Willows which pits players in a rich horror themed adventure that involves the main protagonist trying to figuring out the many mysteries about her missing father through its story makes it different from the other titles they’ll have on display.
Back To Bed combines challenge but in an artistic way. It’s an adventure game as well but with more emphasis on puzzles. The main protagonist will need players to navigate him through his subconscious. Through out the game you’ll encounter weirdly geometrical shaped humans or objects.
And Velocibox is an unrelenting endless speedrunner that constantly challenges player’s reflexes, and it gets tougher as the player progresses.
The company is delivering even more experiences than they did in the year prior under Sony. Now this year they’ll be bringing three games that are different in their own way. They’re hoping their taste will differentiate them from other publishers out there.
“That’s what our goal is, to bring a great variety of great games to platforms,” said Sterling. “We want people to think when they see LOOT interactive release a game, it’s going to be special.”
At E3 2015, LOOT Interactive hopes when the games get in the hands of the consumers at the IndieCade Pavilion that they’ll see all the things they saw when they first got their hands on the products. They hope right away the aesthetic; all varying in taste will pull in gamers to try out their games.
Although they have three games to showcase at E3 on PlayStation platforms, they have another one in the pipeline for Microsoft that isn’t an exclusive that’s coming later this year. Sterling also explains why these games aren’t being developed for the Xbox One.
“That was because of a time issue but we’re working hand in hand with Xbox now and our first title for that platform is coming soon.”
That marks four games coming from the studio this year alone. More on the Xbox title will be revealed at a later date. The publisher expressed how it feels to bring these games to consumers.
“I think these guys have put their heart and soul into these games and it shows in their product,” he said. “The real dedicated guys that create this great content and we come along to help them show the world how great it is.”
All three of the PlayStation 4 and Vita games will be at the IndieCade Pavilion located at the South Hall Booth 601 in Los Angeles. The three games are also scheduled for release sometime this fall.
Look forward to Comic and Gaming Magazines impressions when E3 kicks off from June 16-18 for more details on the following games.
