Interview done on September 29th 2024
In this new interview on DCDL, Kyle Thompson, solo developer of three incredible metroidvanias, has agreed to answer a few questions about the creation of Sheepo (2020), Islets (2022) and Crypt Custodian (2024) (see article here) and to share with us his vision of game making. Enjoy!
Pour la version française, CLIQUER ICI !
Hello Kyle, thank you for accepting this interview. I’ve just finished playing Sheepo after completing Crypt Custodian and Islets. They’re amazing metroidvanias and Crypt Custodian will be the first game in this genre that my seven-year-old will play on his Switch. He watched me play most of it on PC already and loved it. The worlds you created are truly mesmerizing and the fact that you developed these three games solo makes the whole thing even more impressive. I’d love to get to know the man behind the art. Thank you for agreeing to answer a few questions.
First of all, could you tell me about yourself? How old are you? Where are you from? What are your academic and professional backgrounds? Is making games your main activity or is it a hobby you devote yourself to after working hours?
Thank you for the kind introduction! My name is Kyle, I’m 32 and live in the United States. I started to learn to make games as a teenager, but then stopped for nearly a decade, and picked it up again in my late 20s. As for my academic/professional background, there isn’t much of one! I never went to college and had been doing various creative freelance work for most of my adult life. Making games is my full-time job now though and I feel very fortunate to be able to do that. Outside of game development, I try to do some outdoorsy stuff to get away from the screen. My husband and I bought a kayak recently and we live near a river, so we take that out a bunch. I also just generally enjoy making things in any medium, so I do a bit of everything.
The three games you’ve created so far are metroidvanias. This kind of games isn’t the easiest one to make. Metroidvanias are long and sophisticated in terms of gameplay and level design. Why did you choose to explore this specific genre?
It has always been my favorite genre, and one I thought I could be capable of making. Metroidvanias are 2D platformers at the base level, and I felt confident enough taking on that at the start.
You’ve made your games on your own, if I’m not mistaken. Art, programming, writing, you did it all. Except for the music, made by your brother Eric. Could you tell me about this family collaboration? Is your brother into video games as well? Is he a professional composer?
Yes, he has made music ever since we were kids, and when I started making Sheepo it seemed like the obvious choice to reach out to him. He does work outside of composing, but it has evolved into a solid second job I think.
Let’s talk bout the creation process behind your games. The graphics are gorgeous, especially in Crypt Custodian, all three games are practically bug-free, the controls always respond well, the stories and overall pacing are always satisfying… I mean, if someone had told me that these games had been developed by a team of fifteen people, I wouldn’t have been surprised. How did you manage to put in such a tremendous amount of work? How do you organize your time when it comes to creating your games? You seem to be able to offer us a new game every two years. How much time do you devote to each step (imagining the game, producing the art, the level design, coding and finally testing)?
Thank you! I’d say there are a few contributing factors to that. One is the scope. In every step I try to aim towards ideas that can be impactful and fun but not super time consuming to make. That means that I try to keep systems pretty simple, and I avoid a lot of scope creep that would result in a game that is too big to manage. When making a game there are some diminishing returns that come from the quality when reworking things over and over, and I try to not worry too much if something isn’t perfect as long as I’m generally happy with it. Otherwise you can fall into a loop of endlessly tweaking a game forever. On Sheepo I worked ridiculous hours (around 80 hours a week), but for Islets and Crypt Custodian I tried to work 40 hours of focused work a week and I took weekends off to recharge.
If you became a game developer, I can safely guess that your love for video games didn’t start when you decided to make Sheepo. What games did you love when you were a kid? What games have influenced you the most? What recent games did you particularly like (that is if you still find the time to play)?
Growing up, my favorite games were Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. As a young teenager, I played a lot of freeware indie games like Knytt Stories and An Untitled Story that had a big influence on my games. I mostly play other metroidvanias now, but will try out anything. Two from this year that I really liked have been Minishoot’ Adventures (see article here) and Moonlight Pulse.
As I said earlier, my young son is currently playing Crypt Custodian and enjoys it a lot. Did you have a specific audience in mind when you made the game? Did you think it would mostly attract adult players or did you design it thinking that maybe kids could also play it?
I didn’t really plan for either. I think my games are for a pretty generalized audience and I’m mostly making the types of games that I would enjoy playing (and ones I think I am capable of making).
Are you impacted in any way by the current crisis the industry is going through? Hundreds of new games are released every month on Steam (I’m a PC player), many of them good or at least interesting. Do you think there is an overproduction? What is the future of gaming? Can indie gems rival with mainstream triple-As and maybe someday replace them (I know I want them to!)?
I feel very fortunate to not be personally feeling any stress there, but I really feel for all those who are! I have a small enough scope that to keep surviving making games does not require the same level of sales as a larger team might need. On one hand, the game industry seems to have a better rate of success than any other creative passion industry, likely just because the barrier of entry is high and people still buy games (whereas other creative industries like Music and Films/TV all rely on streaming services and gatekeepers for success). On the other hand though, it’s very tough because so many people want to make games and most aren’t able to make enough money with it. I think there will always be room for indies to find success though.
Finally, could you tell me about your next projects? You know your fans expect a new game to be released in August 2026, right? Will you have a go at another genre? Have you ever thought about releasing a DLC for one of your games?
I’m working on something now, but can’t say too much! It will follow a similar vibe as my previous games and I’m excited about how it’s starting to shape up! As for DLCs, it’s something I’ve thought about a bit. When I’m done with a project, I’m usually more excited about starting something new rather than continuing a previous game, but it is definitely not out of the question!
Thank you so, so much for your time, Kyle, and for making these fabulous games!
Florian Baude (Des Clics & des Lettres)
KYLE THOMPSON’S WORK (article about the developer)