Netspeak Games: Turning cozy consumers into co-creators

gamesindustry.biz:

When Netspeak Games was founded in 2021, the developer did not know what kind of game it was going to create.

"We knew we wanted to make something multiplayer. We knew we wanted it to be cross-platform, and we also knew we wanted to use Unreal Engine," CEO Callum Cooper-Brighting told GamesIndustry.biz "They were the 'constraints' we gave ourselves."

But even with those constraints in place, the studio didn't arrive at a "cozy game" like its debut Sunshine Days purely by instinct.

"After months of market research and interviews from my sofa, we settled on mobile first, casual 'feeling' but leaning towards mid-core," he says.

"Our ambition became to create a safe corner of the internet where people can come together and find things they have in common, interests they share while celebrating their differences. A place that is highly accessible offers meaningful gameplay and can help bring people together."

The CEO acknowledges that Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Dreams inspired the user options within Sunshine Days.

"[These games] prove that when you create a relaxing, accessible, wholesome world that welcomes players and values their time, then that creates a context where players want to express themselves. Give players the smallest bit of control and watch them run with it! We knew early on that our community was incredibly creative and dedicated," he adds.

The executive says the most challenging part of game development has been adapting the game to create a more welcoming experience for players.

Cooper-Brighting explains, "The most compelling challenges are always about onboarding and setting expectations with our audience about the world we have created. Early on, we would drop players into the social