"Stop talking and just do it!" Why you should start your own indie dev studio today

pcgamesinsider.biz:

Kylan Coats is the COO and content producer at Crispy Creative. With more than 14 years working in the games industry, Coats has worked on both the developer and publisher side at AAA studios, as well as small indies. He’s spoken at Pocket Gamer Connects, SXSW, MIGS and White Nights, as well as been featured in Wired and Polygon.

Having worked on such titles as The Outer Worlds; Kena: Bridge of Spirits; and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Coats is now the creative director of indie studio, Crispy Creative. Their first title, A Long Journey To An Uncertain End is available to wishlist on Steam now.

We caught up with Coats after his most recent Pocket Gamer Connects experience - and ahead of the next event in Toronto - to find out how his AAA experience has informed the studio's first indie title, why sci fi is the truth and how COVID has made things better for games devs everywhere.

PC Games Insider: You're based in LA, the city of dreams. What's it like as a home to a creative games studio as opposed to say, Seattle or Austin? How would you survive an avocado shortage?

Kylan Coats: We actually have an avocado tree in our backyard, so let the avocado wars commence! Los Angeles and neighboring Orange County are home to many, many large AAA studios. On the one hand, that means a TON of experienced local talent. Networking is easier, as well as moving between the big names in the industry. On the other hand, the indie scene seems stronger in cities like Seattle or Portland. The big studios in LA and the OC can suck a lot of the oxygen out of the room.

Setting up your own studio is a big decision that carries a lot of risk. What gave you the motivation and what did you need to ensure was in place before you made that