Joystiq

Expect more humorous open-world games from Brian Provinciano

David Hinkle — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST

"I'm definitely going to be doing more open-world comedy stuff in the future, but it might not be my next game," Retro City Rampage creator Brian Provinciano told Joystiq following a GDC panel where he broke down sales of his game across the various platforms.

"I have about four open-world game ideas in my head that I'm passionate about, but I'm also very concerned about jumping into another big project. So I'm sorting out my ideas right now and figuring out if there's a smaller game idea or something different I could do in the middle, just as a palate cleanser. When I do my next big ambitious game, again it'll probably be open-world."

While Provinciano is keen on making more games, he wants to "let the dust settle" on Retro City Rampage before diving into his next game. We probably won't see his next project in 2013, unless it's a smaller-scale game. "I would love to ship another game this year, but the only way for that to happen is if I get a small idea and everything just falls into place."

Art was one thing Provinciano had strong opinions about regarding his next project. He doesn't want to become "typecast" as the pixel-art guy - and he wants future games to place a bigger emphasis on art and audio.

"I had an amazing time working with the artist and the audio person on Retro City Rampage, and I really love art and audio so I want to put more of an emphasis on those in the next games - higher production value. As much as I love doing art - so I found this artist that was doing amazing art and it was way better than me, I would still do some of the art because I love doing it and it's fun, but now I'm thinking differently. I would rather have amazing art way beyond my capabilities and have it all done by other people than have some half-assed art I did myself, just for the sake of saying 'I did it myself.' So one of the big goals in my next games is to have really high-quality art and - as much as I do love pixel stuff, and I may do revisit that in different degrees at some point - again, I want to do different art styles, to show to the world that I'm not just a pixel-art guy."

Provinciano said that PlayStation 4 is on the table as a potential platform for upcoming games. At a previous panel, Provinciano confirmed he would also work with PS Vita in the future.

Expect more humorous open-world games from Brian Provinciano originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Where Retro City Rampage made its money

David Hinkle — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 23:59:00 EST

During his GDC panel, "One Man, 17 SKUs: Shipping on Every Platform at Once," Retro City Rampage creator Brian Provinciano provided a clear breakdown of the game's fiscal performance across various platforms.

PSN was where Provinciano saw most of his profit come in: over $600,000 earned across over 35,000 units sold on PSN. These numbers do not account for PlayStation Plus downloads and the period of time during which RCR was offered for free with membership.

The PC platform yielded the second-highest revenue for Retro City Rampage, earning over $400,000 from over 40,000 copies sold - the majority sold on Steam. Xbox Live Arcade came third with around $200,000 earned across 15,000 units sold, and WiiWare earned under $10,000 with fewer than 2,000 units sold. After the panel, Provinciano told me sales currently sit around 97,000 total, and that he anticipates total sales will exceed 100,000 next week.

Provinciano said he spent the most development time on the Xbox Live Arcade port, on a platform he called the most expensive. "Knowing what I know now, I would've skipped it," he said. Though he considered the WiiWare version a $20,000 gift to fans, the XBLA port ended up costing more.

Update: Brian got in touch to tell us some of the numbers in his panel were a bit off thanks to an Excel issue. "Looks like Excel didn't line up the bars up correctly." The WiiWare version sold under 2,000 units, he tells us. "It's also sold significantly more than 35K on PSN, 40K on PC and 15K units on each of the other platforms."

Where Retro City Rampage made its money originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

WiiWare version of Retro City Rampage is a '$20,000 gift' to fans

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:30:00 EST

Developer Brian Provinciano doesn't expect to make any money from the launch of Retro City Rampage on Nintendo's WiiWare - in fact, he stands to lose $20,000 in development costs alone, with little chance of seeing a return.

"Between the office rent, hardware, insurance, game ratings and other costs, had I not done the WiiWare version, I could've saved around $20,000 - not even including my salary in porting it," Provinciano tells Nintendo Life. "And as it stands, virtually no games hit the threshold these days, so it's only being released as fan service. A $20,000 gift to the fans."

The loss comes down to a few odd requirements Nintendo places on WiiWare launches: The developer must have a designated office space, even for a one-man operation, and he gets paid only if the game sells a certain number of copies. Unless that sales threshold is hit, "you don't get paid a cent," as Provinciano puts it. These regulations have been tweaked for future platforms, he says, and Nintendo deserves kudos for listening to its content creators.

"They listen to feedback and take action to improve things if there's a better way. In both cases, the original policies had the best intentions, but turned out to be a bit problematic."

Regardless, Provinciano launched Retro City Rampage on WiiWare on February 28 because he wanted to keep his promise that the game would come to a Nintendo console: "I'm happy to see it finally out, and the many happy players. That said, I encourage everyone to buy it! I'm crossing my fingers that it will hit the threshold at least in one region."

Retro City Rampage is holding its own on Vita, PS3, Steam and XBLA, in that order.

WiiWare version of Retro City Rampage is a '$20,000 gift' to fans originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

How to turn Retro City Rampage into a working 8-bit game

Sinan Kubba — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:45:00 EST

When Retro City Rampage comes to WiiWare tomorrow it'll include an 8-bit version of the game called ROM City Rampage. Provinciano was developing what's now become ROM City Rampage almost a decade ago for the NES, but abandoned it to focus on Retro City Rampage because of the hardware limitations - a wise choice. After releasing the open-world crime game last year, he decided to come back to his 8-bit aspirations and crunch the modern Retro City Rampage into a truly retro game.

In this video, Provinciano explains the difficulties he had in creating ROM City Rampage. Even if you're not hugely interested in how games are or were developed it's a good watch, and not too inside baseball; Provinciano neatly explains some of the data-saving processes he had to employ, such as sprite mirroring and combining duplicate tiles of pixels.

ROM City Rampage will be included as a playable prototype in the WiiWare release, and come as a free update tomorrow to the PC version, which you can pick on Steam at half-off for one more day.

How to turn Retro City Rampage into a working 8-bit game originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Retro City Rampage sold 'much more' on PSN than Steam, XBLA

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST

Retro City Rampage has been around the block a few times, establishing a steady launch stream across PC and consoles since October. Now that the game has had time to settle on XBLA, PS3, Vita and Steam, developer Brian Provinciano has a clear, surprising favorite: Vita.

"Indies should definitely jump onto the PS Vita," he tweets. "RCR's sold much more on PSN than XBLA and more on PS Vita than even PS3."

Retro City Rampage was part of the PS Plus Instant Game Collection, but Provinciano's praise doesn't include those numbers. PSN sales, both in units and revenue, eclipsed XBLA and even Steam on their own, and any PS Plus action is an extra bonus.

"Steam's done far better than XBLA too, but PSN has still done the best," Provinciano says.

While Vita is the "easiest console platform to develop for," XBLA clearly falls behind in Provinciano's estimation. Getting on XBLA required two rounds of pitching, paperwork and negotiation, each time taking more than six months. "It's absurd. They don't make it easy," Provinciano says.

He continues, "It cost more to do the XBLA version than all other SKUs combined. Made more on all other platforms. XBLA: 'a learning experience.'"

Provinciano has an idea why Retro City Rampage is doing so well on Vita: "Sony promoted the game incredibly well and Vita players are hungry for games! Make them more!" Provinciano will cover his multi-platform development process and resultant sales at GDC 2013, with a talk titled, "One Man, 17 SKUs: Shipping on Every Platform at Once."

Retro City Rampage sold 'much more' on PSN than Steam, XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Retro City Rampage hits WiiWare Feb. 28, bonus content on the way

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:20:00 EST

Retro City Rampage's long, pixelated journey to WiiWare finally comes to an end next week. The campy parody crime game will land on WiiWare on February 28 for $10. The Wii release will also feature the bonus "ROM City Rampage," which will allow players to "experience what Retro City Rampage could've been like if it were actually released in the '80s, as a 100% NES hardware-accurate ROM." ROM City Rampage will be accessible via the in-game arcade.

PC players will also get to experience the bonus mode thanks to a free update scheduled to release alongside the WiiWare version. Creator Brian Provinciano also reminds Wii U owners that they will be able buy and play the game using the Wii menu.

Finally, the Steam version of Retro City Rampage is on sale this week for $7.50, half the usual price. The sale ends on February 28.

Continue reading Retro City Rampage hits WiiWare Feb. 28, bonus content on the way

Retro City Rampage hits WiiWare Feb. 28, bonus content on the way originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Retro City Rampage wrecks Europe and Asia on Jan. 16

David Hinkle — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:15:00 EST

On January 16, wannabe gangsters across the pond in Europe and Asia will get a chance to check out the excellent Retro City Rampage on both the PS Vita and PS3. Developer Brian Provinciano hasn't used the extra month lightly, either - the extra time has allowed him to add extra polish to the game, he tells Joystiq.

If you don't have a PC, PS3 or PS Vita, the WiiWare version of Retro City Rampage is slated to launch sometime this month, though Provinciano is unable to say exactly when at the moment. The Xbox Live Arcade version has been available since last week.

Retro City Rampage wrecks Europe and Asia on Jan. 16 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Retro City Rampage review: Love letter

David Hinkle — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST

It would be impossible to sit down and write out everything you love about everything. It'd be a pursuit of madness. Why would you do it? Just to have some kind of time capsule for all of your cherished memories?

But what if you did it within the confines of a video game? It would be an even madder pursuit, for sure, but that's exactly what Retro City Rampage is. It's a love letter to all of developer Brian Provinciano's favorite things within the borders of an 8-bit open-world crime game - a game, I might add, that is so beautiful in its simplicity and hilarious in its execution that it has become one of my favorite games of all time.

Gallery: Retro City Rampage (2/20/12)

Continue reading Retro City Rampage review: Love letter

Retro City Rampage review: Love letter originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Retro City Rampage playable at Comic-Con, even without a pass

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:30:00 EST

If you don't mind hanging out in a Hard Rock establishment, you have an opportunity to play a bunch of unreleased games, including Retro City Rampage. In case it weren't abundantly clear from our past coverage of RCR, we're big proponents of not just the game itself, but of the developer's dogged entrepreneurial spirit, so we wanted to make sure you knew about two chances this weekend to play it at Microsoft's Hard Rock-based Comic Con Xbox lounge. Extra convenient? No SDCC pass is required to attend.

In between snacking on sliders and getting your 8-bit open-world on, you may also want to check out some of the other games available to play -- everything from Orcs Must Die to Batman: Arkham City, we're told. And before you head over, why not take a look through a brand new set of Comic-Con screens for RCR, just below? Details for the weekend can be found after the break.

Gallery: Retro City Rampage (San Diego Comic Con 2011)

Continue reading Retro City Rampage playable at Comic-Con, even without a pass

Retro City Rampage playable at Comic-Con, even without a pass originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

E3 2011 reader meetup: Retro City Rampage

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST

Between now and next Friday, when we'll be holding our semi-annual E3 reader meetup, Joystiq will be putting the spotlight on each of the games folks will be able to go hands-on with. First up is VBlank Entertainment's long in-development XBLA/WiiWare title, Retro City Rampage.

Born out of VBlank Entertainment founder Brian Provinciano's urge to craft an 8-bit demake of Grand Theft Auto 3, Retro City Rampage was originally known as "Grand Theftendo." The ambitious project eventually took on a life of its own, evolving into a full-blown WiiWare title, and finally blooming to XBLA.

As huge fans of 8-bit games and, uh, games in general, RCR hits all the right notes with us. The concept is essentially an elaborate homage to the history of video gaming, mixing all of the game mechanics that come along with that -- a pastiche of gaming history's tropes, memorable moments, and go-to themes, if you will (peep our reference-filled preview for a taste).

We'll have the game (and its developer!) on-hand at next Friday's E3 reader meetup for you to check out, but in the meantime VBlank's sent over some new screens of RCR's Chinatown area, as well as revealing a new character: "The Great Gamedini." Mr. Gamedini is described as a magician whose wish will be your command ... should you be able to find the right codes. As VBlank tells it, "his dog ate his codebook." Blasted dogs! Take a peek at both the new area and new character in our exclusive gallery below.

Gallery: Retro City Rampage (E3 2011 meetup)

E3 2011 reader meetup: Retro City Rampage originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Come hang out with Joystiq (and play a bunch of great games!) at our E3 2011 reader meetup

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:45:00 EST

We love you, Los Angeles, you know that. Sure, it's been awhile since we last hung out, but we wanna make that up to you. And not just any boring old dinner-and-a-movie kinda thing either, a full blown party! Next Friday, June 10, Joystiq will take over the La Cita bar in downtown LA between 5:30 and 9:00PM PST for a game-filled, giveaway-packed reader meetup.

As our staff will be all up in your city for the duration of next week, we took the liberty of renting out a bar for a few hours so you -- our best friends -- could hang out, talk about the week's big news, play a bunch of great games, and take all the game swag that's been piling up in our domiciles. Chris Hecker will be swinging through with SpyParty, as will Andy Schatz with Monaco, to name just a few of the games/game devs at the event. And how about a chance to play Harmonix' next project before anyone else? 'Cause that'll totally be there too.

Unfortunately, for our friends under 21, the event space is restricted to those of us with legal access to alcohol. We're really sorry and we still love you! It was, as they say, out of our hands. An extra big thank you to all of our participants!

SpyParty, Chris Hecker (@SpyParty)
Nidhogg, Mark Essen (@Messhof)
Unannounced Project, Ska Studios (@SkaStudios)
Monaco, Pocketwatch Games (@MonacoIsMine)
Retro City Rampage, Brian Provinciano (@RetroCR)
Q.U.B.E., Toxic Games (@qubegame)
Unannounced Project, Harmonix (@Harmonix)

Still with us? Head past the break for details, and make sure to RSVP on our Facebook event page so we know how many of you to expect!

Continue reading Come hang out with Joystiq (and play a bunch of great games!) at our E3 2011 reader meetup

Come hang out with Joystiq (and play a bunch of great games!) at our E3 2011 reader meetup originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Retro City Rampage hits XBLA in summer 2011, WiiWare version delayed

JC Fletcher — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST

If you were looking forward to buying Brian Provinciano's Retro City Rampage on WiiWare, we have some bad news: it's been delayed significantly. The WiiWare version of the satirical 8-bit sandbox game was originally targeted for the end of this year, but now won't arrive until fall 2011.

But you'll be able to play it before then. Like Super Meat Boy before it, the announced WiiWare release of Retro City Rampage will be preceded by an XBLA version, which comes out in the summer. "In order to continue making these games and not have to start flipping burgers after Retro City Rampage is done," Provinciano told Destructoid, "it needed to be multi-platform." Provinciano is using the extra time to put additional content, including playable characters and missions, into both versions of the game.

Retro City Rampage hits XBLA in summer 2011, WiiWare version delayed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments