Lords of the Fallen Digital Distribution and PC Stability Interview

There’s a new interview with Marek Tyminski on GamesIndustry.biz, during which the CI Games studio head talks about the shift from physical releases to digital distribution, the initial stability problems that Lords of the Fallen had on PC, and more.  A little something to get you warmed up:

When the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions of the game passed the platform-holders’ certification checks on the first attempt, CI Games figured it was well-positioned for a smooth launch. However, the variable hardware configurations of the PC platform posed a greater than anticipated problem, and the game launched with significant stability issues.

“We got slapped in the face after the launch of the game,” Tyminski said.

In addressing the stability issues, Tyminski said CI Games relied heavily on the user forums on Steam. Even though the mid-size (about 100 people in total) developer/publisher thought of itself as breaking into the world of big-time AAA development, the rise of digital distribution was pushing its customer service approach in a more grassroots direction as members of the QA team engaged in direct dialogue with players. It was a time-consuming operation, and one Tyminski said delayed the studio from its plans to work on downloadable content. Having these dialogues pop up on Steam was also useful as it convinced Tyminski that the studio was going out of its way to help people who actually purchased the game instead of pirating it.

Tyminski said CI Games had never performed that much hands-on customer support for its previous games, but digital distribution is giving it greater access to its customers. And as more of its business comes from digital sources, that type of support is only going to become more important.

“The turning point is right now,” Tyminski said of digital distribution. “Even a year ago when we were releasing Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2, the digital sales were so much smaller than we’re currently seeing. With Lords of the Fallen, we’re at 30 percent digital and 70 percent physical, based on global sales.”