Hello and Welcome back dear FollowHz!
Germany, traditionally regarded as a country always at the forefront in various technological and scientifical areas (at least this seems to be the situation since Gutemberg’s time), has always been able to gave great contributions to the video game development scene, and even to the present day confirm itself as a hotbed for new and interresant talents concerning indie game developers.
Among these innumberable yet talented groups of digital craftsmen we could include YAGER Development GmbH, an indipendent studio with twenty years of experience in the creation of high quality AAA multiplayer titles who has granted us the great pleasure and honour to talk with them about their team and current project, the match-based FPS The Cycle.
Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to exchange few words with us. Without further hesitations, let’s talk about your dev project. How was it born?
The Cycle was born from an internal pitch jam process we established at YAGER about 2 years ago. Everyone here can take a couple of days to work on a pitch, which they must be willing to present to a judging panel. The pitch that wins then gets turned into a prototype. The inspiration for The Cycle came from World of Warcraft’s Stranglethorn Vale, where on a PVP server the mix of PVE and PVP was intriguing. But what would such a experience be like within a competitive FPS shooter? We had to find out!
How did you get into the world of video games?
By playing a lot of games! Seriously though, I played a lot and didn’t ever expect to be able to get a job in the game industry. But that changed when a friend of mine got a job with Sony in Japan. I couldn’t believe that a Scottish guy from my town got such a job. So, I packed up my stuff and moved to Dundee, where my friend had studied game development at Abertay University. I got my first gig on the ill-fated APB by Real Time Worlds.
Who were the developers that inspired you most, if there were some?
The developers behind the first 2 GTAs and Lemmings: DMA. They were a small Dundee studio any many of those people now work for Rockstar. Most recently it’s CD Projekt, I love the Witcher serious and I’m so hyped for Cyberpunk 2077.
What do you think of the video game industry?
It’s the best. I can’t think of many industries where you get to bring such a level of joy to people. Also, from my selfish point of view, working with artists, engineers, designers, musicians, actors (the list goes on and on…) it a wonderful thing that’s hard to find in other industries. It’s also a big industry and I agree with Keanu Reeves in that it doesn’t need legitimising – it’s been a legitiment medium and industry for many years. That being said, it has its problems: a tendency to overtime/churn, lack of diversity in development teams and issues with how we depict violence.
What is your favorite genre of video games?
First Person Shooters, Borderlands 2 is probably my favourite game closely followed by modern RPGs like The Witcher 3.
What are your views about the current game industry supply?
I think competition is ultimately good for the consumer.
What do you think of the correlation between game=violence?
For many people, especially parents, that is what they think because that might be all they see their kids playing. Although as a parent I symaphize with this, it’s however an ignorant perspective, as games are and can be so much more than violence simulators. We mustn’t shirk our responsibilities as game developers though, I’m proud that The Cycle deals with the downing of other players by “foaming” them instead of dismembering them.
Are you currently working on a new project?
I’m focused on The Cycle, but we have an unannounced project at YAGER also, but I can’t talk about that yet. Also, we are hiring! 
