Alexis Salomon Interview by Peter Ward
Factsheet
Developer:From South GamesBased in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Release date:
TBA
Platforms:
Steam PC
Epic PC
Website:
https://esseproxy.com
What is your first gaming experience?
I remember playing Prince of Persia on
a very old computer we had at home, but ultimately what hooked me up was the
Family Game, an Argentine clone of the NES.
What got you into creating games?
Games have always been a part of my life since I was little, playing them is what I enjoy the most. Making them was the most logical and natural step.
What development tools or coding did you use?
Depends a lot on the situation and necessities. Currently we are using Unreal Engine 4, because we believe it is what adapts the most to what we need. For other projects like mobile games we use Unity. For the artistic pipeline we use Bridge from Quixel, Substance painter for the textures, Blender for the 3D Art and animations, and the adobe package for trailers, gifs, PR stuff and so on.
What hurdles did you have making your current game?
Our main obstacle is always time. Finding a proper time to develop the game while handling PR, networking, evading scope creep, etc. Finding a balance in those plus everything else becomes the hardest part in my opinion.
After the completion of the game what game will you make?
This is a hard question, right now we are focusing on finishing Esse Proxy. Normally new projects arise from evaluating the result of a specific prototype, test if it’s fun to play, and if it is, evaluate if is doable on money and time budget or if is technically feasible with the resources we currently have.
Some genres that we like are action skill based games like Esse Proxy, roguelikes, anything with RPG elements, horror games, souls-like, among many others.
What other games have you made?
We launched some very successful mobile games while working with a very well known mobile company.
This gave us the edge, tools, and experience to start our own first commercial game, Esse Proxy, which has its store page already up so people can Wishlist it and get it as soon as it is released.
Aside from that we joined many Game Jams as a team, which also helped a lot in the communication since we know each other for a long time now.
My favourite computer was my Amiga and console the Megadrive do you have a favourite?
My favourite console was without a doubt the first PlayStation. Some games back there blew my mind, like Final Fantasy saga, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, and so on, the list is endless.
My first computer had a 486 microprocessor where I played Doom, a game that means a lot to me.
What is your favourite retro game?
I’m not sure what fits the retro category, but monkey island for sure is one of my favourites. Now thinking of retro-style Hotline Miami is clearly a big influence in Esse Proxy.
Do you still game on the current consoles if so what’s your favourite game?
God of War for PS4 is for sure one of the best games I ever played. Death Stranding, Bloodborne and The Last of Us are honourable mentions.
What’s the worst game you have ever played?
Every game has its own unique features and I don’t believe there are bad games, some just resonate better with different people. Games that don’t resonate with me are probably sports games or dating sims to name a few.
Finally what game or feature would you like to see on Retrogamesmaster in the future?
Lucas Pope’s Return of the Obra Dinn is for me an indie masterpiece and deserves every recognition possible
