We are delighted to be joined by the game developer and founder of Indiepocalypse, Andrew Baillie. With the launch of the BackerKit for the Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse collaboration, Andrew gives us all the details.
Hi, Andrew; it’s so nice to have you here with us.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, I’m Andrew, occasional game developer and all-around organizer of the indie game anthology Indiepocalypse.
Can you tell us about Indiepocalypse?
Indiepocalypse is a monthly anthology of games I started at the beginning of 2020. Each collection features ten games from the alternative underground indie game scene including one game that is newly commissioned. Its creation was deeply inspired by the long history of art anthologies like the comic anthologies published by Iron Circus.
Could you tell us about the Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse collaboration?
Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse is both a special edition of Indiepocalypse and the beginning of Iron Circus Games. Six pairs of comic artists and game developers were teamed up to create six brand with the only guidance being to “make games”!
What criteria do you look for in a game to see if it can be included in an Indiepocalypse collection?
There are no strict criteria, but I’m generally looking for things outside of the mold of commercial AAA and indie games. I’m looking for that hard to define spark of humanity in a work. The feeling that a game came specifically from a person and is hard to imagine coming from anyone aside from the game’s creators.
How do you find games for them to be included in an Indiepocalypse collection?
I find games for Indiepocalypse through a combination of open submissions (at indiepocalypse.com/submit), developers I reach out to from my decades-in-the-making list of games, and by commissioning a game from a working developer that I like.
How did the collaboration with Iron Circus come about?
Like any good collaboration between indie artists, it was just a simple email! I pitched the idea of a collaboration to Spike at Iron Circus one day and now later here we are.
What is the aim of the Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse collaboration?
The heart of Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse is the creation a collection of new games in collaboration with comic artists. But this is also going to be the launch of Iron Circus Games and hopefully the first project in their long healthy life as a game publisher!
The Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse collaboration is being crowdfunded; is that important to you?
Indiepocalypse has always been something I’ve self-funded so that even in the leanest of times I knew I could keep publishing it. Crowdfunding is something very new to me and something I’m looking forward to experience!
What has it been like working with Iron Circus?
It’s been a dream! My own personal approach with developers I work with is a very creatively hands-off one and my experience with Iron Circus has been very much the same.
Can you tell us about the games in the Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse collaboration?
My instinct (and preference) is always to say to play the games and have them tell about themselves. But as tease there are games about picture book-esque exploration, werewolf care, the exploration of a fictional game studio’s catalog, escaping involuntary commitment to an unknown facility, and uncovering the mysteries of a magical organization.
Do you have a favourite BackerKit reward?
I think Indiepocalypse x kuš!, the previous game developer/comic artists collaboration I made with kuš! Comics makes the perfect companion piece. Perfect tie-ins aside, I personally love Evan Dahm’s The Harrowing of Hell and recommend it wholeheartedly.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
I’m very excited for this project and hope you all check it out! Also, take some time out of your day and try some independent art (no matter the medium) you’ve never of. Maybe you won’t like it but maybe you’ll find your new favorite thing. That’s the joy of discovery!
We would like to wish Andrew, Iron Circus Games and Iron Circus Comics the best of luck with the Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse collaboration.
Feel free to check out the Iron Circus x Indiepocalypse collaboration on BackerKit.
