Frictional Games Forum (read-only)

Some thoughts on press response, sales, etc, one week after the release of Amnesia.

http://frictionalgames.blogspot.com/2010...nesia.html

So you guys are really good in programming, designing and media.
Would taking some side jobs prevent you from focusing on current game/project?

I hate the blogspot comment system so i comment here:

First of all...i saw several torrents spreading your game...I know that i read about a way how to send corrupt packages to make the whole torrentfile useless for the leechers, but that is years ago and I can't remember how :/ Maybe someone else?!

Hope 4 Players will make a review soon. Very well known german game site. But they are very strict sometimes. Penumbra:Overture got 83% and Penumbra: Black Plague got 79%. Hope amnesia gets more

Making the next game more expensive...I think if the next game is as good as Amnesia...I would pay 30 or even 40 bucks for it
I think everyone here would...And for several Add-Ons I would pay too...think it will be worth it anyway!!!...I mean I am still playing Amnesia since release (and I am not finished yet xD).

I hope the sales will be better again or/and for a long period!!!

Some last thoughts:
The last game I bought via Steam was Half-Life 2...and that just because of a mod...donno it's name 'cause after all it was shit...

Maybe when there are some mods for Amnesia some people will think about buying it(maybe because the mod is not so scary, has some cool ideas...who knows? I hope ;D)

And again. Best game i've seen since years...and first game I'm going to finish since aeons! Can't wait for more (AddOn, New Game, DLC) <- Yes first game I would buy DLC for

Regards from Germany,
Wafthrudnir

Piracy before the game's release is

Sales might not be quite as good as reviews would dictate due to the very minimal marketing budget you guys have. Good marketing can make a huge difference to a game's sales figures. It's the draw back to being indie, but at the same time you guys have all the freedom in the world so I think it's worth it for you! However straight up horror adventure games may, in fact, be a slight niche market. Don't let any of this discourage you guys though. Keep making the games you would want to play!

I think with the various distribution outlets and the sales they offer from time to time, you guys will be much more comfortable financially in making your next game. Various sales (especially 50% or more) will push through many more copies. Many people have inherently started to wait on buying games due to the many sales offered across all the different DD outlets and e-tailers.

Thanks again for releasing an absolutely great game and keep us informed on the happenings of Frictional!

i was surprised to read the sales part, ive seen a lot of word of mouth with this game

i hope you guys the best, i never really been transported inside a game like penumbra and amnesia did to me

im sure your next game will be an even greater success, and i will be waiting eagerly

Concerning OSes. I really hope you will keep releasing Linux versions.

When it comes to console, I'm not sure it is all that easy. Read the experiences of Introversion (idie company behind: Darwinia, Defcon, Uplink ...) when it comes to porting games to console in their blog. Here is one in particular:

http://forums.introversion.co.uk/introve...php?t=2512

I'll paste my blog answer here too:

Dropping the Linux/Mac version will get you something for sure: -10% sales. Not to mention the bad word, 'cause you should not forget that Linux users have plenty of Windows only friends that might not hear about an indie game (niche games specially) if not told.

I bought Amnesia and both the Penumbra Collection and Penumbra:Overture ( via Humble Indie pack ) just because of the Linux support, and FG will not get my support/money in the future if no Linux version is available ( 64-bit too ).

Hi Thomas,

Just want to thank you and FG for making such a great game; I haven't been scared by a game this much since Dead Space!

On the topic of piracy:

Have you considered signing up to the various torrent sites that host Amnesia and posting a 'guilt-trip' message about how downloading it for nothing could jeopardise your ability to make any more games in the future? I have never seen this approach used on any of the torrent sites and it might be worth a go; the dedicated pirates will download it no matter what of course, but I'm sure a few will feel guilty about doing so when coming face-to-face with the developer and buy it.

Just wanted to link to another Norwegian review. (They won't end up in MetaCritic).
Amnesia got 9/10 and Classic-stamp

http://www.spillverket.no/artikler/amnes...cent/78419

Keep up the excellent work

Hey devs!

Just a few words from a guy who hasn't yet bought Amnesia:

I played penumbra but never finished it, because it was tooo horrific for me
That's why I did not get a copy of Amnesia yet. Now I heard you wanna stop Linux and Mac-support. As I'm using one of these systems, and it's the system of a lot other people around here or playing your games, I want to encourage you to keep that support up!

As I said before, this isn't exactly my genre, but I can't wait to see your next projects! Don't forget us, please!

That's it for now, gonna plug Amnesia this week

John