When we started developing I’m Not Jelly, it was hard to imagine where it could get to. Even if it still needs more work before it’s done, the reception that the test we launched has had makes us very happy.
A very good example of this was Rogue Jam, an event we were in this year.
Rogue Jam is an initiative from Rogue Inc, an indie game publisher, and IGN, one of the most important specialized media outlets. They summoned indie game developers from all around the world to present their projects and have a chance to get a deal with them, getting professional feedback from experts in the gaming industry in the process.
Maybe you already know the result, but we didn’t want to lose the opportunity to tell you what it meant to us. For it, I’m Not Jelly’s Producer, Kary Lomelí reflects on the experience.
“I arrived nervously, but everyone was super kind and professional. We made technical tests and they started chatting while giving us instructions and prepared us for the show”.
The format of Rogue Jam was similar to “Shark Tank”, with the three games chosen as the best of each category getting comments from the judges. At the end of the episode, they deliberated and chose the winner.
“The judges’ comments made me trust the game even more”. For example, it got a smile out of Reggie Fils-Aimé, ex-Director of Nintendo of America, while also entertaining him a lot, and Kimberly Pointer Corbett, SVP Digital Publishing at Warner Bros. really liked the game’s aesthetic.
“Their comments were very positive, they helped us think of mechanics or elements that we didn’t have in mind, but can make a better project. We hope that everyone else likes it as much as they did”. And from those comments, we’re working on adjustments for a new trial version of I’m Not Jelly. Even the game’s pitch had improvements from the opportunities we found at this event.
“I didn’t think it would reach these levels, but I’m Not Jelly did, and it was very gratifying to see where the studio is now. I hope that you can check out other Rogue Jam games, play I’m Not Jelly, and leave us comments and feedback. If you stream it, tag us and we will try to see it”.
You can still join I’m Not Jelly’s Playtest on Steam. We read all comments and will take them into account to make a good game.
And one last piece of advice from Kary, this time for developers: “Don’t be afraid to pitch your game if you know your project. The more you apply to events, the more visibility your game will get, and all feedback will help you make a better game. All attempts are good, even if it’s just for improving what you have, but you won’t know it until you put it out there and get real feedback”.
And in case you didn’t get to see it, here’s Rogue Jam’s episode:
It was a great experience and we’re grateful for it. Besides, we got into that episode thanks to the audience votes, which makes us feel like we’re on the right track. We will keep working to give you a fun game.