Pulse
Black Pudding Games: Not just another bloody sausage factory
By Lewis - 23 November 2020
Established in 2018, Black Pudding Games is open in its ambition to try new things in its pursuit of creating future breakout hits. G3 interviews Nathan Howes, Luke Taylor and Dan Nyman, the company’s three co-founders, about the challenges of differentiating in a crowded slots landscape.
What challenges has Black Pudding faced establishing itself as a new developer?
Nathan: An obvious challenge is to establish a dependable route to market for our ideas, which is where our relationship with 1x2Network has really paid off.
Luke: The fact 1x2Network embraced our initial ideas so quickly gave us the confidence to push ahead with developing those concepts into release ready games.
Dan: For me, it’s the challenge in creating genuinely new real money gaming formats that are compelling to play yet still intuitive to players already well-versed in the ubiquitous casino machines and table games.
“Looking for a games studio that loves to ‘do different’? Tired of trying ‘new games’ that prove to be all sizzle and no sausage? Then welcome to Black Pudding Games – purveyors of playful ideas for the casino curious.” How important is finding a niche in an overcrowded market?
Luke: It’s everything! We felt, as we started out, that it just wouldn’t make any sense for us to simply churn out content that’s already been done very effectively by others before us. That’s why we live – and hopefully don’t die – by our maxim of ‘do different’.
Dan: I’ve always been curious to explore if it’s possible to do something different with dice, cards and reels without losing the crowd. Moreover it strikes me that there are plenty of people that have yet to discover the fun of online casino games, so why not see if you can create something that will hook their interest?
How does the new slot mechanic fit into this Black Pudding culture?
Luke: Well it’s different isn’t it? When Dan first presented Aeterna to me and Nathan, we immediately got a sense that this was a concept that, despite being unusual, it could well resonate with traditional slot players.
Nathan: We saw a clear opportunity to use Aeterna’s Orbital Reactor mechanic as a springboard to developing a whole suite of interesting and distinctive slot games that would lend themselves to mobile gaming, and particularly elegant play in portrait mode.
Dan: One principle we settled on early as part of Black Pudding’s ethos was could we play our games with one hand? That sounds a bit dodgy when I say it out loud, but we described it as our Tube Test. Essentially, if you’re hanging onto a strap in a crowded carriage on the London Underground, can you still enjoy a few cheeky spins with the other hand?
In two years, Black Pudding has launched three scratchcards and one slot. Why is quality more important than quantity? How do you balance the need to make revenue through new game launches with taking the time to ensure they are at the standard you set yourself?
Luke: For the simple reason that we’re going to be judged by our initial offerings, plus also our collective professional pride in being Black Pudding games, we don’t want to throw any old rubbish out there to just make up the numbers.
Dan: We’re trying to avoid making ‘landfill slots’ and ‘instantly forgettable wins’.
Over the next two years, do you expect to launch games at a faster rate? What lessons have you learned from the development process of your first games?
Dan: We plan to release games only when we’ve got ideas we truly believe in.
Nathan: That’s precisely why we state on our website that we’re ‘not just another bloody sausage factory’.
Luke: It has been a much more formidable process than first anticipated, but that doesn’t detract from the sense of satisfaction that we’ve all got from seeing our first game released into the wild. All that being said, the team at 1×2 have been nothing short of fantastic in their unstinting support through the development of our initial batch of games, and from what we’ve learned we’ll be able to streamline the process for future projects.
How do you make a name for yourself without tapping into the conventional player base? Are your titles targeted at a specific subset of gamers looking for novel gaming, or is the aim to revolutionise how the industry approaches game development?
Nathan: We decided to be bold, do different and see what sticks.
Dan: I’d hope that, in time, conventional players will discover, and gravitate towards, our games because they work a treat on mobile devices, are genuinely fun to play and offer a chance to pocket some chunky wins. I’d also add that they sound lovely too . . . but I would say that, because I did the sound design.
Your latest title, Aeterna, is the first game powered by the Orbital Reactor engine. How does the new mechanic deconstruct traditional games in line with Black Pudding’s design philosophy? What are your expectations for the game engine?
Luke: At this time we don’t have any expectations. We’re just excited that it’s out there in the players’ hands . . .
Nathan: . . . well hand, because don’t forget our one-handed philosophy. From the reviews that we’ve seen, the initial feedback has been extremely positive. The reviewers seem to get what we’re about. If the Orbital Reactor engine becomes a mechanism players love, we’ve already got a number of ideas in our Skunk Works to build on that.
Dan: Designing the Orbital Reactor in collaboration with Fintan Coyle (who has a fantastic creative pedigree as the co-creator of The Weakest Link gameshow) has been a fantastic catalyst to inventing other mechanisms for future games which I’d love to tell you about, but then I’d have to kill you.
Instant win games are proving popular in the Asian market. Is this a market you are focusing on following the launch of three Super Selector scratchcards?
Nathan: We see the Asian market as having particularly rich potential for our Instant Wins, however we strongly believe there’s an appetite for truly new game ideas in all markets. Essentially we’re just keen to fulfil our mantle as purveyors of playful ideas for the casino curious.
Once you have made your mark and produced a global hit game, will you continue to reinvent new unique titles when there is the temptation to develop potential money-spinning sequels?
Luke: I plan to retire to a Bond-villain-style lair on an island somewhere and leave Dan and Nathan to grind out sequels of our hit game!
Nathan: We’d expect nothing less from Luke. I would happily build sequels if they can genuinely deliver something different.
Dan: All I want is to get the woodchip off the walls of my house, and a new windscreen wiper for my car. I’m very low maintenance. To be serious, I love creating new mechanisms – it speaks to my inner maths geek – so I can’t see myself being satisfied with just re-skinning the hits.
Over the years, several independent game developers have produced a hit game and been acquired by a larger developer. What is the longer-term strategy for Black Pudding Games?
Nathan: Our focus is to make a mark in this industry. As we’ve said before, the Pudding’s credo is to ambitiously pursue the creation of tomorrow’s breakout hits.
Dan: That said, if someone makes us an offer we can’t refuse, we won’t refuse it.
Luke: How else am I going to pay for my island?
