Whether you’re a big fan of Fabraz, or have just been on Twitter today and saw the Nintendo news concerning them, then you might have heard the news that the developer is becoming a publisher. Their first game they’ll publish on the Nintendo Switch be SpiritSphere DX and having learned the news last Friday, we actually had the chance to conduct an interview with Fabraz’s Fabian, to talk about the new direction and their epic news, which we’ll be sharing with you right now:
In typical interview fashion, would you be so kind to introduce yourself to our readers, tell us a bit about your history in the video games industry and what is your role at Fabraz?
Fabian Rastorfer: My name’s Fabian Rastorfer and I’m the founder of Fabraz, a small independent company based in New York behind games like Slime-san, Planet Diver and Cannon Crasha. Our recent game, Slime-san, released on the Nintendo Switch and received a particularly overwhelming amount of love which we’re very grateful for!
Thank you, and now with the introduction out of the way, we shall now properly commence with the interview.
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From Developer to Developer and Publisher:
Miketendo64: With huge changes underway, now that Fabraz are establishing themselves as a publisher, what promoted the change of direction and why now as opposed to sooner?
Fabian Rastorfer: First I’d like to highlight that we’re still primarily developers first and foremost. We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up for Slime-san and we’ve got grand plans for our next game as well. However, we’re also incredibly excited to add micro-publishing to our repertoire of skills. We’ve been planning to do this for a while, but only started feeling comfortable taking this step recently. Over the years we’ve grown a vast network in the industry and gained a lot of experience in the field and we’re hoping this’ll help hidden gems like SpiritSphere DX to stick out of the crowd!
One of the characters we'll introduced in SpiritSphere DX is a dwarf who can launch his axe at spheres or do a powerful leaping attack!#gamedev #indiedev #madewithunity #indiegame #indiegames pic.twitter.com/6EHB7xBwOP
— Fabraz: Demon Turf (@Fabrazz) December 11, 2017
Working with Headup Games:
Miketendo64: Given the relationship that you have with Headup Games, have they in any way helped with your move to becoming a publisher, in the form of helpful advice?
Fabian Rastorfer: Headup Games is the publisher of Slime-san and we’ve become close friends over the years. I’m incredibly grateful to be working with them and can’t wait to reveal the plans we’ve cooked up for Slime-san in the next few months. Our micro-publishing attempt might have been inspired by their great work, who knows!
SpiritSphere DX in a Nutshell:
Miketendo64: For our readers who have never previously experienced SpiritSphere on other platfroms, what is it and how does it play?
Fabian Rastorfer: One part tennis, other part magical beat down! It’s a mix between pong & windjammers with a healthy dose of fantasy-action added to the mix! I recommend watching the trailer to get a better idea!
Making SpiritSphere “Something Special” for Switch:
Miketendo64: With SpiritSphere DX being your first Switch game as a publisher, just how involved with the game are you and are any of the new features something you pushed for, or something Eendhoorn decided on?
Fabian Rastorfer: We’ve been working closely with Martino (Eendhoorn, developer of the game) to make sure the Nintendo Switch version of the game is something SPECIAL. SpiritSphere DX includes several new game modes, new art, new music, an improved campaign and more! It’s without the doubt the ultimate package and it’s been a lot of fun working on it with Martino.
SpiritSphere: Already a Winner with the Fabraz Team:
Miketendo64: Since SpiritSphere on Switch is the DX version and comes with plenty of new modes, such as Squash Mode, Target Mode and even Ghost Mode, can you tell us a bit more about each one?
Fabian Rastorfer: Gladly! Some new game modes like “Target” mode are there to pad out the content of the single player campaign and add variation to the mix. Other modes like “Boss” mode allow for matches to be lopsided, like two players pitting against one, to allow for any kind of multiplayer set-up. Trust me, there’s a lot of content in this puppy and it’s quickly becoming our favorite game to play at hang outs!
A Buttery Smooth Working Relationship:
Miketendo64: Although you are used to develop multiple games at once, which includes porting the likes of Slime-san to Switch and developing DLC for it, how are you finding the process of juggling your usual projects with that of someone else’s?
Fabian Rastorfer: It’s been fantastic working with Martino, we’re happy that we’ve signed on with him first. We’re a small team so his independence and talent helps making this whole process buttery smooth.
SpiritSphere DX Could See Post-Game Content if there’s a Demand for it and it Performs well:
Miketendo64: Although it is too soon to say, is SpiritSphere DX the kind of game you can see getting some additional content later on down the line or is it a case of what you see, is what you get?
Fabian Rastorfer: Absolutely always a possibility, it’s entirely based on how it’ll perform! We’ve definitely got plenty of ideas of things we could add over time.
The Decision to Bring SpiritSphere to the Nintendo Switch:
Miketendo64: Out of all the games that you could have chosen to be your first game that you’ve published, why did you choose SpiritSphere and how long has the DX version been in the works?
Fabian Rastorfer: We’ve been secretly working on it for a couple of months now! We picked SpiritSphere because we believe the game has huge potential on the Nintendo Switch and because we believe Martino’s a fantastic developer that deserves the attention.
Players will “See Something Similar” with SpiritSphere DX on Switch:
Miketendo64: With there being unlockable characters in SpiritSphere DX and you being the publisher of it, are the plans to include a Slime-san character in the game, as well as one or a couple of other characters from your other games?
Fabian Rastorfer: I can, with certainty, say you’ll be seeing something familiar in SpiritSphere…
SpiritSphere DX will not Support Video Capture:
Miketendo64: Will SpiritSphere support Video Capture?
Fabian Rastorfer: Not as of right now, no. There are unfortunately some technical reasons as to why we can’t support it.
Publishing One Step at a Time:
Miketendo64: Now that you have made the leap to being a publisher, are you currently looking at other games you could publish on Switch, or is that something you’re leaving until next year?
Fabian Rastorfer: We’re a small studio and we want to make sure we give SpiritSphere and our own games full attention. So for now it’s one step at a time! There’s a lot of AWESOME stuff coming up, rest assured!
A Message for the Fans:
Miketendo64: And because there’s always time for one last question, here’s ours: Is there anything you would like to say to your ever growing fanbase and supporters?
Fabian Rastorfer: Thanks for having me! We’re just thankful for all the support we’ve gotten and we can’t wait to share more Slime-san news soon! We also can’t wait to get you all to play SpiritSphere DX, a title that truly is delightful!
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I’m sure we can all say, we wish nothing but the best for Fabraz, but if you think that’s everything we had to talk to them, then you’re sadly mistaken! Why talk about just the one game, when we can talk about 2? So while this interview is at an end, we’ve got another one on the way
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