Ep. 16: Long Distance Bromance (Developer Doldrums Part 2)

Long distance relationships are enough to make anyone sad. Throw in making a game together? Even sadder! How do long distance game developers stay in the game? As hard as it is to build something together when you’re not, you know, actually together, Michael and Ben of Hydezeke are proof that with the right person (and for the right project), even distance can’t hold you back. Equal parts funny as it is emotionally honest, this episode gives hope to the idea that you can find a project partner to help you stay afloat in the sometimes turbulent waters of  “creative collaboration”.   

Michael Savage-Benoist [Benwa] is a game designer and dog enthusiast from Fairfax, Virginia. Ben Cohn is a music composer and banjo enthusiast from Orlando, Florida. What started out as a middle-school friendship has, 8 years later, became Hydezeke [Hide-zeek], an indie game studio. 

Hydezeke is beset by the troubles of long-distance collaboration and conflicting life events, but Ben and Michael maintain their bond through their love for game design and bashing Sonic games. Flamberge, their flagship game still in development, was successfully Kickstarted (and accepted to Steam Greenlight, when that was still a thing) about three years ago. The extended development period is a bummer not only for the fans and supporters of Flamberge, but for Michael and Ben too. As tough as some of the comments are, Michael and Ben refuse to give up on their vision for the game’s future, and remain determined to deliver a good, quality game to the fans who have stuck with them all this time.

This episode is part two of the “Developer Doldrums” series, a collection of conversations with game developers about the not-so-happy bits that happen during the creation of these digital play objects. For part one, check out Episode 15: Grief, Game Development, and the Emotional Significance of Oatmeal with Andrea Ayres of Lemonsucker Games.

Stuff we mentioned...
Artemis Fowl
LACMA
Alphonse Mucha Princess Hyacinth
Magfest 2017 Awards
Flamberge Kickstarter
Flamberge on STEAM
Bumble Rumble by Ben Cohn (The Dating Game Music)

JD (The Broad)
Website: GamingBroadly.com
Twitter: @JayDeeCepticon
Instagram: @JayDeeCepticon

Hydezeke (The Cast)
Website: Hydezeke.com
Michael’s Twitter: @hydezeke
Ben’s Twitter: @bionicbenbo
Ben’s Soundcloud: bionicbenbo

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