We caught up with the VoxPop founders Charles Yu and Marc Rodriguez to chat about the development process of “Outer Terror” along with Connor Riley VoxPop’s content ‘chef’ and community conductor. Listen below!
The journey of trying to make a video game is an intense, arduous quest, often paralleling the perils of the games that inspired it. It requires an inquisitive mind, futuristic wisdom, a ton of loot, and a badass party, each bringing their own special abilities to help transform a dream into reality.
Your spawn point might also be nowhere near any of the aforementioned resources, so how does one find their fellow visionary adventurers and the funding to forge the functionalities and fables to enrapture gamers around the world… and, you know, pay rent???
Enter Brooklyn-Based VoxPop, a distribution platform and middleware toolset that helps every role in indie game development find projects and strong collaborative fits while ensuring all involved receive an equitable payout from the endeavor.
Through VoxPop’s core model, creators can pay collaborators (programmers, artists, community managers, etc.) with a percentage of their game’s earnings. Whenever the game gets released, everyone will get paid in dividends after each sale. This allows devs to jumpstart their build even if they don’t have access to initial capital. Share amounts are agreed upon, and payments are fully automated. The VoxPop platform will calculate what’s owed and distribute proceeds to all shareholders. This model also incentivizes everyone invested to help push the game.
VoxPop game devs have effectively partnered with PR/marketing opportunities and streamers to help push their art to a wider audience, and now VoxPop is finding success through their “VoxPop Fund” — receiving proposals and stepping into a producer role on selected projects, and securing a publishing partnership with GamerSky. The first of these was Salt & Pixel’s “Outer Terror” — a cult classic action roguelike harkening back to b-movie horror and grindhouse gore:
Can you survive the Killer AI Toasters and Immortal Vampire Queens Experience the “Outer Terror”?
Play here! If you’re a real one.
VoxPop centers diverse development teams with ambitious, eclectic styles, and innovative mechanics. Here are some of the All Ages of Geek Team’s favorites!
“Tranquil Garden” by NYC’s very own, Glass Robot Games!
Tranquil Garden: Adventurers Edition is a personable, easy-to-pick-up RPG with a Character-Driven Narrative that places you in control of Juniper the Hunter, accompanied by Cedar the Archer and Lily the Hero. And this new, definitive version of the game puts your journey in a whole new perspective!
PLUG_WORLD is championing more accessible games through “WEAPONEER.”
In WEAPONEER you wield your sword and try to make your way back home. Control your character with two buttons and fight your way through 90+ levels of retro platforming. Proceeds from the purchase of this title go directly to the AbleGamers charity organization. This game was VoxPop’s first published game to hit Steam.
QQnut’s Character rich, Loppy: Planet Hopper, brings fresh mechanics to a beloved genre.
Inspired by old-school platformers, Loppy: Planet Hopper has aliens, bakers, alien bakers! Three bakers, named Loppy, Evlie, Myah, and a janitor named Studart, who work at the GoGo Bakery in Polaris City, set out on a search for a rare ingredient for a special requested cake, and to stop an evil corporation, Rang Tang INC, from using its powers for pure evil and from conquering every planet known to man (…or alien)!
Bradley University Game Design Capstone class of 2022’s Disaster Golf
VoxPop’s offerings provide a ton of value to the up-and-coming games scene. If you’re a student looking to spruce up a portfolio or establish a sustainable creative output, this is the place.
There are opportunities to niche down and specify your skill set, like 3D modeling kawaii characters or designing puzzle levels, or exploring what it means to build a successful sales funnel. VoxPop is your training ground with milestones of real-world success.
VoxPop Games is fast becoming a community pillar in the world of independent games—pivotal in New York and beyond. They work closely with the New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and have participated in the Tribeca Games Festival, Play NYC, and Steam’s Scream Fest. Connor Riley, VoxPop’s content ‘chef’ and community conductor, makes a special effort to highlight emerging indie devs and streamers through VoxPop’s blog, YouTube channel, and socials.
Be a part of the indie game community in a meaningful capacity—tap in with VoxPop.
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Want Rohil to cover your film, series or game for All Ages of Geek? Have a tip for us? Please send an email to [email protected] / [email protected]
Rohil Aniruth is a journalist and content producer at All Ages of Geek. You can follow him on Instagram/Twitter @create.with.rohil & see his Narrative Design portfolio at rohilaniruth.com.
