Interview with Balancing Monkey Games ahead of PAX Aus
BY DRAWZA
Drawza: Firstly, please introduce yourself and your game?
BMG: We are Balancing Monkey Games. This year at PAX Aus we are showing our second game Beyond These Stars, which is a city building game where you’re building your town on the back of an intelligent Space Whale. You explore the relationship between your Peeps and the whale and their histories while also exploring the galaxy together.
What is your background?
We are a small studio that was founded in 2017 and has grown to a studio of 8 people plus contractors. We’ve each had our own journey into game development. For example, Sam Barham - the original founder along with his wife Anna - studied Computer Science at university then spent nearly 20 years working in all sorts of different tech industries from computer animation and live sports to training websites and Dev Ops. By contrast, Sarah was a theatre producer before entering the game dev industry.
What made you decide to journey down the path of game development?
For many of us we have loved playing games all our lives and love making things, so game development is a powerful way to enjoy both of those things. It’s the perfect marriage of creativity and technical nerdery.
What previous games have you created/worked on?
Beyond These Stars is the sequel to our previous game Before We Leave (but you definitely do not need to have played Before We Leave to enjoy Beyond These Stars).
What are the core concepts?
Beyond These Stars is a city building and resource management game set on the back of a massive Space Whale as it travels through the galaxy. You can communicate with the whale and explore their history and future, as well as those of your people - the Peeps - as you explore the galaxy. Intricate supply chains are needed to supply everything your Peeps need to survive and thrive.
What were your inspirations?
Our narrative designer Emily wrote a fabulous blog post about that here.
How long have you been working on this game?
We started work on Beyond These Stars in early 2022, but the idea has been in our Creative Director’s head since 2016!
What is it like to have the game showcased at events such as PAX Aus?
It’s amazing. It’s so powerful to get to meet people that have actually played and enjoyed your game, and invaluable to watch people play your new game to get real insights into how people will play it when it’s released.
What is it like being part of the New Zealand contingent of indie games showcased at PAX Aus?
It’s a lovely atmosphere. The New Zealand game dev industry is very supportive and collaborative, and it’s always great to catch up with people face to face who you normally only see online–as well as having a chance to play some awesome games.
What advice have you got for upcoming game developers?
Keeping game development as a hobby is totally fine, but if you want to make it a job you either need to work to prove you have the skills a studio is looking for - so work really hard on having an awesome portfolio in your chosen area - or if you want to stay independent or start a studio you need to work really hard on understanding the business and player facing sides of the industry.
Be honest with yourself and the chances the game you are making has of success, and lay it aside if now is not the right time - whether it’s your skills or the market that isn’t ready.
What advice have you received that you have held onto throughout your journey?
No-one will die even if this all goes wrong. We’re not saving lives, we’re making games.
Have you had any mentors in the gaming industry?
Too many to count! In particular we need to thank CODE and Dry Cactus for their support and Hooded Horse and Team17 for being our wonderful publishers.
How many PAX Aus events have you attended (as both a developer and as a regular attendee)?
This will be our third Pax Aus.
