By Ken Storey
Fast Company recently ranked Florida top in the nation for startups and the U.S. as a whole is at a 13-year high for startup activity. Locally much of the attention has been focused on medical and technology companies but the creativity that our region is filled with gives itself to some unique startups as well. One of these is Skauld Studios. Skauld is a local gaming startup with a unique twist; the card games are analog. Digital counterparts to the analog games will come along eventually but for now a successful analog games are the focus.
Fast Company recently ranked Florida top in the nation for startups and the U.S. as a whole is at a 13-year high for startup activity. Locally much of the attention has been focused on medical and technology companies but the creativity that our region is filled with gives itself to some unique startups as well. One of these is Skauld Studios. Skauld is a local gaming startup with a unique twist; the card games are analog. Digital counterparts to the analog games will come along eventually but for now a successful analog games are the focus.
Card games have seen a bit of a renaissance lately after the huge global success of Japanese game Rage of Bahamut. Some have compared the breakout success of the digital card game to that of Magic: The Gathering that was a massive success in the 1990s.
Skauld is introducing their first card game, ‘Battle of the Bands,’ in a semi-public testing phase on June 15th at local card game mecca The Game Academy. TDC recently interviewed the two founders of Skauld to find more about their unique approach to the booming gaming industry. TDC- Tell us a little about who is behind Skauld Studios.
SS- Skauld Studios is Benji Seyler and Jeremy Ocampo. Both of whom have a passion for deep story and fun, intelligent gaming experiences. Both have been designing games and stories since Highschool. Both are professors at Full Sail University and avid Illustrators/animators/designers.
TDC-Skauld is a unique name, what does it mean?
SS- The name, Skauld Studios, is a play on the word 'Skald' which is an old Scandinavian storyteller. The important thing about the Skald versus a Barb, is the fact that they tell stories, as we like to say it, Epically. Stories like Beowulf are examples of epically told, embellished stories that excite the mind and imagination. That is the spirit behind what we do. The games and stories we endeavor to make are intended to do just that: engage our customers' minds and imaginations in ways they might not be by other games and stories. At the same time, we strive to make sure that gameplay and aesthetics aren't handled as secondary to the story. Everything is planned out to work as a whole. In the case of our games, players will be absorbed by the visuals, engaged by the fluidity and power of the game mechanics, but as they play, stories will build naturally through their experience with the game.
TDC- Tell us about what Skauld is currently working on?
SS- Battle of the Bands! is our first title. It is a card game centered on the players forming awesome bands, going on tour, battling other players' bands, and having the most fans by the end of the game.
TDC- When will Battle of the Bands! be available to the public?
SS- We have decided to present the game in a semi public manner. This will be held on June 15, 2013 at the Game Academy, on the corner of Dean and University. This day is intended to help us gather feedback by the people who matter the most, our customers. This also is the kickoff to our beta testing phase for Battle of the Bands! Over the next few months, we will be play testing our game with individuals, headed up by our team of Game Masters. While this phase is active, we will also be creating the illustrations that will be printed on our cards when the game hits the shelves
TDC- What will come after the beta testing phase?
SS- Our beta testing phase will culminate in the release of our Kickstarter campaign. We will be offering awesome incentives for patrons to help us get this game off the ground and into their game pantries! We have decided that the Kickstarter avenue is the best way for us to create this game because it is reliant on, again, our customers liking our game! If we fail in presenting an awesome product that engages our customers in the way we intend, it will show in the way our Kickstarter is received. We at Skauld Studios are confident that this will not be the case. We won't open the Kickstarter until we know we have the greatest band touring card game ever! The art will be top notch, the gameplay will be fluid and smart, and the stories that form during play will be epic and grand! We look forward to the release of Battle of the Bands! and the future titles of Skauld Studios.
Image via Skauld Studios Instagram
