Super Rare Games is fueled by a celebrative attitude for all things indie games, championing both acclaimed ‘game of the year’ contenders and overlooked gems across nearly every platform sitting in your entertainment system right now. The landscape is constantly changing, though, as Super Rare Games’ CEO George Perkins is keenly aware it needs to keep up with how players are evolving alongside the games too.
I caught up with Perkins recently for a chat about Super Rare Games’ approach to selecting titles, dream projects, and the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2.
The last time I spoke to Super Rare Games was when the mixtapes launched, and a lot has happened since then. What do you think is the biggest difference between the vision for Super Rare Games then, compared to now?
George Perkins: “I think over the years, our overall aim has remained the same: how can we support small, independent games developers, whether that’s additional exposure, financing or mentoring.
What’s changed the most is the extent to how we act on these points. Now we can fully finance a project, deliver the highest level of physical publishing around, whilst also using our extensive knowledge of games to help create the best possible titles.”
I think it’s fair to say that Super Rare Games relishes in offering up niche games to both newcomers and dedicated players alike. How do you navigate choosing to work on games you personally love, while trying to offer players something you believe they’d enjoy?
GP: “My taste in games usually is what will shine through in our portfolio. I am in charge of signing games, so naturally my bias comes through! The last couple of years, I have tried to diversify what we do to a higher extent, meaning working on games that may be in genres that I don’t naturally gravitate towards. The best example being that I am incredibly easy to scare, so I generally can’t play horror games! There are a few exceptions like the Supermassive [Games] titles, where I can hide behind a pillow whilst my friends have the controller!”
Similarly, what do you look for in games to sign up to Super Rare these days, as opposed to when the company started?
GP: “The main thing I always look for in games is personality. I want to work on games which make players feel something special and leave a lasting effect. All our games have a unique feeling about them, whether they are well known or hidden gems. For me, being able to increase the exposure of smaller titles is the most rewarding part of my job.”
There’s been a large shift toward digital purchases in the last decade, with even triple-A titles like Alan Wake 2 completely avoiding a physical release until post-launch. Do you see this as a barrier or are there advantages to publishing purely in the digital space?
GP: “Physical releases bring a lot of logistical issues, more notably in larger titles which are sold across 1,000’s of retailers across multiple continents. The few, obvious ones are: higher cost to print and distribute a physical version, higher risk if you don’t sell what you print, will not contain patches / DLC if you buy it early, multiple age ratings to submit, and a lot of secondary parties who all take a cut from the process. So with all of that, I understand why a company would avoid it.
We are specifically designed to combat those issues. We sell directly to consumers, which gives us a lot more control over quantities we produce, as well as keeping the margins for developers much higher. We also add a lot of extra items to the titles we make physically, so it means that physical and digital releases of the same game have the same profit margin for the developers.”
Looking ahead into the future, the Nintendo Switch 2 is on the horizon. How is Super Rare Games preparing for it, and what are you looking forward to when it debuts?
GP: “We still know very little about what a new Nintendo console will look like, but it’s certainly exciting! As a lifelong fan of them, it’s always a special moment when they release a new bit of hardware. I just hope there will be a mainline 3D Mario game – Mario 64, Sunshine, and Odyssey are a few of my favorite games of all time!
From a company standpoint, being able to bring new games to the platform, and start our collection of games from scratch is something I am looking forward to! There will be some logistical considerations as we transition from the Switch to something new, but ultimately a process we are excited for!”
As a publisher, do you think Nintendo’s eShop gives players enough incentive to dive into indie games, and is there anything you’d like to see change in the future?
GP: “Steam has always been a very algorithmic platform, which while not perfect, allows a lot of smaller games to reach a massive audience without an extensive marketing reach. While storefronts on traditional consoles (such as the eShop) still provide great opportunities, the fact that a lot of the placements of titles are manually selected, and spaces like charts are dominated by AAA games and such, does mean it is way harder for a very small, self-published game the chance to reach a large amount of people.
The solutions to these problems are hard to specifically pick out, further work on genre-specific searching and ‘suggested’ titles based on preference in games, would be a good start.”
Is there one game that you’re still chasing to sign up, or one that has gotten away in the past?
GP: “A lot of what I would have wanted to release, either us or another publisher has released! The most recent indie game I have played and fell in love with, was The Case of the Golden Idol. I really want to work on that one! Titles we have missed out on, that I would have wanted to have worked on, are Celeste and Hollow Knight, but we were very young as a company when they were released, so I completely understand why we couldn’t get them!”
Lastly, are there specific titles in the Super Rare Games’ library you’re particularly proud of to have worked on?
GP: “The two that jump to mind are A Short Hike and Sally Face. The first because it was one of my favorite games, so getting to spend two years to create an amazing physical release was an amazing experience! With the latter, it was my younger brother’s favorite game! He was completely obsessed with the game, so getting to surprise him with a collectors edition was amazing.”
Super Rare Games will next release a physical edition of Lil’ Guardsman for Nintendo Switch on Thursday, August 8, 2024. You could even snag yourself a copy for free if you’re quick enough to enter Super Rare Games’ latest giveaway.
Got a hankering to dive into many of the best Switch games now? We’re feeling it too. Keep the vibes going by diving into our list of all the free Switch games available, and keep updated with all the new Switch games on the horizon.