Drova From Just2D and Deck13 Launched Better Than Expected

The teams at Just2D and Deck13 Interactive are very pleased with the launch of Drova - Forsaken Kin. The dark, pixel-style action RPG has exceeded expectations. However, marketing the game has been a challenge, as Head of Product Michael Hoss explains.

Drova - Forsaken Kin, developed by Just2D from Magdeburg (see studio portrait) and published by Deck13 Spotlight, the indie publishing arm of Deck13 Interactive from Frankfurt, launched successfully on PC and consoles. On Steam, the action-RPG, often connected to Gothic, attracted almost 900 concurrent users on the day of release (15 October). Since then, the number of concurrent users has increased daily, reaching a peak of 2,928 concurrent users yesterday (20 October). This makes the game the second most successful game on Steam according to CCU peaks by Deck13 Spotlight, ahead of Chained Echoes (2,212) but behind CrossCode (3,429). All in all, the launch was a great success, as Michael Hoss, Head of Product at Deck13 Interactive, told us.

GamesMarkt: As Head of Product, are you happy with the launch of Drova?

Michael Hoss: "We are more than just satisfied with the launch of Drova. Sales numbers are even above our expectations, the community loves the game and the quality of the product is outstanding."

GamesMarkt: Why do you think the game has been so well received?

Michael Hoss: "Drova offers an experience which just doesn't exist anymore. It's quite modern but it feels different as it is rooted in the times of the RPG genre where the worlds were not filled up with questmarkers A lot of people didn't know they were missing these times and were now pleasantly surprised."

GamesMarkt: What have you used to get the most attention for the game so far?

Michael Hoss: That's nearly impossible to tell. Marketing Drova wasn't always easy, even harsh. Press is very much dependent on income through ads which is generated through clicks and especially in the beginning Drova didn't generate these clicks. Or not enough so that later requests were rejected in first place. The success is based on hard work and building up a strong community which backs up the developers wherever and whenever they can. For the launch it was the quality of the game itself which then did the rest of the job."

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