Chimera on the Highs and Lows of Launching Songs of Silence in Early Access

Songs of Silence has been in Early Access since June. GamesMarkt spoke to Alexander Kehr, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Chimera Entertainment, about the controversial, comparatively high price, user feedback so far, and how they plan to position the game on the Asian market.

At the beginning of June, Munich-based Chimera Entertainment released the turn-based fantasy strategy game Songs of Silence in Early Access. The game features a mix of kingdom management, army recruitment, hero development and real-time combat. It is the first game they are publishing themselves, but they are working with H2 Interactive for the release in Japan and Korea. Alexander Kehr, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Chimera Entertainment, tells us about the team's experience so far, the feedback from users, and the relatively high price.

GamesMarkt: What is the user feedback for Songs of Silence? And are you at Chimera Entertainment satisfied with the Early Access launch?

Alexander Kehr: "So far, the user feedback is overall positive: The game offers a unique and fun experience which will only continue to improve further during Early Access and beyond. The main criticism revolves around a lack of content (we are working hard to add more to the game!) and the price point. The Early Access is a bit of a mixed bag so far: On the one hand it reconfirmed our belief in the game. We are on the right course! On the other hand, we made a couple of mistakes, but we are learning and trying to improve as quickly as possible. If we take out 2 markets where we had some issues on launch, the overall reviews would have been 85% positive shortly after launch. Very reassuring!"

GamesMarkt: What went well with the launch, what could have gone better?

Alexander Kehr: The game is stable and mostly bug free, and we got a lot of positive reactions from media and players. So far so good! We are making improvements as fast as we can: Quality of life, balancing changes, new features, and more content. Some key mistakes we made were in the localization of the Chinese version (which got us a bit review bombed during the first days... loca QA is important!), and a lack of player feedback for “locked” content (a lot of early players assumed that locked content was not part of the Early Access at all, instead of being available by completing certain quests within the game). And the elephant in the room: The price point. But we’ll talk about that in an upcoming question.

GamesMarkt: What early access user feedback has surprised you the most?

Alexander Kehr: "There were a lot of things that surprised (and sometimes delighted) us: Detailed feedback on balancing, story, multiplayer rules etc. One thing we did not expect at all: Everybody keeps comparing our game to Heroes of Might and Magic 3. Sure, both are fantasy strategy games, but our game was never intended as a HoMM 'clone'. This sets a wrong level of expectation, and some people react negatively to any change from this established formula. Others relish the 'breath of fresh air', though, so we are sure that there is an audience for our game! Maybe we should have done a better job at marketing our game as something different, though."

GamesMarkt: 40 Euros is an unusually high price for an Early Access title. How do you communicate and justify this price to potential buyers?

Alexander Kehr: "The price point has been controversial. Our thinking is simple: We wanted to build a good strategy game, with outstanding production value, including stunning visuals, a well produced and fully voiced campaign, and beautiful music by a well-known composer. The campaign offers lengthy single player content, and randomized skirmish maps offer endless replay value, including the option to play with other human players. All this together results in a package that (in our mind) was worth the price we set for the game."

"In our understanding, Early Access is an option to play a game in an unfinished state and support the developers by doing so. You basically buy the 'full game' but it will take a while until the full feature set & content is available. Some players seem to see it more akin to a cheap buy-in, while still expecting to get all future content for free. We have made our decision, and we stand by it. We will continue to work hard and convince our players that the game is well worth the price!"

GamesMarkt: Shortly before the launch of Songs of Silence, Songs of Conquest by Lavapotion and Coffee Stain left Early Access. The game not only has a similar name and is similar in nature, although it is more like HOMM. Did this title have any influence on the sales of Songs of Silence, or were there other market influences that prevented a bigger launch?

Alexander Kehr: "It is hard to quantify the effect in numbers, but it surely influenced our launch. Like mentioned above, our game tries to do things a bit more different to HoMM, so I am sure that a lot of conservative players flocked to the 'safer' option. Obviously, Songs of Conquest already spent several years in Early Access and is more fleshed out by now. The close release windows were unfortunate, but in the end, I am sure that both games can carve out their own niches and co-exist nicely."

GamesMarkt: What's next for Songs of Silence? You have a pretty tight schedule for the final release this year ...

Alexander Kehr: "We are working on a lot of things now: The rest of the first campaign, campaign difficulty settings, team based single- and multiplayer games, hand crafted challenge maps, additional hero classes and vocations, and much more. We are also working on controller support and console versions! The schedule is tight, but a lot of these features have been in the works for some time, and we are confident that we can pull it off. After all of that (post Early Access), we would like to add additional factions and campaigns. Let's see what the future brings, and what the community would like to see!"

GamesMarkt: You are working with H2 Interactive for the release in Japan and Korea. How important are these markets to you? And are you happy with the cooperation?

Alexander Kehr: "This is the first time we are self-publishing a game. Without deep experience, we assumed that the Asian markets could be a chance for our game: The game style and visuals could connect with Asian audiences, and the music by Hitoshi Sakimoto might pique some interest. The upcoming console version will also make the game more accessible to certain markets. So far, the reception from these markets is also very positive (especially in South Korea), but we have not yet started to market the game prominently. H2 is doing a good job! Here's hoping that the full release can reach a wider audience in all territories!"