A portion of a Nintendo Life interview with Tom and Adam Vian of SFB Games...
NL: When did you first talk to Nintendo about the game, and what were your thoughts when that happened?
Adam: We had a contact at Nintendo from a previous encounter, so when it came time for us to show the "Friendshapes" demo to potential publishers, Nintendo were at the top of our list. Honestly, we weren't confident it would lead to anything, but we felt like the game had a certain Nintendo quality of playful, local co-op gameplay - so we thought it was worth a try.
Tom: When we first heard back from Nintendo, saying that they loved the game and were interested in collaborating with us, we were incredibly excited! We grew up together loving Nintendo games, so it was very special to suddenly be working with them.
NL: At what point did you begin work on bringing Snipperclips to the Nintendo Switch, and how significant a moment was that for you as a team?
Tom: We started working with Nintendo at the beginning of 2016. Back then, it was still just Adam and me in the office, but we very quickly hired a second programmer, and then soon after a second artist. Our colleagues at Nintendo would joke that they'd never had a company have to double in size for them before! Eventually, we added another two members of the team, to make sure we could really make the game shine in that Nintendo way.
Adam: For a while we developed the game without a specific Nintendo console in mind. But we secretly hoped that if the project went well, there might be a chance that we would be able to make it for the Nintendo Switch. When that was finally decided, it was a big moment. It felt like Nintendo were really trusting us – the Switch was a big secret all throughout 2016! We're really grateful that Nintendo took a risk in trusting this small, unknown indie company.
NL: Can you clarify the process for development, such as the collaborative process between you and Nintendo?
Adam: Nintendo were very supportive! There was a clear message that they didn't want to re-invent the game, they just wanted to help us improve it. There was a lot to decide on between the two companies, such as how big the game should be, what modes to include, how many players to support, and so on. Overall our vision for the game lined up with theirs really well! It was great to be working with a company with the same priorities as SFB Games – fun, accessible gameplay experiences.
Tom: Nintendo was even able to provide direct help with creating some of the game, such as the sound effects, some of the level design concepts and some level concept art. It was a surreal privilege to work with these super talented people who are responsible for some of our favourite games.
from GoNintendo
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