Hey friends!
With Gamescom and PAX West happening almost back-to-back, saying we've had a busy couple of weeks would be an understatement. However, these weeks were also very exciting and inspiring! These two events were the very first opportunity for us to share the Chicken Police – Into the HIVE! with the public and get your honest feedback in person. So, let's talk about what happened.
GAMESCOM 2023
The three founders of The Wild Gentlemen, Tamás, Péter and Bánk, flew to the beautiful Cologne, Germany to visit Gamescom! We were thrilled to be back with a new game, after we presented Chicken Police – Paint it RED! to the public in 2019.
Gamescom was shaping up to be very hot this year, but we were super excited – and anxious – to allow the public to play the Chicken Police – Into the HIVE! demo for the very first time. It would be the first opportunity for us to get feedback, so we didn't quite know what to expect quite yet.
With a new game comes a new booth. While we designed the booth ourselves, we hired an outside contractor to do the building for us. This means we didn't know exactly what the booth would end up looking like when we arrived at Gamescom. Any worries were completely unwarranted however, as we were completely amazed by how the booth turned out! It looked wonderful and very eye-catching amongst the other stands. It was sure to catch people's attention, so we had to make some preparations. We're glad we did!
We had four computers in our stand, all loaded up with the demo for Chicken Police – Into the HIVE! We had to fix an unexpected glitch on the spot, but we got this done before the first visitors arrived. And arrive you did! It was very busy at the booth at all times; we were overwhelmed by everyone who stopped by. A lot of you took the time to play the demo as well, and to our surprise, most of you played through the whole thing. Mind you, this demo was 30 to 45 minutes long! That's a long sit for an expo demo when there are so many amazing games to try on Gamescom.
We simply couldn't believe the amount of positive buzz we got from everyone who played the demo! Aside from one thing we were already working on, and another things that was still on the list, there were no negative remarks about the demo. Everyone who played was just sucked in and loved every minute of it. This feedback is also very useful to us! We introduced some brand new features to Chicken Police – Into the HIVE and we weren't sure how well they would be received.
One of these features was the Technicolor mode, which we announced and showed in the Chicken Police – Into the HIVE! Gameplay Reveal Trailer. This mode allows you to experience Clawville like never before in full-color vision. This feature is an optional toggle for those who feel noir is a bit too... noir.
Most of you tried the Technicolor mode and told us you loved the look of it. That didn't stop the majority from switching back to Noir mode however, which is why the mode is optional. Noir is and will always be the default mode of the game. Though, even those who switched back to noir mode let us know that they enjoyed seeing the many faces of- and locations in Clawville in their colorful selves. It was one if the most dramatic features we added, and we weren't sure how people would react to it. It was a huge relief to hear all the praise. Thank you!
While standing and talking 8-10 hours a day definitely takes a toll on your body, our souls were full of energy and inspiration after talking to all of you. We couldn't wait to get back home and return to development of Chicken Police – Into the HIVE!, because we knew we were on the right track.
Gamescom was fantastic because of you. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by and played the demo!
PAX WEST 2023
Then there's PAX West in Seattle. PAX West was everything we loved about Gamescom, but cranked up to eleven. Tamás Sinka was there to represent us alongside our publisher, Joystick Ventures. Tamás reported the same kind amount of love and praise for the game as we got on Gamescom. All the universal love across the globe really is overwhelming and inspiring! We heard a lot of "What the hell is this?" and similar reactions when they read "Chicken Police" or saw the booth design. These reactions of disbelief will always be our favorites.
Tamás came back from PAX West tired as hell, but full of great stories and a revitalized spirit. Much like Gamescom, there were even people who came to the event just for us! Considering we're still just a small team developing such a weird game, this means a lot to us and we can't thank you enough.
SO... WHAT'S NEXT?
With all the kind words still bouncing around our skulls, we will now focus on expanding and polishing this version to perfection. Soon you'll be able to experience everything we worked so hard on in the first public demo, which you'll be able to give a go from the comfort of your own home. Saves you a flight to Cologne or Seattle!
In the meantime, be sure to check out the Chicken Police – Into the HIVE! Gameplay Trailer if you haven't already! Remember to wishlist the game and follow us on our socials. It all helps us out a ton and allows you to stay up to date with all the news on this game.
Again, thank you so much for everything.
- The Wild Gentlemen
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