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8 CommentsSony adds indie games category to PlayStation Store, offers discounts
By Samit Sarkar on May 07, 2013 05.07.13
Sony Computer Entertainment's reputation for publishing acclaimed indie games is well-earned, and the PlayStation Store will now highlight those titles in their own category, the company announced today. "This category builds on the support that PlayStation has offered independent developers in the effort to highlight some of the most unique gaming experiences on PlayStation platforms," said Pierre Gravereau, senior manager for digital distribution at Sony Network Entertainment America, on the PlayStation Blog. The new category will feature indie games past, present and future, and Sony is marking the category's arrival with discounts on three titles from the past year. Vblank Entertaiment's Retro City Rampage, regularly $14.99, will be available at half price for all PlayStation...
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4 CommentsExclusivity can be 'the only way to get something out,' Papo & Yo dev says
By Dave Tach on Apr 19, 2013 04.19.13
For cash-strapped independent studios, platform exclusives can be the only way to get a game released, developer Minority Media's founder Vander Caballero told Kotaku. Caballero said that the "amazing relationship" Minority had with Sony not only brought Papo & Yo to the PlayStation 3 as a timed exclusive but also offered the indie developer benefits. "If you are an independent, you have zero marketing money," Caballero said. "You have nothing. Then you need someone to support your project. So, if someone asks you for exclusivity and it's going to help you to bring out your product into the market, I think that can be good. Sometimes, I think it's the only way to get something out." Papo & Yo was released last year through PlayStation Network and this week for Windows PC on Steam, A...
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3 CommentsPapo & Yo Windows PC pre-orders discounted 10 percent for a limited time
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Apr 05, 2013 04.05.13
Those who pre-order Papo & Yo for Windows PC through April 17 will receive a 10 percent discount and a copy of the game's original soundtrack, developer Minority announced via its website. Pre-orders are currently available through Steam, Amazon, GamersGate, Greenman Gaming and Desura. According to Minority, the PC version will include better graphics and new visual effects, improved controls, full controller support for Steam's Big Picture mode and more. Papo & Yo is based off creator Vander Caballero's experiences with an alcoholic father. The game stars Quico and his friend Monster, who has a poisonous frog-eating addiction. Monster's frog ingestion, however, transforms him into a raging beast. To calm him down, Quico can feed him fruit. First released for PlayStation Network, P...
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5 CommentsPapo & Yo coming to Steam on April 18
By Jenna Pitcher on Mar 27, 2013 03.27.13
Minority Media's puzzle platformer Papo & Yo is coming to Steam this April 18, the game's creator Vander Caballero told Game Informer at the Game Developers Conference. Papa & Yo revolves around Quico and his companion, Monster, who is addicted to eating poisonous frogs. Unfortunately, Monster flies into a violent rage whenever he ingests these frogs. The game is based off Caballero's experiences growing up with an alcoholic father. The game was initially released Aug. 14, 2012 on the PlayStation Network. For more information about Papo & Yo, please read Polygon's interview with Caballero here.
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1 CommentIndie Speed Run judges include Notch, Kellee Santiago, Ron Gilbert
By Samit Sarkar on Nov 28, 2012 11.28.12
The organizers of Indie Speed Run, a global online game jam, announced today a judging panel featuring such well-known game industry figures as Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson, thatgamecompany co-founder Kellee Santiago and famed adventure game designer Ron Gilbert. Here are the five other judges, all of whom are similarly renowned: Trent Oster, co-founder of BioWare and creative director of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition at Beamdog Dino Patti, CEO of Limbo developer Playdead Vander Caballero, co-founder and creative director of Papo & Yo studio Minority Media Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, game critic and creator of Zero Punctuation Jason Rohrer, indie developer of games including Passage, Gravitation and Sleep Is Death Entry to Indie Speed Run, which requires a $25 fee, is...
'Papo & Yo' launch trailer blends the imaginary and the real
By Samit Sarkar on Aug 08, 2012 08.08.12
Papo & Yo's launch trailer, released today by developer Minority Media, mixes live-action sequences with gameplay footage, just as the game itself relies on metaphors and fantastical elements to tell its story. Director Alfonso Maiorana and Montreal-based Rezolution Pictures created the four-minute trailer, which illustrates the driving concept behind Papo & Yo: a boy's relationship with his alcoholic father. The boy, Quico, escapes into his imagination to flee from his drunk dad, who becomes a stumbling monster when he's had too much to drink. Papo & Yo launches exclusively on the PlayStation Network for $14.99 on August 14th, but as a PSN Play title, it's available for pre-order starting today. PlayStation Plus subscribers enjoy a 20 percent discount to $11.99. For more on Papo & Yo,...
'Papo & Yo's' graffiti is part of the game's authentic landscape
By Tracey Lien on Jul 31, 2012 07.31.12
The graffiti and murals in Minority Media's Papo & Yo are an important part of the experience and give the game world authenticity, according to the developer's community manager, Deborah Chantson. Posting on the official US PlayStation Blog, Chantson wrote of the cultural significance of the graffiti in the game, explaining that in Latin America where the game is set, graffiti is a treasured art form because of its long history with political messaging. The developer partnered with Latin American artists to license original, vibrant street art from cities like Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Valparaiso and Santiago in Chile. Many of the artists who contributed to the graffiti in the game are well known for their work, such as Sebastian Navarro, Simon Paulo Arancibia Gutierrez, and Inti...
'Papo & Yo' might make you cry
By Matt Leone on Jun 06, 2012 06.06.12
If you've been paying attention, you know there's a personal backstory behind Papo & Yo that's far more on the nose than in most games. If you haven't been paying attention, read our feature and catch up. It's worth it. Now that the game's getting close to launch, developer Minority has invited local players in to test the game, and according to creative director Vander Caballero, some of them have ended it in tears. At E3 this year, though, Minority brought a new slice of the game that stays away from the emotional aspects and focuses on puzzle solving. Lead character Quico runs around a village, rotating handles on the sides of buildings to make them move around. After doing that a couple times, he realizes they're stacking atop one another in the middle of the village, and Quico...
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6 CommentsTherapy, Alcohol, and Chickens: The story behind PSN's Papo & Yo
By Matt Leone on Apr 20, 2012 04.20.12
Prior to 2011, Vander Caballero was best known as the guy who gave Army of Two its high five. And its congratulatory ass slap, before the team cut it. He's the one who suggested soldiers should use tampons to heal partner wounds. And the one who left Electronic Arts in part because he didn't like the morality behind shooters. Then, just before last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Caballero revealed his new company, Minority Media, and announced their first game: Papo & Yo. The story of his life, as told through metaphors. Caballero's father appears as a monster - who's addicted to alcohol, represented by frogs. His mother, a protective robot friend that he wears as a backpack. His first love, a literal representation, but one who also shares elements of his real-life brother....
