Above: The Last Tinker is a 3D platforming game for PS4 and PC.
In the past year, representatives from the studio traveled to big industry events and consumer shows like the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Gamescom, and PAX to look for the next great indie game. Loot’s strategy coincidentally falls in line with Sony Computer Entertainment’s own courtship of indie games. SCE allows devs to self-publish on PlayStation consoles, and it has a Pub Fund that provides financial and marketing help in exchange for “limited” exclusivity.
I asked Sterling if Loot and SCE ever found themselves going after the same games or developers yet, but the answer is, surprisingly, no. The indie community seems big enough to accommodate multiple suitors, even if some of them are from the same parent company.
“Since we’re bringing games to PlayStation, we’re in constant communication with [that team],” said Sorensen. “And they’re phenomenal to work with. They’re great. They know what we’re doing.”
Above: Loot says it already has plans for Sony’s Project Morpheus VR headset.
Making games is ‘the best feeling in the world’
Loot Entertainment has no intention of taking it slow: Both Sterling and Sorensen were gushing about the company’s future as a publisher and developer. Over its next fiscal year (ending in March 2015), Loot is planning on releasing three or four more games, all of which involve working with other indie devs just like it did with The Last Tinker. Beyond that, Loot is looking into what kind of games it can build around the PlayStation TV, the PS4’s just-launched SharePlay feature, and Sony’s Project Morpheus VR headset.
What might be more impressive than Loot’s rapidly expanding portfolio, however, is that gaming is still just a fraction of what it does. Since its roots are in software engineering, the company also keeps itself busy by making PlayStation apps and working with Sony Network Entertainment on the PlayStation Store’s functionality.
“What’s really great about what we’re doing now, after getting into this more consumer-facing stuff, is that you see how it makes other people feel when they’re playing our games or going through our apps, and they’re really enjoying their time with them,” said Sterling. “That’s so fulfilling versus just making spreadsheets or something. To see people playing Fluster Cluck and having a great time and knowing that started as an idea, and now it’s a reality… . It’s the best feeling in the world.”
The name of the company reflects its desire to pass on that feeling of discovering something new and gratifying, whether it involves bringing new experiences to players or helping out indie devs by exposing their games to potentially millions of PlayStation owners. Sterling is confident that they have the talent and resources to become one of the best publishers on PlayStation.
“[Back when we were the Digital Authoring Center,] we ended up building the premier authoring facility in the world and helped launch all sorts of new and innovative experiences at the consumer level … .,” said Sterling. “Now we’re coming into gaming, and we believe we have the horsepower and the software engineering smarts — bringing people in like Jason and the other people we have at Loot — to become the best in the business.
“That’s our goal.”