Kickstarter Interview: Skyjacker

Skyjacker is a first-person open-world space simulator from indie developer Digitilus that's been getting a fair amount of buzz - they're number 4 on Steam right now (out of 1,438 games), and were named by PCGamer as one of the top 14 games to be excited about. I sat down with the creative director, Alex Landa, to get the full story. If you like what you see, be sure to check out their Kickstarter.

Games.com: How did the idea for Skyjacker come about?

Alex Landa: We're space aficionados, and for the longest time there has not been lots of innovation in the space sim genre. Our team lead has also been writing space science fiction novels, so one day we just set the course and decided to do it.

G.com: Are there any games/movies/etc in the space sim genre that have inspired the team in particular?

AL: Sure. There are books, movies and games that we've enjoyed growing up and could say had some influence on us, hopefully for the better: Star Wars, Star Trek, Wing Commander series, Freelancer, and Ender's Game to name a few.

G.com: How do you guys feel about the new Ender's Game movie?

AL: The movie looks great. We've only watched trailers so far, as very busy with the game dev right now as well as running campaign on Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight.

G.com: I can imagine you guys haven't had time to go to the theaters lately. From a marketing standpoint, why Kickstarter?

AL: Since we are small indie dev, Kickstarter is not just a marketing platform for us - it is an opportunity to build a community, share ideas, and of course we hope to win the backers' hearts and wallets.

G.com: What's the aspect of the game that you're most excited about from a gamer's perspective?

AL: All in-game objects are breakable, which allows for highly customizable spaceships. "Breakable" means that in space combat there will be some damage, hopefully to enemy ships, and Skyjacker will allow you to salvage the parts that are useful and haul them onto your ship for improvements.

G.com: How big is the indie space combat game industry? How would you describe your fanbase?

AL: Tere are millions of people around the world that love Space Sim. Many of them enjoy space combat. The fan base is a pretty diverse group, but Space Combat Simulation is something that can truly unite such diverse group of folks.

G.com: That's very interesting. Do you guys get a lot of your support from your fans?

AL: We do take a lot of input and support from our awesome community, which we couldn't have had if not for Kickstarter.

G.com: From a developer's perspective, what's it like working on a game?

AL: It's great to be part of a very creative team and work on a dream, seeing it slowly but surely developing... engaging with community members who are interested in participating, and observing the creation of a new world... what else could you ask for?

We wish them the best of luck!