King Kong Report Says the Developers Only Had One Year to Make the Game
The developers on Skull Island: Rise of Kong reportedly didn't have much time.
Skull Island: Rise of Kong released less than a week ago, but the game has quickly become a punchline. Gameplay footage shared on social media revealed unfinished cutscenes and crude animations. As stills and videos circulated, many questioned how this type of game could have gotten released in the first place. It turns out that the game looks so rushed because developer IguanaBee was reportedly given just one year to make it from scratch. Speaking anonymously to The Verge, multiple IguanaBee employees discussed how the studio was contracted to work on Rise of Kong by GameMill, and a quick turnaround time was expected.
"The development process of this game was started in June of last year and it was aimed to end on June 2nd this year. So one year development process," one developer told the outlet.
Crunch Culture and Not Enough Funding
The Verge's sources went on to note that crunch on Rise of Kong had been going on since February, and GameMill's funding only allowed small teams to work on the game at one time; this could mean as many as 20 people at once, or as little as just two. IguanaBee has now worked on multiple titles for GameMill, which have had similar restrictions, and not enough information provided by the publisher. Developers at IguanaMill have shown an interest in making their own original titles, but the studio needs money to do that.
"It's a love/hate relationship because they are the ones who accept or give the projects and IguanaBee doesn't have the means to develop almost anything on its own because well, money," one developer told The Verge.
On one hand, these licensed projects have helped IgunanaBee keep the lights on. However, this also means that the majority of the offers the team receives are for additional licensed games. However, as The Verge notes, taking on projects with little turnaround time or resources can end up hurting the company's reputation. It's hard to say if that will end up happening as a result of Skull Island: Rise of Kong, a game that has now become famous for all the wrong reasons.
GameMill Games
GameMill's next major release is Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, a fighting game inspired by Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series. The sequel has been highly-anticipated by Nickelodeon fans, and the trailers and videos would seem to suggest that the finished product will be a step-up from its predecessor. The first Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl wasn't nearly as disastrous as Skull Island: Rise of Kong, but it did leave a lot of room for improvement. With the game set to release on November 7th, fans don't have to wait too much longer to see the finished product.
Are you surprised that IguanaBee had so little time to develop Rise of Kong? Have you seen videos and stills from the game online? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
