Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Dan Adelman, and I’ve been in the games industry for about 17 years now. It’s easy to keep track since my wife went into labor with our first child on my first day in the new job! I started off doing business development at Xbox – the original Xbox. I worked on negotiating deals with third-party publishers to get them to bring content to the platform. Later I helped launch the original Xbox Live Arcade – which came on a disc since it wasn’t integrated into the OS.
After about 5 years at Xbox I moved down the street to Nintendo where I headed up the non-Virtual Console portion of the new digital distribution business. We called it WiiWare, and it was one of the industry’s first forays into working with independent developers. I ran that business for about 9 years and left 4 years ago to work more closely on a few key projects. I’ve been working on Axiom Verge, Mages of Mystralia, and most recently Chasm.
Leadman Games is my latest big project. I noticed how hard and risky it was for indie developers to bring their games to the mass retail market. There’s still a big opportunity there, so I founded Leadman as a way to bridge that gap. Salt and Sanctuary: Drowned Tome Edition is the first title I’m doing this with.
Growing up, what was the first console and game you remember playing?
I have very vague memories of playing with a Magnavox Odyssey. I think it came out when I was around 2 or 3, and my father bought one. My only real memory of it was that you had to attach these plastic screen overlays to your TV, since the only “graphics” it could do was light up parts of the screen. Later on, I got an Atari 2600 and played tons of Combat, Adventure, Space Invaders, and Pac Man.
What is your fondest video game memory from your childhood?
My fondest memory is actually when I was making my own games. In 6th grade, someone showed me that
10 print “Dan was here”
20 goto 10
would result in my name being repeated an infinite number of times. I was hooked and started to teach myself more and more. I was never very good, but I made a terrible Space Invaders clone which only had one row of aliens since I couldn’t figure out how to do multiple rows, text adventure games that were impossible unless you knew exactly what commands to use, and card games that had infinite quantities of every type of card. It was a lot of fun.
Did you always want to work with video games?
I did, but for the longest time it never even occurred to me that I could. I actually got my start in the industry a little bit late. I had been out of college and graduate school for some time before it really occurred to me that the games industry was a place where I could work. I’m not sure why!
Dan, you have quite an impressive resume within the video game industry. From launching Xbox Live Arcade and building that business over at Microsoft to essentially creating and implementing the digital landscape at Nintendo (e.g., WiiWare, DSiWare, 3DS eShop, and Wii U eShop), your actions have allowed gamers and indie developers to connect on a greater level. Are you able to comment on the process at these two titans of industry?
The cultures at Microsoft and Nintendo could not be more different. I think part of it is American vs. Japanese culture and part of it is that one is the headquarters and the other is a subsidiary. Microsoft was very numbers driven and quite political. There were lots of type A people trying to put their mark on the product as a way to make a name for themselves. Lots of very smart, very ambitious people, so the pace was relentless. I remember having meetings on a topic during the day and an email discussion would go on through the night past 2am. I felt that there was kind of a push to be the last one to make a comment to show that you were still working long after everyone else went to sleep. I’m not sure if that’s the culture there anymore. This is back when Xbox was kind of a startup within Microsoft. The organization was very flat back then, and decisions were made at a very quick pace. It was a lot of fun if not a little stressful.
Nintendo, on the other hand, has literally been around for over a century, and the US subsidiary had been around for 30 years. There was definitely a mentality at Nintendo of America that important decisions are made in Japan and that we should await instructions. It was much more laid back and easygoing. The downside was that if you actually wanted to make an impact or build something new, it was hard to get things moving.
After you left Nintendo, you worked with a number of indie studios to market and assist with business development. What was the experience like to help these games flourish?
It’s been incredibly rewarding. When I met Tom Happ, for example, I could tell he was a genius game developer but had no clue about the business side of things. He had very little savings to his name and even had to sell his car to pay for his dog’s vet bills. I was glad that I was able to help him do well financially with Axiom Verge so he could support his family, including his special needs son, and work full time on games going forward.
Similarly, James Petruzzi, the director of Chasm, had never had a high paying career and has been slaving away at his game for years. We just launched, and things are going very well. It’ll be exciting to watch how his life changes as he gains his financial freedom.
Let’s talk about Leadman Games, a new publisher founded by you to bring indie games to the retail market. Was there a defining moment(s) where you felt this was the right time to branch out on your own?
I’ve actually been on my own for about 4 years now since I left Nintendo. I’ve worked on separate projects like Axiom Verge and Chasm with those developers, but I feel like for the most part it’s fair to say I’ve been on my own.
There were a couple reasons why I started Leadman Games. First, when I first started working with indie devs, I really wanted to make sure to put the developers first. I didn’t want to stand in front of their game and somehow claim credit for their work. So, I made a conscious effort to make myself lower in visibility than them and their games. But as I talked with the developers, they said they actually liked the idea of being associated with one another and being under an umbrella brand, so that got me thinking about how I might go about that.
The second reason for founding Leadman Games was the experience I gained from working on Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition. At some point I’ll probably tell the full story, but suffice it to say it wasn’t the case that we could hand off all responsibility to the publisher and just wait for the check to show up in the mail. I had to roll up my sleeves quite a bit to make sure the game came out on time and hit store shelves. I learned a lot in the process and felt that I could help other developers bring their games to retail as well. The retail business is shrinking, but for small companies like Leadman Games and the developers I work with, it’s still a significant business opportunity.
Your first title will be Salt and Sanctuary: Drowned Tome Edition and is scheduled to release on the Nintendo Switch on October 30th. Developed by Ska Studios, how did the two companies come together?
I’ve known James and Michelle for several years – mostly as acquaintances. We’d see each other at the same shows, and I have this dinner I organize at shows like E3 and IndieCade that they would sometimes come to. We also live in the same general area, so I’d run into them at meetups. When I was thinking of starting up Leadman Games, I wanted to work with someone who I thought I could work well with and who had a great game. I chatted with them about the potential for the idea, and they were interested, so here we are! They’ve been great partners throughout this process, and I couldn’t be more excited.
With a retail price of $29.99, the physical edition will contain a download code for the original soundtrack and a double-sided poster. Is it safe to say future release will also include similar goodies?
Absolutely. It’s very easy these days just to fire up your Switch and just download the game, so I want to make sure there’s a little something special about getting the physical copy. For some people just having the cartridge is enough, but I want to make sure that it’s more than just the game. One thing we’ve also spent a lot of time on is the manual. I remember I used to buy games at the store, and the first thing I’d do is thumb through the manual. I think that’s a big part of the physical games market.
Currently announced for the U.S. market, many are wondering if a physical edition will release in the EU?
Yes, we are working on that right now. I’m hoping we’ll be able to make some announcements soon.
Are there plans to release titles for other consoles besides the Nintendo Switch?
We’re certainly open to it, but Switch is the focus for now. We’re still in a good space where there is a bit of a mismatch between supply and demand. The PS4 has been out for years now, and discs are a lot cheaper to produce than cartridges, so there are tons of PS4 games on the shelves now. It’s hard to get any kind of visibility there.
Sticking with Ska Studios, might we see a physical release of their other titles including: The Dishwasher games, Charlie Murder, or I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMB1ES 1NIT!!!1?
I’ll be sure to take it up with them! For now, we just want to make sure we do Salt and Sanctuary right before we expand too quickly.
Given the opportunity, what would be your dream digital title to release physically on the Switch?
Salt and Sanctuary: Drowned Tome Edition! It’s actually true. It’s a fantastic game with a die-hard fanbase, and it’s perfect for the Switch.
Looking past Salt and Sanctuary, are you able to tease your second release today?
A lot of people have been asking about whether Chasm, which just launched digitally on Steam, PS4, and Vita, will be coming to Switch at some point. Our answer has always been that we want to bring it to as many platforms as possible, and hopefully we’ll be able to make some announcements on that soon. And if it comes to Switch and there’s interest in a physical version, well let’s just say that the relationship between Leadman Games and the business person for Chasm is very cozy.
Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share today?
Thanks for all of your interest in this new company I’m starting up! Be sure to go to https://leadman.games/ and sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (@leadmangames) so you can be the first to hear about future releases!
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