Today we have the pleasure to interview Bolo from 2BIGo about their new game Lumberhill, which hits the Nintendo Switch right now! Yes, today! You can check our review right here! Let’s dive in!
- Can you tell us about yourself and your studio before diving into the interview?
Hi, I’m Bolo from 2BIGo, and we’ve been developing Lumberhill for over two years. It started as a hobby, and after solidifying our company, we managed to forge it into a fun co-op game.
- Lumberhill is the first game for your studio (correct me if I’m wrong), but it looks great! I love the art style and concept you’re throwing our way. What is your history with game development?
The whole 2BIGO team had worked together on an FPS shooter, and after finishing that project, we decided to start our own company. Since we’ve been working on Lumberhill in our spare time, we just had to switch to full-time mode. The idea for a game was already tested at several showcases, and we won the People’s Choice Award at Game Access in 2018.
- As I stated in my introduction, Lumberhill looks like a party-crashing game, among the titles of Overcooked, Fall Guys, and Among Us. So how did you come up with making a game about lumberjacks?
I have always loved checkered shirts and have considered lumberjacks as badasses. However, we wanted our co-op game to be nature-oriented and non-violent, and all these themes fit perfectly. As we added sheep, trees, and weather conditions, the whole gameplay started to shape in a very fun way. Then we introduced other worlds with sharks, dinosaurs, and pandas, and the game became much more interesting.
- Are there, next to the titles/ideas you mentioned in my previous question, (real-life) inspirations, movies, books, or other aspects you take inspiration from when you develop a game? Perhaps a twist of Monty Phytons’ lumberjack song?
I had the idea to make a non-violent co-op game, and after playing a lot of other games, including Overcooked, the idea came together nicely. We added cute sheep that players have to take care of at the prototyping stage, and it was a hit.
- Games like these are usually well received on the Nintendo Switch. Was it logical for your studio to focus on the Nintendo Switch as a development platform?
Yes, as we were designing Lumberhill, we always had Nintendo Switch in mind as a platform we wanted to target. But, first, we published our game on PC since it was an easier step, and thanks to our publisher, All in! Games we had a chance to come this far and launch on Nintendo Switch.
- The store page for the game mentioned that it’s a perfect game for local and online co-op purposes. Can you explain a bit how this will work? And are there any plans on porting this game too, for example, Steam (and crossplay?)?
Lumberhill is designed to be played with friends (though you can always play solo), and we put a lot of work to polish local and online multiplayer. You can control a character with a single Joy-Con, pass the other to a friend, or join an online multiplayer match. Since the game is designed to allow joining even mid-game, when the timer is running, you should always be able to find a place for yourself.
- What are the big plans after the release of Lumberhill? Will it be a game in the same setting? Or will it be something completely different?
We love the idea of cute animals the player can interact with, so we’ll explore this theme in future projects.
- If you had unlimited resources and a completely blank slate on the course you could take in genre/approach – what would be something you would love to develop/create (not taking in any technical limitations)
When shaping the final gameplay of Lumberhill, there was an idea to turn it into a survival co-op. We didn’t want to divert from the co-op theme and decided to go into timed matches in different words, but I would definitely reconsider this idea. It would be fun to build and protect your farm with friends while raising animals and crops. Maybe that’s the path we will take in the future.
- And, something we ask everyone we interview – what’s your favorite console and game (apart from your own game)?
I’m a player raised on PC, so while it’s not a console, it would be the platform of my choice. As for the game, I would choose Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, but I also recommend all the other games in the series.
- Anything else you would like to add/let the readers know?
Just that it’s not easy to create a game in which violence is absent or is not necessary to win. If you stumble across a game like that, you can be sure a game designer put a lot of effort into achieving that.
We want to thank Bolo and 2BIGo for their time and be sure to check them out on the socials (and the game obviously).
Twitter: DevBolo & ? Lumberhill ? (@lumberhillgame) / Twitter
Website: Lumberhill (lumberhill-game.com)
Nintendo Switch: Lumberhill for Nintendo Switch – Nintendo
