Games
We spoke with creā-ture Studios about Session's long development history, the game's Early Access launch and what's next for the superb skateboarding title.
It's fair to say the road to Session's release has been long and, at times, rocky. The Kickstarter-funded skateboarding game, created by developers creā-ture Studios, first debuted with a much-loved trailer back in 2015 and since then we've waited with baited breath to get our hands on what's now something of a rarity: a skating game available on next-gen consoles.
After a hugely successful E3 2018, Session's backers, as well as anyone with a passing interest in the skating genre had their appetites whetted for the game's launch. Patience, it turns out, is a virtue. A year-and-a-half later, Session has launched on Early Access on PC and Xbox One.
So why the wait and what can players expect from the long-gestating project? We spoke with Marc-André Houde, co-founder and creative director at creā-ture Studios, to find out more.
First, what exactly has the team been up to since that splash at E3 2018? "After E3 2018, expectations were getting crazier and we knew we had quite a lot to cover to get Session where it needed to be. So, immediately we triggered ‘'submarine mode', where we've reduced outside communication and distractions and focused on the development of the game. This lasted about a year," explains Houde.
When first revealed, perhaps the aspect of the game that most intrigued and excited audiences was the unique control system, which Houde explains as "one stick per foot", as in each analog stick controls your left and right leg when on skating. But has this been tweaked during the development process?
"The essence is the same – the default option is still the one stick per foot and it stays mapped like that no matter what stance you are, but things evolved and we kept implementing subtleties to achieve better feel and style," Houde says. "Over time, these refinements have made a massive impact. Specifically, what happens in the air, like how you control your feet and rotate, feels much better now and the grind system is more intuitive."
Houde adds that, during the Kickstarter funding period, the team used different and faster ways to develop and test out controls and features. This was borne out of necessity.
"We had no choice but to make decisions quickly, for better or worse, because we're such a tiny team," Houde says. "But, as we needed to follow through, we learned some hard lessons and things took more time than expected. How to do grinds was perhaps the most difficult. It's been hard to explain to people our process of prototyping, so we took some criticism as we gave backers access to Session. We want folks to know everything's been reworked and today we're stoked with the foundation we build for grinds. We now call it the 'Free Grind' system, which basically means if can get to it, you can grind it."
Early Access launch
With the game now arriving on Early Access, we were keen to learn just how comprehensive this initial launch is and what players could look forward to when first diving in. Anyone expecting only a taster of the full Session experience may be surprised at just how much is included.
"While there's a somewhat limited area to skate in – a section of lower Manhattan – the gameplay is not stripped back. In fact, it's incredibly polished in terms of tricks and visuals," explains Houde. "We added a healthy bunch of features to make everything feel more like a complete game, including one of the key promises in our Kickstarter campaign: a video editor feature. We went even further by creating the ability to move or place objects, so you can customise the city."
In addition to this, Houde explains, the team have added board and character customisation and have introduced a female character.
As for extras, he adds, "For fun, we even added our super old OG model used in the first ever version prototype attempt of Session. These features were part of the Kickstarter stretch goal that we didn't reach, but we still squeezed out at least a basic version of them in our goal to make buyers feel like we over-delivered for them. That's always been our mindset."
Keeping score
While Houde is keen to stress that the current iteration of Session is choc-full of features, the team's approach to scoring and competing in the game is far more minimalist. Indeed, the team have promised that there would be no arcade-style points systems, power ups, or other non-realistic points scoring included. So how exactly will players compete in Session?
"The real competition is sharing your flare with the world and getting your props,” exclaims Houde. “Again, in terms of elements of the game that are rooted in traditional gaming, challenges can be a blast if you're looking for different ways to skate, or simply discover cool hidden spots in the city. However, like in real skating, the emphasis is in expressing yourself, not in scored competition."
Given this emphasis on realism, is Session a game for skating purists more than its more arcade-flavoured contemporaries? Not quite, Houde explains.
"We did find during development that real-life skaters instinctively understood the concept of the controls and could easily spend their entire day in one small area of the environment, simply because that’s what they do as skaters. Sitting at a cool spot and spending a lot of time putting together a line is a given," he says. "Another thing skaters appreciate is the beauty of a simple trick well-executed, which Session gives players the satisfaction of in a way that past skate games haven't. We included the ability to skate at night, which appeals to the hardest of core.
"There 's often a difference between being a real-life skater and being a big fan of skateboarding games however and we want Session to appeal to both. This is why we introduced the concept of challenges, where we randomly generate daily and weekly things to achieve that rewards the player with virtual money that will be used at our in-game skate shop, which will open soon. I'm not saying this game is for everyone – it's definitely a hardcore sim – but I think the appeal of it to non-skating gamers is the difficulty and chance to get immersed in real skateboarding culture."
Fantastic footage
Speaking of skateboarding culture, much has been made of Session's video editor, which allows you to capture footage of your skating and turn it into YouTube-able clips.
"The video editor is split into two modes, Replay and Montage," Houde says, expanding on the feature's possibilities. "It was crucial for us to make the Replay mode super easy to access, because in real skating, when you land a dope trick, the first thing you do is ask your friends to show you the footage. This is second nature to skaters, that immediate need to eye the clip and get amped up. I suppose this is how you 'score' in Session – you log killer footage and share it. One thing the game lets you do that you could never do in real life is move the camera around after you record the trick, to make the clip look perfect."
As for Montage mode, players gain access to this after logging some time in Session and it allows you to trim the best part of your replays and edit and animate your camera angles. This however is still in its early stages, with Houde adding that this will evolve a lot over the coming months. As for right now, Houde is confident it offers enough to make really cool clips – you can use different cameras, play with the FOV speed and create animated transitions between clips.
"Obviously, we're excited to see people put some killer edits on Instagram and YouTube," he says.
Expanding the world
For those jumping into Session for the first time, you'll be introduced to an area in East Manhattan that's ripe for exploration. You may be wondering just how big Session's playing field will become, though. According to Houde, we can expect to see a lot more of the city that never sleeps.
"The Early Access version of Session is basically the five-block radius around the infamous Brooklyn Banks in lower Manhattan. It's a mix of 1:1 scale and supported by our grounded physics, mixed with some sort of altered version of reality. While the scaling stays the same and we included key landmarks, some areas in this slice of Manhattan are less meaningful to the city skate scene, so we tweaked them – gave it a skater's touch, you could say. It's not over-the-top at all however. It's based in realism.
"The city will open up beyond this, but we aren't building a full scale version of New York; we're fleshing out specific iconic spots that you'll reach by bus. For example, let's say there's a skate spot in Brooklyn. To get there you'll go to a bus stop and that will 'warp' you there. There are so many more NYC places to flesh out – Session is as much a love letter to this city as it is to skateboarding."
As the setting will grow, so will the number of features available in Session, but will this extend to a career mode? Houde is hopeful. "I think with the progression system we're currently working on, a Career/Story Mode would be insane and quite refreshing," he says. "Stay tuned on this. The Early Access version of Session is just the beginning."
Taking the long road
As for how the lengthy development impacted the game, Houde explains that perhaps it was a case of too much, too soon.
"The biggest impact is that we showed our colors really, really early. I'm talking 2015. Then, a couple weeks after the teaser, we had to shelve the project for a good two years," he explains. "During that time, Vic and I were working full-time at other studios and making the game after working hours was just too tough and unproductive. So, this is where we started working on the funding business side of things. We worked on our pitch and applied to the CMF (Canadian Media Fund), a half-private organisation that funds TV and multimedia projects in Canada."
Then, in April 2017, the team left their jobs and basically started from zero, building the studio and the Kickstarter prototype. The road has been long, but the conclusion is a happy one.
"Here we are – from nothing to Early Access in about two years. I realise some people think Session is one of these never-ending limbo productions that will never see the light of day but we've proved them wrong and I'm so proud of what we've built – two dudes working remotely for the first year then ramping up to six and achieving what we have by the end of the second year," Houde says. "Seriously, I've worked on big AAA game development teams that couldn't achieve half of what we did with a tiny team in a relatively short period of time."
While the game's arrival on Easy Access is certainly cause to celebrate, we were curious about the challenges the studio faced while developing Session.
"The biggest challenge as a developer is us. It sounds cheesy but it's true," explains Houde. "We're extremely demanding and obsessive about our work, so the biggest struggle for us by far was to commit and say, 'Okay, enough postponing release, it needs to come out'. It's Early Access after all, perhaps not every single detail needs to be 100 percent perfect. But that's what we’ve been going for.
"I think we're pushing the bar high and are literally asking the player to be prepared to be slaughtered – in a good way. In my opinion, this is where our roots in video games show. We like difficult games that reward the hard-earned evolution of your skill set. Sticking to making a 'sim' wasn't easy."
So, any tips for players looking to take on Session? "First of all, get a controller, as that's the only way to play it. Then, leave your ego at the door. You won't need it," Houde offers. "Take time to enjoy simplicity and master the basics before trying to do complex stuff. Your muscle memory from THPS or Skate won't help. Take it one step at the time and I promise you will have a blast to the point where you might not even mind skipping a skate session because it's raining. We've got you covered."
What's next?
The next steps for Session are, mainly, ensuring the game hits (virtual) shelves. For Houde, the first thing to do after the Steam Early Access release of Session is to ship the Xbox One version, which will be released via Xbox Preview. After this, he says, "I wish the answer was vacation, but we're not there yet. We were really bummed we couldn't have both versions out at the same time, but we had to focus on Steam first to really make it shine. Beyond that, we want to keep working as much as we can on the physics of the board and the grinds, keep expanding the city, improving the Montage mode and continue polishing those animations."
Session is available on Steam PC, while Houde says the team's open to more PC platforms, such as GOG, Epic Games Store and Humble Bundle. As for other platforms, he adds, "As soon as our Xbox three-month exclusive is up, we'll look at other consoles."
In the meantime, there’s only one thing for us to do: get skating.
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