B.C.'s Hinterland reflects on The Long Dark's lengthy development and success

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The Long Dark is a success story by almost any metric.

Made by B.C.-based independent studio Hinterland Games, the Canadian-themed post-apocalypse survival simulation has moved 1.4 million units since its initial launch on Steam’s early access program back in 2014. An even better measure of its triumph might be this: More than 92 per cent of the 26,000 players who’ve reviewed it on Valve’s PC gaming platform have passed positive judgment.

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However, much like the challenging journeys players make through The Long Dark‘s frozen forests and wintery wastelands, getting from here to there wasn’t easy for the team that designed it. Hinterland’s small staff spent the last three years feverishly working not only on creating new content and updating the sandbox experience players were already enjoying, but also crafting an epic episodic story mode.

For most independent studios, funding such a long development cycle isn’t feasible. But Hinterland leveraged several emerging platforms to make it possible, starting with a successful Kickstarter campaign than raised more than a quarter of a million dollars. Then, to keep the cash flowing, the fledgling studio launched an early alpha version of the game’s survival mode via Steam’s Early Access program, which, as its name suggests, allows willing and excited fans to pay to start playing games as they’re being developed. The Long Dark was also released via Xbox One’s similar Game Preview program later on.

According to Hinterland founder Raphael van Lierop – who’s bearded, rugged-looking mug just so happens to vaguely resemble that of Mackenzie, one of the game’s primary protagonists – this was the only way he and his team were able to produce such a rich and satisfying experience.

“Without the success we found on Steam Early Access, and then later on Xbox Game Preview, The Long Dark would be a shadow of its current self,” said Lierop. “We’ve been able to pour millions of dollars directly into the development to increase the scope and quality of our experience, while nurturing a great and supportive community along the way. Paid alpha development provides an opportunity for small, self-funded developers like Hinterland to find an audience and refine an experience outside the constraints of the traditional investor- or publisher-funded model.”

Thanks to the steady cash influx Hinterland was able to pay off its Canada Media Fund loan borrowed to build The Long Dark‘s first prototype after just three months of Early Access sales. The constant flow of money also allowed Hinterland to expand, growing to 20 members with about half of its staff working remotely in Canada and the U.S. (the entire team gets together at least once each year to hang out and socialize).

Paid alpha development provides an opportunity for small, self-funded developers like Hinterland to find an audience and refine an experience outside the constraints of the traditional investor- or publisher-funded model

More money also gave Hinterland the means to think bigger when it came to the game’s story mode, expanding its scope and refining its details. Which is part of the reason why it’s taken so long to deliver.

“The high-level story and world outline hasn’t changed that much since back in 2013, but the details have changed quite a bit,” said Lierop. One of the biggest changes came after he realized that he was having a hard time finding games with strong female role models for his daughter to play. He decided to transform the story so that players would take on the roles of not one but two survivors: a man and a woman. “Certainly, the scope and detail of the world is much deeper than we had originally conceived, and the tone of the story and world-building has changed over time.”

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Van Lierop always wanted the narrative portion of the game to be as similar to survival as possible, and most mechanics are shared between modes. However, survival and story are designed for distinct audiences and suited for substantially different play styles; one is completely freeform, the other highly curated. And that hasn’t pleased everyone who invested themselves in the alpha.

“Separating story from survival was a gamble, and allowed us to develop the experiences independently; one in public, one in private,” said van Lierop. “But this separation is at odds with how conventional open-world games typically work. And while a lot of our players are happy with the game to be presented as different experiences, some were looking for the story to be more integrated into the survival sandbox.”

When Hinterland began working on The Long Dark the concepts of crowdfunding through sites like Kickstarter and paid alpha development via platforms like Steam Early Access were relatively untested. The team managed to wade through these unknown waters and avoid major catastrophes, achieving notable success along the way. But there have been a few stormy days. Would Hinterland do it again?

“I think if the concept fit the open development model, yes, we’d do it again,” said van Lierop. “There’s a tremendous amount to gain by engaging with a community of early adopters who become passionate about your game. But it doesn’t come without risks, and I’m not sure it’s the best model for games that will eventually add a narrative mode.

“After years of making games in the traditional ‘closed’ model, it’s thrilling to now be on the forefront of how games are funded and developed. And we’re always refining our model, always learning how to do it better. That iteration is the key to creating strong experiences, and the early access approach really lends itself well to it.”