Indie Company Takes a New, Transparent Approach to Game Development

 
          Cambridge, Mass. – February 11, 2014---Proletariat Inc., the indie studio behind the upcoming real-time strategy game World Zombination, is gaining recognition for the innovative use of its online channel by incorporating deep transparency in its development culture, giving gamers and media an inside look at how its games are made. The studio regularly live streams behind-the-scenes content with Twitch, the world's leading video platform and community for gamers, which has more than 45 million visitors per month and features competitive gaming, community marathons, and news shows from game sites like Joystiq, Gamespot, and Destructoid. Proletariat is among the first groups to use Twitch as a platform to let the gaming community into the development process, a risky move for any game developer and a sign of change in a generally secretive industry.
 
          A transparent relationship with players and media is not new for the young company, whose tagline is “Games for the People.” They have created and released multiple free tools for aspiring game developers, including a remote debugging tool, a library for using Haxe and Unity together, and a 3D character rig. Proletariat’s unique stance was recently profiled in an article on Joystiq, including other indie frontrunners, Dejobaan and Vlambeer: http://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/28/transparent-development-tales-from-three-indies-baring-it-all-on/
 
          The Proletariat team’s regular World Zombination development streams give games media and consumers alike a chance to have an inside look at this one-of-a-kind tablet game as it nears final release. Broadcasts include live coding, creating character concepts, gameplay of World Zombination through various stages of development, interviews with key staff, weekly production reviews, and unveilings of new production art. These broadcasts happen live at http://www.twitch.tv/proletariat_inc
 
          “We get so many questions from curious players and aspiring developers that it seemed natural to invite them into our development process using Twitch. It makes sense for us as a company and what we're trying to achieve,” said Seth Sivak, CEO of Proletariat. “We want feedback as early as possible. We want to hear from fans and we want to give our players a chance to be invested. We're free of publishers, so we can share whatever we want at any stage, without hoops to jump through or shareholders to protect, even if what we're sharing is imperfect. We have this unique freedom, so why not use it?”
 
          World Zombination is a faction-based combat strategy game where players can choose sides in the zombie apocalypse. The game will be released in mid-2014 on iOS and Android, followed by a PC/Mac release soon after. Players can sign up for the upcoming beta now at the World Zombination website: worldzombination.com.
 
The World Zombination gameplay trailer can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9rQiRFwZqc
The World Zombination teaser trailer can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SmXAaASxWY
Screenshots are now available for download at: http://worldzombination.com/screenshots.html

About Proletariat
          Proletariat is a Boston-based startup built by game-industry veterans from Harmonix, Turbine, Media Molecule, and Insomniac. Proletariat lovingly handcrafts engaging tablet-first experiences, focusing on creating great team multiplayer games. Like the original revolution, Proletariat rises up to wrest game development from big industry and return it to the people. For more information, please visit proletariat.com, worldzombination.com, ‘like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/proletariatgames, and follow us on Twitter @proletariat_inc.
 
          For more info on Proletariat and their games, contact Seth Sivak, CEO, at Email Contact or Email Contact, or (978) 621-3773, or visit online at www.proletariat.com.