Renegade Kid is best known to most Nintendo fans - we suspect - as an indie download developer, in particular stepping up a notch in popularity with Mutant Mudds on the 3DS eShop. In the DS era, though, the studio released a variety of respected retail efforts, very much part of the mid-tier market subsequently swallowed up by download stores.
These releases included the likes of Moon - now released as Moon Chronicles on the eShop - and two Dementium games - Dementium: The Ward and Dementium II. It's those latter horror games that were, it's emerged, pitched to Konami early in development as potential Silent Hills games.
Speaking to IGN, studio co-founder Jools Watsham explained that an initial pitch with what became The Ward was dismissed relatively quickly, and then a subsequent pitch with the engine of Dementium II was also ruled out, albeit with more consideration the second time around.
Our goal was always to release The Ward as an original game, but we were also open to the idea of turning it into a licensed horror game and approached Konami to see if they wanted to work together to mold it into a Silent Hill game for the Nintendo DS.
They were kind enough to meet with us, but the meeting only lasted a few minutes and ended with their [representative] saying they wouldn't let a team like us handle the Silent Hill license.
Konami's response that time [with the Dementium II engine] wasn't dismissive like the first time. They simply didn't want to venture into the DS space with a horror title at that time.
In any case, Renegade Kid's atmospheric horror experience will be cleaned up and remastered for 3DS this year. A reminder of the teaser is below.
[source uk.ign.com]
Comments 33
Renegade Kid annoys me. They think they're all that but honestly they're not any bigger than most other indie developers, and shouldn't act like it.
Everyone keeps putting them in their place, such as Konami here, and the consumers by not Kickstarting their desert killing simulator mess. Which they then complained to the fans about because nobody paid for it. Seriously you don't have a huge loyal following that bends to your will and idolizes you, please stop acting like it.
I'm by no means saying they're a bad company as some of their games are really fun. But man for whatever reason this attitude of theirs is rubbing me the wrong way.
@Prof_Clayton What's wrong with pitching games to other, bigger companies? Developers do this all the time, not just Renegade Kid. They're not whining about Konami not accepting the offer or anything. They pitched, Konami respectfully declined, it became its own game. Doesn't seem like they 'think they're all that'.
Prof clayton calm down, u have no personal interaction with this company... ir opinion isnt counted.
It actually doesn't look horrible.
Looks better than Resident Evil gaiden.
I found the original Dementium got boring quite quickly and so never finished it. Needless to say I didn't bother with the sequel and nothing here changes my mind. I always fancied playing Moon though, will it ever see the light of day in Europe? I'm not so sure.
It probably wouldn't have got a Europe release anyway knowing Renegade Kids track record.
@Prof_Clayton
Their attitude of wanting to make unique experiences on Nintendo systems annoys you? Their attitude of wanting to expand their goals and concepts and to bring concepts to Nintendo systems that literally no other developer is willing to do? You know, like horror games?
What attitude are you talking about?
@Quorthon I know this is beside the point, but the 3DS could really use some more horror games...
I like everything these guys have done so far and this looks cool too. I hope they get to make another horror game for a Nintendo console eventually.
@Prof_Clayton Me too. (Reason I signed up for this site in the first place). Just because the annoy everybody marketing tactic is cheap and effective doesn't mean he shouldn't be called out on it.
@Quorthon
apparently any indie studio who tries something new, who can craft something unique, but that never reaches great heights, have an attitude, go figure.
@Quorthon His experiences are uninteresting. He goes for the lots of mediocrity approach. Good way to run a business bad way to make a game I want to play. (It is open to change if Treasurenaughts ends up better than Shovel Knight for example).
@unrandomsam
Who is this one person you're talking about?
@RoomB31
I've been pretty supportive of Renegade Kid as their focus and concepts are extremely unique on Nintendo systems. Wasn't a big fan of Mutant Mudds, but enjoyed Dementium, Moon, and Xeodrifter was pretty good, if a little flawed. I backed their Cult County Kickstarter. Pity that one didn't work out.
well, it's not like Konami did any better with their own handling of Silent Hill.
Thank God this didn't happen. One less stain on Team Silent's legacy.
I stumbled upon news this was coming out right on the eshop website and have been salivating over it ever since. Absolutely cannot wait for this as I love horror games/movies. Bring it on sooner than later!!
Super odd how they wouldn't let a team like them mud the series with their hands, but allowed another certain team to completely destroy its legacy with the HD collection.
I think that the "they wouldn't let a team like us handle the Silent Hill license." comment was a bit snarky on Konami's part. As for Renegade Kid, they're a dev. group I really -WANT- to like, but I find most of their new games very lackluster. Mutant Mudds is highly overrated in my honest opinion, and I don't think they've ever really struck gold yet. Wayforward on the other hand has made some incredibly fun IPs, even though their licensed games usually aren't very good.
Yet they let: Double Helix, Climax Studios, Vatra Games, Wayforward, and Silicon Knights all work on the series at some point. Hell, Wayforward was working on a DS Silent Hill around the time Dementium was in development (i.e. around the time of their meeting), though admittedly that one was cancelled fairly early into development. I just find a lot of this hard to believe, let alone stomach...not that I would've trusted these guys with a Silent Hill game anymore than I would've trusted Double Helix to make anything more than "okay" for the series, but hey, okay is certainly better than bad, like Downpour and Homecoming...
I might be in a minority, but I actually really enjoyed SH: Homecoming (not gotten around to Downpour yet). Don't think a DS Silent Hill would've worked at all though. Wayforward is a developer who's games I usually like a lot more than Renegade Kid's, but SH: Book Of Memories on the Vita was mediocre at best, little more than a very watered down Diablo clone (but nowhere near as fun) with a poor storyline and atmosphere. I just don't think Silent Hill is suited to handhelds.
@Quorthon The voice of Regegade Kid jools whatever
@ChibiJib @andjahiam @Quorthon Actually I have had contact with them before, personal through emails in fact, so don't call people out on things you don't know about.
They do make some unique and fun games; I'll admit to playing through Mutant Mudds on 3DS twice even. Its just their personal attitude that ticks me off for some reason. They come off as almost a, well, spammy company, but please don't take that out of context and let me explain.
The process is as follows. They announce a game. They try to hype the game up. If the game doesn't pass its goal, isn't funded or doesn't sell well, they literally blame the consumers. They go on a small rant about how nobody wants creativity or unique experiences and its all the consumers fault. I'm not even making stuff up, if you haven't seen it you haven't been looking.
Saying sales are bad is one thing. But blaming the consumers for not buying your game is another all together. And if all your games sell well, and you still act like you're literally the best and only unique indie developer on the eShop, it comes across as annoying.
Haven't beaten Dementium: The Ward, yet (such a large backlog), but it's pretty great. I think if Renegade Kid were able to work with the Silent Hill license, they could have only done good things for it.
@Prof_Clayton I like Renegade Kid, but im not a fan of the years of delay of their games to EU at the moment.. Loved Moon, still no sign of it for the 3DS in EU. -.-
@Mus1cLov3r
Agreed.
Looks better than WayForward's Silent Hill on Vita. That game wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be.
I loved dementium 2 and since this remake apparently fixes the stuff that kept me from buying the original in the first place I can't wait to give it a shot.
As a Silent Hill fan it looks too bright and clean. They needed to have more disturbing images. To me I wouldn't even have silent hill in my guesses of what game would it have been.
@Prof_Clayton How? Every dev needs to start somewhere and RK pitching this was that attempt to become AAA.
I have the first game on DS and its buggy and I cannot get farther than the last few chapters. I'm glad they're releasing this fixed version on 3DS. Insta buy.
@Prof_Clayton You're definitely right. It's just bad business to blame the consumer. Regarding Silent Hill, I think Renegade Kid was not out of line by suggesting they take the helm of a Silent Hill DS project since they went ahead to produce a Survival Horror DS game anyways. It shows they are dedicated and that they try. You have to commend the ambition it takes to want to produce an FPS on the DS. I think a 3DS remaster of Dementium will show how far they've come, if they have, and hopefully it will deliver. I get annoyed with pompous blowhards, too, but it also seems Konami does not make great decisions regarding portable Silent Hill games as evidenced by Silent Hill: Book Of Memories (even though WayForward is an excellent developer).
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