The Managing Director of the up and coming developer FuturLab, James Marsden speaks to [Indie]stry Gaming about the industry, Indie gaming and their upcoming projects:

INDIE: For those people living under rocks, tell us a little bit about FuturLab?

JAMES :

FuturLab is a small studio that packs a big punch =) We’re based in Brighton in the UK, and mainly working on PlayStation platforms. Mostly because I’m a Sony fanboy.

INDIE: There’s been a lot made in recent months about Indie games and the pledges of support from Sony and Microsoft, Why do you think this is?

JAMES :

Because many mid tier publishers and developers have been lured away from console game production with the hope of making hundreds of millions of dollars rinsing people’s wallets with F2P mobile games. Sony and Microsoft need to cultivate the next wave of mid-tier developers and publishers to keep content flowing to their platforms.

INDIE: Your relationship is mostly with Sony, How’s there support benefited FuturLab?

JAMES:

It’s quite simple, we would not be able to do what we’re doing without Sony’s support. They believed in Velocity when we really needed them to =)

INDIE: Where do you see the games business heading; say in the next 10 years with the rise of mobile gaming and proposed technology such as Oculus Rift?

JAMES:

I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that I know nothing about what is coming next. Nobody does, despite what they’ll tell you. All I can tell you is that there will always be stunning products and shit products and a lot of grey area in between. Our goal is to be on the correct side of the grey =)

INDIE: Your next title is going to be ‘Velocity 2X’, How would you best describe the game?

JAMES:

sci-fi platformer and top-down shooter in one adventure! It’s two genres tied together with the common thread of blistering speed, explosive action, cunning puzzles and awesome music.

INDIE : As well as the upcoming Velocity 2X, You’ve also released Surge Deluxe, Velocity Ultra, Fuel Tiraces and Coconut Dodge Revitalised for Vita; Why do you think Sony’s handheld has struggled to take off?

JAMES:

The slow start was entirely down to the mobile and tablet industry enticing developers and consumers away from making a commitment to Vita. However, PS Vita has a very loyal customer base who really appreciate the level of support the device is getting from indie developers and Sony itself. If you call yourself a well informed gamer, you’ve probably got a PS Vita.

INDIE: Finally, could you see yourselves creating ‘big’ PS4 releases in the future? And if so what sort of game would you go for?

JAMES:

We are a very ambitious little team, so we’d love to expand and work on bigger projects, but each step toward that has to be very carefully planned and executed. We have a long term plan. In terms of the games we’d like to create, I’d like to tackle each major genre with something new =)

We’d like to thank James for taking the time to talk to us and wish him and FuturLab all the best with future projects, you can find out more about FuturLab at their website : http://www.futurlab.co.uk/