By John Walker on October 18th, 2012 at 9:00 pm.
Hotline Miami sure is a game. A game that’s going to kill you. And in the game. It’s out in only three days, so I grabbed the chance to speak to publisher Devolver Digital’s Chief Financial Officer and all round PR expert – Fork Parker – for a hard-hitting interview.
RPS: What first attracted Devolver and you, Fork, to Hotline Miami?
Fork Parker: Actually, our partners at Vlambeer that we’re working on Luftrausers with connected us with Dennaton’s Jonatan Soderstrom. Up until now he’s released all of his amazing games free to the public but wanted to make something commercial and more substantial and was looking for a partner to make it happen. The team at Devolver Digital took a look at the prototype and played it until our fingers bled so we knew it would be a perfect project to partner on. At face value it’s a brutal, fast-paced game unlike anything we’d play before but once we got into the story and twists and turns that Dennaton Games dreamt up we were sold.
RPS: Can you briefly explain just how much Devolver are screwing over Dennaton Games in publishing this game?
Fork Parker: Those sons of bitches at Dennaton Games are smarter than they look so they maintained full creative control on the game and the marketing despite my best efforts to screw them over like a publisher should.
That said, the contract they signed for Hotline Miami 2: Miami Slice mandates that it be a F2P kart racing game with microstransactions that automatically posts to your friends’ Facebook walls so in the end we got them good.
RPS: How do you respond to accusations that this game just glorifies violence and encourages errant behaviour in our nations’ youths?
Fork Parker: Not sure how to respond as these accusations are entirely true and ideally the game will lead to the downfall of society as we know it. Every time someone preorders Hotline Miami Western civilization creeps closer and closer to a pure state of anarchy.
RPS: Which game is better – Serious Sam 3 or Hotline Miami?
Fork Parker: Whichever gets me closer to buying a velvet-covered jet ski.
18/10/2012 at 21:12 Breedlove says:
Hotline Miami will revolutionize killing pixel dudes with a power dril to the ear. Guaranteed.
18/10/2012 at 21:56 Meat Circus says:
I was a pixel-dude-killer like you, until I took a power drill to the ear.
18/10/2012 at 23:05 Inglourious Badger says:
Well I am just a modern guy, Of course I’ve had it in the ear before
19/10/2012 at 00:08 xrabohrok says:
DRILLFACE
19/10/2012 at 00:19 felisc says:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079082/ !
what ? this makes sense.
19/10/2012 at 12:41 The Random One says:
But how does it compare to the current poster child for insane power drill murderer simulator by a super rough mega-indie game zinester, thecatamites’ DRILL KILLER?
18/10/2012 at 21:14 StranaMente says:
Fine words, mr. Parker. I’m preordering the Magic friendship steering wheel edition of Miami 2 right now.
18/10/2012 at 21:20 jackthename says:
FORK PARKER
18/10/2012 at 21:20 jackthename says:
Fork. Parker.
18/10/2012 at 21:37 Tuggy Tug says:
FORKPARKER FACE
19/10/2012 at 10:51 Lambchops says:
WARFORK!
18/10/2012 at 21:38 SominiTheCommenter says:
PARKERFACE
18/10/2012 at 21:48 mrwonko says:
Pa-Pa-Parkerface!
19/10/2012 at 01:16 The Tupper says:
Andy Shatz and Fork Parker should have babies together.
19/10/2012 at 02:37 TariqOne says:
I don’t personally see a ton of humor in “Andy Parker.”
19/10/2012 at 03:49 The Tupper says:
Bah. You got me.
Okay, Fork Parker should get a job with his local municipal recreation grounds. That would make him a Park Forker.
On second thoughts, I should just keep quiet.
18/10/2012 at 21:20 PatrickSwayze says:
Mannnn, I hope this spews a whole mess of hyper violent retro feeling drugged out neo noir games.
Also, CANT FUCKING WAIT FOR THIS!
18/10/2012 at 21:26 strange_headache says:
VIOLENCE FUCK YEAH! Oh… and tits, yeah TITS… velvet covered tits nonetheless.
18/10/2012 at 21:45 elfbarf says:
I was looking into buying the pig mask featured in the “Wear Something Fancy” trailer but could only find a single person selling them (on Amazon). I would’ve ordered it had they not wanted an absurd amount of money (it was at least $16) to ship it. I was going to email them to figure out why the shipping charges were absurd but it seems as if they’ve taken down the listing.
18/10/2012 at 21:52 lasikbear says:
Sellers on Ebay usually do that to have to pay a much smaller commission (as they don’t have to pay commission on the shipping costs). Probably something similar here.
18/10/2012 at 21:52 hemmingjay says:
I would like to point out that we in North America must wait 5 days, not 3, to commit acts of mass pixelation.
18/10/2012 at 22:17 Fanbuoy says:
Really? I don’t know whether I should be upset about the whole practice of separate release dates or be schadenfreudistical (YEAH!! No, probably not…) because we’ll get it first for once.
18/10/2012 at 22:49 AngoraFish says:
Schadenfreude, definitely.
18/10/2012 at 23:32 BubuIIC says:
But where are you getting 3 days? Both steam and gog both say 5 days for me. (Germany)
19/10/2012 at 00:32 Fanbuoy says:
Oh, same here actually (Sweden). Guess that means neither, then.
18/10/2012 at 21:54 Om says:
Pre-order now and save 69p!
18/10/2012 at 22:19 Fanbuoy says:
AND they’ll burn a tree in the rainforest. Pre-order the Collector’s Edition and they’ll demolish an orphanage.
18/10/2012 at 21:56 cafeine says:
Now, I’m proud to have done my part for the downfall of Western civilization and all that good stuff, but all this teasing is killing me. Is it the 23rd yet?
18/10/2012 at 22:15 Meat Circus says:
The nice thing about the downfall of civilisation is that every time it gets back up, you can just twat it with a baseball bat again until it stays down.
19/10/2012 at 01:19 The Tupper says:
Exactly. Stupid civilisation.
19/10/2012 at 07:14 Muzman says:
It’s because when it’s down you’re supposed to jump it and smack its head against the floor a few times.
18/10/2012 at 22:34 Lucidity says:
This is exactly what I imagined was going on when I was playing GTA and GTA 2 as a 12 year old kid. My twelve year old self would be overjoyed at playing this, it’s like GTA but without needing all that imagimunation. Unfortunately for him I’ll be at the controls instead…
This game looks AWESOME! >:D
18/10/2012 at 22:38 HothMonster says:
3 days? Are you writing this from the future or did they move it up a couple days and nobody told me? Or are Europeans actually getting a new game first!?!
18/10/2012 at 23:02 Lucidity says:
That’s right, Hoth Monster… You’re on the wrong side of the Atlantic for a change! ;P
18/10/2012 at 22:48 Screamer says:
Why does this remind me of Drive so much?
19/10/2012 at 01:23 Tyrone Slothrop. says:
The underworld tale replete with gloriously stylised ultra-violence in a retro 80′s aesthetic, you silly real human bean.
19/10/2012 at 01:54 The Tupper says:
Hopefully not so many pregnant pauses.
19/10/2012 at 02:10 Tyrone Slothrop. says:
Just for that, I counter-desire ONLY pregnant pauses!
19/10/2012 at 05:58 BenLeng says:
Tyrone Slothrop, I applaud your sophisticated nickname-choice. You, Sir, have impeccable taste.
19/10/2012 at 10:03 Tyrone Slothrop. says:
Oh you, you’re much too kind.
19/10/2012 at 07:34 Screamer says:
I thought it must be that! :-P
18/10/2012 at 23:06 squareking says:
Blood? In a videogame? It’ll never work!
18/10/2012 at 23:30 jayc4life says:
5 days here in Ireland (according to GetGames – which has an exclusive Eurogamer Expo-based bonus level if you preorder it there). I assume John means 3 business days, because we all know he goes into cryosleep on the weekends.
19/10/2012 at 00:05 Phantoon says:
Yes, just like teachers sleep in coffins all summer, and sports announcers hibernate during the off season.
18/10/2012 at 23:35 Lokik says:
Wonderful music on the trailer, again. The game’s not even out yet and already I have an unhealthy obsession with it.
Also what’s this talk about it being out in 3 days? My calendar must be broken.
19/10/2012 at 00:07 Breedlove says:
It’s the 23rd for sure.
19/10/2012 at 00:29 Phantoon says:
There needs to be a game based on Fork Parker’s life.
19/10/2012 at 05:02 Lord Custard Smingleigh says:
Bam!
19/10/2012 at 07:16 Muzman says:
Oh, I see. So the masks are sort of character loadouts/approaches to the level. Interesting.
19/10/2012 at 07:42 caddyB says:
I’ll buy this. And Serious Sam 3 too.
Just for this interview.
19/10/2012 at 09:40 DyvimTvar says:
Haha, very nice interview!