Cairn (Post Launch Interview)

“Can you imagine selling that to a publisher and saying this is going to be the game play? There's not going to be anything else but climbing”

These are the words of Audrey Leprince, co-founder of The Game Bakers and Executive Producer of Cairn, taking about how no publisher would’ve touched Cairn with a ten foot piton at the start of development and the challenges The Game Bakers would’ve received early on pitching what she says is a “climbing game like no one has ever done and reinvents the mechanic”.

This is just one thing and the tip of the iceberg of what we discussed in our Cairn Post Launch Mortem

There is so much hype leading up to the release of a game, but once it comes out, it feels like the industry quickly moves onto the next game. However, I’ve always been very interested in what happens after a release and dissecting how the launch went from an inside perspective.

In episode two of Post (Launch) Mortem, I got the chance to talk to Audrey Leprince, co-founder of The Game Bakers and discuss the launch of the commercially and critically acclaimed rock climber Cairn and ask a handful of burning questions:

-How did Cairn meet expectations? (both critical and commercial)

-Why subscription services aren’t the answer?

-Why the team insists on self publishing and how no publisher would’ve signed Cairn?

-Why the team didn’t make the game more accessible by lowering the difficulty?

-What advice would you give to indie studios creating their first game?

-Why On The Trail DLC needed to be it’s own thing?

-How does the success of Cairn change the trajectory of The Game Bakers?