James Stone has always wanted to create video games. But his dream came true only after meeting with the European leader of ID @ Xbox at one of the conferences.
It was a journey through the whole world that cost him almost everything. But this path took Stone to the pinnacle of fame, where he received praise from his idols and was greeted at the world's largest gaming events.
“This is an exciting, dizzying journey. How the hell did I get here? " Stone says as we chat over coffee at Brighton Station in a socially distant manner. He decided to pause after making his latest game, Xenosis: Alien Infection .
The 42-year-old developer participates in ID @ Xbox , Microsoft's program to help independent game developers. It allows Stone to self-publish digital games to Xbox One and Windows 10 using Xbox Live, as well as add Xbox Live to games for iOS or Android. It gives developers the tools and support they need to create games.
Xbox support was especially important as Stone prepared to release his shoot-em-up game, Xenosis, with a fantastic top-down storyline. Getting there was not easy - in 2016, he quit his high-paying job in IT, sold everything he had, and moved with his wife to a small apartment in the Chinese city of Suzhou. Neither he nor she spoke Chinese, and Stone completely went into his shell, plunged into work.
“I was already in the process of working on the game and suddenly realized that I had made a really big mistake. I alone had to do everything: draw characters, write music, create sound effects, everything. I took on too much, the scale of the game was too big, ”he says, and pauses. - It was unrealistically difficult to do everything at the same time. I focused too much on my games. "
James Stone (center) showed Jump Gunners and early Xenosis at various events
In 2018, his marriage fell apart, and Stone returned to the UK alone with two suitcases and a laptop in hand. He had nowhere to live, he had no money, and he felt "terribly depressed." “I lived in a spare bedroom at my father's house and tried to figure out what I would do. I tried to find a job, but I didn't want to work in the IT industry anymore. I didn't want to make other people's games, I wanted to make my own. "
It has been two years since the Brighton Developer Conference, where Stone accidentally found part of a panel discussion with Agostino Simonetta, who oversees ID @ Xbox in Europe.
Amazed at what ID @ Xbox has to offer, Stone was determined to speak with Simonetta.
“I've always dreamed of getting my game out on a console,” he says. “So I decided that I wouldn't let him (Simonetta) leave the room until I talked to him. I walked over, shook his hand and said that I have two great games that I wanted to show him. Fortunately, a month later, he agreed to meet for a cup of coffee and see them. "
These were early versions of Xenosis and the side-scroller Jump Gunners, a multiplayer action game he developed by asking friends to play it without telling them what he was planning. Simonetta loved the games and sponsored Stone's participation in the ID @ Xbox program, which gives access to development tools.
Stone adds, “Although Ago saw prototypes very early on, he really believed in them. Microsoft believed in them ... and in me. "
“James has a crush on gaming, so he was perfect for ID @ Xbox,” says Simonetta. "The program was created just for people like him, who want to do something that everyone will enjoy."
“Jump Gunners and Xenosis have been featured at some of the biggest gaming events and have received incredible reviews. We saw people queuing up to play, they loved the storylines, graphics and gameplay. Gamers are really into James' games. "
“I am sure James has a great future. ID @ Xbox gives him the tools to self-publish games on multiple platforms, giving him the freedom to create the games he wants. "
"I can't wait to see what else he does."
Their meeting kicked off a chain of events that took Stone and Jump Gunners to the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2017, the world's largest industry event for professionals. The game was showcased at this conference and also launched on Xbox One.
Last year was a busy year for Stone: Xenosis was shown at GDC 2019, EGX Rezzed and EGX 2019, and the game was selected for a grant from the UK Games Fund.
"I'm sure James has a great future ... I can't wait to see what else he does."
It was these events that drew everyone's attention to Stone's acting and, as he said, "brought me and my studio fame." Then he got interested from publishers and soon had a dream job at Unity Technologies, where Stone is EMEA Developer Relations Manager.
It all started with ID @ Xbox.
Games published through ID @ Xbox are included in Xbox Game Pass, a library of over 100 high-quality games that gamers can access by subscription.
“The ID @ Xbox platform allows self-publishing to the Xbox Store and Windows Store,” Stone continues. “I love that these stores are curated, so this is a great checkmark for the quality of your game and a big checkbox for the industry. It boosted my credibility, and people suddenly started showing great interest: "Oh, you're out on the Xbox!" Suddenly there was a high level of trust in my work, the media became interested in communicating with me, the publishers also wanted to meet. Then GDC took place, and put me on the same platform with famous brands - it's powerful. This level of support and this audience reach is worth a lot. "
Microsoft gave me an entry ticket to the industry, so I will always be loyal to them. I am also convinced that you need to invest in the future, so I try to help other developers get through.
ID @ Xbox's investment created a "snowball effect" for Stone. The interest in his games, which naturally arose with his participation in events, led to four people asking to help develop Xenosis. Stone, who lives in Brighton, now works with a copywriter from New Zealand, a composer from the United States, and artists from Russia and Portugal.
Stone, who lives in Brighton, now works with a copywriter from New Zealand, a composer from the United States, and artists from Russia and Portugal.
“Everyone does it in their free time as a favorite hobby,” he says. - I worked on Xenosis alone for two years. I am very proud of what I have achieved. My job was good enough to get people interested in it. Now a team of five is working on the game, and the quality is high. "
Although Stone was delighted to have received such a positive reaction to the Jump Gunners (and calmed down a bit), he nonetheless considered Xenosis to be his top priority.
The main inspiration behind this game is the classic shooter Alien Breed. The scenario is based on the story of a recyclable hunter in deep space. He discovers the remains of the starship Karpaty, which was believed to have been destroyed 50 years ago. The data core located in the ship's artificial intelligence costs a lot of money on the Black Market, so you dock to the ship to retrieve it. However, you quickly realize that you are not alone on the Karpaty ...
It is interesting to note that one of the Alien Breed designers played Xenosis at an event. He, like several other Stone idols who have worked on such famous games as X-COM and System Shock, loved Xenosis.
“It's just crazy. It’s me, just a guy who… I don’t feel exceptional, ”Stone says in amazement. - Well, yes, I have good ideas and I am a competent enough programmer, but for all this ?! "
“I try not to think about it because as soon as I start, there are too many different thoughts. And this is already too much for me. I want to create games for fun, that's my passion. If everything goes well and I make some money at the end of the project, that's great! But I try not to think about one of the publishers who really got interested in my game, it's a very famous name. I'm starting to get scared. "
“I've always dreamed of getting my game out on a console,” he says. “So I decided that I wouldn't let him (Simonetta) leave the room until I talked to him. I walked over, shook his hand and said that I have two great games that I wanted to show him. "
Stone has always seized upon opportunities that put him outside his comfort zone, whether it was learning to code, creating his first video game - a free mobile game called Crazy Cars that was downloaded 50,000 times, or traveling to Africa, where he photographed far from civilization tribes. This project in Africa earned him awards and a nomination for the National Geographic Photographer of the Year.
“I learned long ago not to be afraid. My mom (a member of the chart-topping duo R and J Stone) died when I was very young, and for my dad, music was a way to heal. In 2010 - I was 30 - he performed at a concert, and there was a guy who said that this music touched his soul. He worked with tribes in Africa and said that music is a way of transmitting their traditions. So I took my cameras and we went to live in remote regions of Africa for a month. "
“I have received many international awards for my photographs. Four times in a row, I have been a finalist in the National Geographic competition for work done in Cambodia and Southeast Asia. This is all the result of pushing myself out of my comfort zone; don't be afraid to try something new. I'm never afraid! "
After the release of Xenosis, Stone will tackle new, exciting projects at Unity Technologies. He already has ideas for the next two games, but can he talk about them?
“Nope. There's a cool idea for the next game. But we will only reveal everything when we finish Xenosis, ”he says with a smile.
