GDC: RedLynx: Independence can be an illusion

Speaking at a Ubisoft-hosted GDC 2012 roundtable RedLynx CEO Tero Virtala has stated his belief that the independence that being an indie studio offers can be something of what he calls ‘an illusion’.

While he did speak highly of the Trials HD studio’s time as an indie before it was acquired by Ubisoft, he made clear that he feels the limitations independence can create can serve as limitations in their own right.

"There is sometimes an illusion to independence," offered Virtala, speaking to a small audience. "If you don’t have your own financial power to invest in your own projects and ideas, really you are far from actually being independent. It means you have to make a great deal of compromises, and no developer wants to do that. It can be difficult and even limiting.

He later added: "I would even say that since our acquisition we are really more independent. We now have a freedom with our ideas."

Virtala did recognise that adapting to being owned is not without its challenges, but insisted working with Ubiosft has been a significant boon to the Finnish studio’s creative freedom.

RedLynx is Ubisoft’s most recent acquisition, having been picked up by the publisher-developer in November 2011. The purchase followed Ubisoft picking up other online studios such as Massive Entertainment, Nadeo, Quazal and Owlient as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen its presence in the digital space.

RedLynx is currently at work on Trials Evolution, which is due in ‘Spring 2012’.

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