Neva, developed by Nomada Studio and published by Devolver Digital, releases on October 15 and takes players on a journey of growth. Whereas Nomada’s last game, Gris, was a beautiful, emotional journey through the stages of Grief, Neva is about the parent-child relationship as represented by the player character Alba and her wolf companion, the titular Neva. Throughout the game, Neva grows from a young wolf needing instruction and protection to a being capable of standing alongside and defending Alba. It’s a beautiful concept and a beautiful game, and it’ll be interesting to see how it vibes with players come release.
Ahead of then, Game Rant attended a Neva event in Barcelona where, among other things, we managed to steal some time from Devolver Digital Chief Operating Officer (COO) Graeme Struthers. He spoke about how Devolver Digital’s portfolio has matured since first signing Gris, how Nomada fits into Devolver’s overarching mission, and the importance of art and places like Barcelona in game development. The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Can you briefly describe what it is you do at Devolver?
A: We started with the five of us. We were five people for about three years, then Andrew and Anna joined, and we stayed at seven people for another two years. Most of us do quite a lot, but I was the only one in Europe of the original founders. I tended to do all the stuff over here, working with PR agencies and initially working with Sony because, at that point, Sony Indies was run out of Europe. It was setting up a lot of the really boring stuff like getting official publisher status with Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. I was somewhere between operations and PR, which is not my thing, and events.
Gradually, as people jumped in and joined the company, I could step back. I mean, I still get pulled into stuff. What do I do now? I’m officially COO, but I don’t really understand what that means. I sign a lot of contracts…I think I might be the one that goes to prison for tax avoidance. I think I’m the fall guy. I suspect that I’m the fall guy.
Devolver Digital’s Art Heavy Portfolio Was Elevated By Gris
Q: Can you go back to when you first met Nomada? What stood out when you met them and first saw their prototype of Gris?
A: It was the first time we had a producer working in the company, so Andrew was involved and Andrew’s very good. He’s always going to get into how this game will actually come together, how it will actually be made, but what made Nomada interesting was that they were based on programming skills and artists. Sometimes you get game pitches where it’s art heavy, but you don’t see the mechanics of it. You can’t see how that will actually become a game.
With Roger and Adrian being heavy duty programmers as well, their experience was already impressive. To some degree, it made perfect sense the way they were structured. It was at a Gamescom where they had a prototype for Gris. I think everyone who was around at that time said the same thing as soon as they saw it, and I was one of them: you wanted to play it.
Going from there, with games like Hotline Miami or Genital Jousting, there was a strong perception then that we were involved in games that were either very, very edgy or hugely satirical. If you look back at Devolver’s portfolio back then, though, it was about half the size it is now, but we always had art-heavy games in our portfolio. Gris is the one that really elevated that side of it. Long story short, Gris is a game that we all wanted to play, which is obviously why we signed it.
Also, just a sidebar, Roger is a huge Barcelona fan. I support Liverpool, but we both hate Real Madrid. It’s a passion people who hate Real Madrid can share, so we’ve always had that trash-talking relationship.
Q: When you look at your portfolio from 2016 and the portfolio now, you mentioned it was always art heavy, but what do you think has grown or changed the most in those 8 years?
A: That’s a good question. In one sense, and Nomada is an example of this, the studios we work with tend to stay with us for the most part. The changes in direction have more to do with their changes in direction than anything that comes from us. Acid Nerve made Titan Souls and Death’s Door became their next game. Free Lives have been prolific, and there’s no common thread with the games they make like Terra Nil, Genital Jousting, and Anger Foot.
We’re brought along on their journey, which is great. I guess, thinking about it now, we’ve started working with a lot of those teams when they were in their early or mid-20s, and now they’re in their mid-30s. The maturity may also be a factor, having kids may be a factor. We’re in the hands of the creatives, and it’s worked out quite well so far.
Q: It’s been years since Gris was released. When you reflect on it now, what comes to mind for you personally or for business?
A: I still go back and play Gris all the time; my daughter is a Gris fantastic. I play mainly on Switch, though. I mean, you’re going to hear the Berlinists later on, but the soundtrack for me is just incredible. Ironically, my first real interaction with Nomada was a confusing one for me. We met via email and we were doing Gamescom, and these three people just turned up at Gamescom to demo Gris. I just naturally assumed they were Nomada Studio, but it was actually the Berlinists who turned up to do the demo. We got to hear their side of the story and how they got brought into the project from a musician’s perspective and actually being encouraged to contribute to the game, rather than “just please create a soundtrack.” I mean, for me, Gris is an artistic endeavor in the sense that it’s an artist, a group of musicians, and a very creative team that leads this game.
Also, I’m a terrible gamer. It’s a standing joke at Devolver just how bad I am at video games, whereas I can play games like Gris comfortably. For Neva, I had the chance to play it quite early on and see how it progressed. I haven’t played it to the end yet, so I want to keep that until it comes out.
Q: Are you worried about having combat this time around?
A: No. Some game’s combat feels like a chore for me where I have to do this to get to the next part. Neva hasn’t felt like that.
How Neva and Nomada Fit Into the Devolver Digital Mission
Q: Similar to what I asked about Gris, can you take me back to the first day you saw anything for Neva?
A: I definitely can. The heart of our company has always been Austin. A few years ago, we’d obviously all gone through COVID and that experience. Our company had also grown quite a bit, but we’ve never had that “everyone together” moment. We decided to do that in Austin, we brought everybody together, and we tried to keep it very light because we weren’t sure how everyone would be post-COVID.
Nigel and Andrew were working with Nomada and told us they would have something to show. We’ve got 60 people, I guess, in a big room, and they’re very good at theatrics: “Oh, you know, we’ve maybe got something to show you.” They showed us something very Work in Progress that would become the first trailer. Even though we saw it very early on, there were a lot of people crying. That would have been partly accentuated by the COVID experience and I think everyone was more emotional, but I’m pretty sure that most people were blinking back tears. I know I was balling my eyes out, so yeah, that was the first time. And of course, I don’t know if you have any animals in your life, but the idea of animals in jeopardy, you can really relate to that. So yeah, that was it.
They made us cry, the bastards.
Q: How do you think a studio like Nomada fits into the wider Devolver mission?
A: Well, I think we’re stuck. Devolver is stuck in this place, which is we can only publish games we want to play.
That’s a really, really good position to be stuck in.
Nomada, as a studio, has earned its place already. Creatively, whatever they want to do, we want to be part of it if they will have us. We absolutely love working with them.
Q: Part of the reason why we’re here in Barcelona is to see the artistic and cultural influences of Neva. You mentioned earlier how much you love Barcelona, so I was curious if you have any perspective on this. When you look at Neva, do you see Barcelona?
A: This is a city that comes alive at night. The romantic side of life is how you imagine places will be before you ever get to visit. Paris is very evocative, Rome too, but Barcelona is a city where there are lots and lots of tiny little bars and cafes. It feels like there’s always a conversation going on, but it only really starts around 10 pm at night.
I mean, yesterday, a couple of British press turned up after long travel because of some issues getting here. I know at 6 pm they were starving. They wanted to eat, but no one eats at 6 here. You go out at 10. Dinner’s at 9 or 10, and if you’re in Barcelona on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, this place is popping at 2 in the morning. It’s multi-generational; it’s not just teenagers or young people. You’ll see people of all ages and kids will be out, so I’ve always thought this city feels like an ongoing conversation. They love their football, but they love politics here. It’s very political. It’s very left wing, I’m very left wing, so I’m with my people. It’s always had this artistic vibe with poetry, writing, film here.
This fits with Nomada to me. I mean, I can’t pull the two things apart. Nomada has always been here. The two things, for me, sit together, but you know if they ever move out of Barcelona, then I have to change my tune.
Q: As a wrap-up, what are you hoping fans get out of Neva when it comes out?
A: This is nothing something specific to Gris or Neva, but there’s something about how people play games and also how you have to take a break from intense games. I guess you can say the same in film, TV, and music. There are things that will actually get your heart literally pumping. If you do that for too long, you’re going to wear yourself out. Neva is this thoughtful, gentle challenge. It’s a challenging game, but it doesn’t make you feel stressed. It just makes you feel really relaxed and is a good time overall, especially if you play with headphones. It’s a weird experience, but it’s very relaxing and gentle, even when there is this running tension because you’re nervous about what might happen.
We have to protect Neva at all costs.
Yeah, exactly. I don’t know how you play, but for me, I love Enter the Gungeon for example. After it, I need to have a comedown game after playing it. That’s Neva.
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