When asked about the decision to go right to work rather than worry about money, Monk said that this is basically how companies get started. "Even in a good economy, you'd just be wasting your time trying to call a banker or a VC with nothing but a good idea. Now? Forget it." According to Monk, the trick is to show, not tell. Without actual working code, Windstorm was never going anywhere, so he needed to put his money where his mouth was. That's not to say he completely ignored other aspects of the business. Setting up a company website was apparently a way to get people talking about Windstorm prior to the just-completed Game Developers Conference, where Monk says he "shook a lot of hands and got some great responses."
"The response to the announcement's actually been pretty surprising," Monk admits. "A lot of business comes down to who you know. While I'm not exactly a 'big name,' I've been around for a while and I know a lot of people. Graeme Devine has been enormously helpful." Monk also credits Ensemble head Tony Goodman for showing him the right way to run a company. According to Monk, prospective entrepreneurs shouldn't underestimate the power of simple communication tools. He credits Twitter for the surprising amount of traffic the website has gotten, as well as hooking him up with some good people who might be able to help Windstorm get off the ground in the future. "It's so much easier to keep in touch with people these days, there's no excuse for not doing it," he said.
Monk believes that some of the enthusiasm for his new project was also ginned up by the new artwork on his website. The design of the site is broadly reminiscent of the "World of Tomorrow"-style designs typified by the architecture of the late 1950s and early '60s, and the rounded and finned "Buck Rogers" spaceships and ray guns. "They say 'the future isn't what it used to be'," Monk said. "Something happened to science fiction in the early '80s. It became dark and bleak and post-apocalyptic. People really seem to be drawn to bright and optimistic retro sci-fi futures." While he wouldn't give many details on the nature of his project, he did say that he had drawn inspiration from the look of Mirror's Edge. "The great thing about that game was you could look at a screen shot and you knew immediately that it was Mirror's Edge. I want to do something that distinctive."
Monk says his trip to the GDC was eye-opening in more ways than one, mostly for helping him to appreciate just what kind of business climate he's launching his new venture into. "There was a lot of doom and gloom at GDC this year," he said. Indeed, according to at least one published report, the heaviest traffic at the show was at the job fair as recently laid-off game industry workers swirled around looking for a new gig. "A lot of people at large publishers and successful developers who thought their jobs were secure are suddenly breaking out their resumes again," he said. "It's scary."
Doom and gloom notwithstanding, despair isn't something that Monk surrender to easily, for himself or the industry. "At the same time that all these layoffs are going on, I think the industry is undergoing a renaissance," he said. "There's this explosion of casual games and game engines. There are more ways for game developers to break down traditional publishing barriers and find affordable ways to get your name out there. There was more attention given to indy game development this year than I've ever seen."
For his own prospects and those of Windstorm, he's equally upbeat. "At a certain point, you've got to stop listening to the people who are talking sense because then you go the secure route," he said. "Then you do nothing but collect a paycheck. If you've really got a dream, at some point you have to go for it." That being said, Monk smiles as he admits he hasn't totally taken leave of his senses. "Don't get me wrong -- I've got fallback plans. If worst comes to worst, I can take what I've built, scale it back into a standalone game and get it out via digital distribution. Then it becomes a resume and I can get a job."
