Derek Yu's Vision for a Human-Driven Gaming Industry: Insights from UFO 50's Development Journey

When launching a game like UFO 50, which features a collection of 50 titles with 80s-inspired roots and modern design sensibilities, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. The collection, released on September 18, 2024, to critical and commercial acclaim, is an unusual yet captivating addition to the indie landscape. To understand the development process of such a vast project, we spoke with Derek Yu, the renowned indie developer behind Spelunky and Spelunky 2, who worked on UFO 50 with a team of five other indie developers for over eight years. The team included Jon Perry, known for board game design, composer Eirik Suhrke, pixel artist Paul Hubans, Ojiro Fumoto, known for the mobile hit Downwell, and pixel artist and animator Tyriq Plummer. Our discussion with Yu began with how the team managed to balance the scope and perspective of the project while dealing with the challenges of making one game, let alone 50. Yu emphasized the importance of regularly zooming out to ensure that the team wasn't getting too lost in one small part of the project. He explained that setting regular deadlines where they'd try to bring each game to a certain level of completeness helped the team stay on track. As for collection-wide design principles, Yu and his team prioritized making sure each game could generate its own unique appeal. While connections between finished games were important, the team also focused on structuring their collaborative efforts to create connective tissue between developers during the project's development. Yu noted that setting expectations was crucial, and the team's ability to work together and respect one another's ideas was key to the project's success. The team's approach to game development was marked by flexibility, which allowed them to scrap projects that weren't working and focus on the ones that showed promise. Yu pointed out that this flexibility is an underappreciated advantage that indie game developers have. When asked about the choice of 80s-inspired design for UFO 50, Yu highlighted the DIY spirit of games during that era and how their gameplay and interfaces often brought out creativity in players and designers alike. The team's goal was to capture the raw energy and excitement of 80s gaming while applying the good lessons they've learned since then. The project took longer than expected to complete, with Yu originally envisioning a 2018 launch. However, the team's decision to focus on Spelunky 2 and ship that first before turning their full attention back to UFO 50 ultimately paid off. When asked if he'd do anything differently if he could go back in time, Yu's answer was definitive: he wouldn't change a thing. The team's approach to game development was refreshing, and Yu's philosophy on games as works of art contextualizes the prospect of future innovation in the indie space. Yu cautioned new indie developers against making such a vast project, emphasizing the importance of treating game development as an iterative learning experience. He believes that releasing several smaller games over a few years is a more sustainable approach than banking on one encompassing idea for years on end. Yu's vision for the games industry is radically simple: games are made by people, and developers should prioritize working with people they trust and enjoy collaborating with. The experience of working on UFO 50 validated many of the lessons Yu learned from previous projects, including the importance of working with people you trust and providing meaningful experiences that aren't necessarily what players expect or find immediately comfortable. Yu's desire to have fun making games was the driving force behind UFO 50, and he believes that this approach is essential for creating games that resonate with players.