Doublesix - self-publishing a "most enjoyable experience"

Doublesix studio head, James Brooksby, has told GamesIndustry.biz that working on the company's own IP - Burn Zombie Burn - has been "one of the most enjoyable experiences" as the studio continues to transition away from work-for-hire and towards self-publishing.

The PlayStation Network title has now sold over 82,000 units, he revealed, but the developer has lots of plans to help the game to keep growing - and it's that freedom that the team is enjoying.

"We are very pleased with the performance of BZB - it's still continuing to perform well, and we've still got lots of plans to help it to continue to perform well," he explained. "Not only have we got the Home space, but we've run a small competition, and we've got a larger competition coming this summer. We've also got the themes you'll be able to buy shortly, as well as music, a comic, a player guide... then we've got an expansion pack coming, and then a second bundle pack.

"The advantage of the digital space is that if things are successful then we have the flexibility to be agile, and go out there to do more of the same. Certainly with the competition, once we've run one and seen the impact it has - which is a great advantage of being close to the numbers - we can take the decision to run another one and see what impact that has on our sales.

"Things like this, and having promotional weekends, are all things we're going to do to experiment with what has the right level of success. As far as going forwards, we definitely want to do more of this. If you talk to developers doing it, and the people in the team themselves, it's been one of the most enjoyable experiences - we're really feeling like we're very close to the games themselves.

"We're a small team, we're agile, the atmosphere is great - and when the products come out we don't feel like we've handed them off to somebody who may or may not care. It's still ours, and we can still decide on that game's future. It's in our hands to either make it work or not - and of course, we believe we can make it work."

The full interview with James Brooksby, in which he also details his reasons for making the Burn Zombie Burn numbers public, is available now.