Resonance History
Registered as a Canadian business in early 2020, Resonance Games started as the passion project of its founder and sole-developer at the time. Designing a Rhythm-RPG using available assets and software, the very first version of Rhythm in You took shape. This 30-40 minute Alpha Prototype pushed the studio to find new developers and continue to build off the initial game’s concept, characters and world.
From there, a Concept Artist was brought onto the project alongside a handful of people interested in working on something during the height of the pandemic. At this stage, the initial concept art for the title’s “Hero” character was developed and the foundations of our studio’s first project was organized.
Fast forward to nearly a year since the business’s inception, and the team now included a Programmer, Character Artist, Composer and Project Manager! In May of 2021, the first milestone of Rhythm in You was officially started; a first step towards completing what we we’ve called the “Vertical Slice” of the game ever since.
Over the course of 2+ years, the team would work through a series of milestones, each with its own goals. During this period, the studio maintained a slow-burn approach to its development of Rhythm in You, with many of its developers working full-time jobs at various studios and companies. It’s always been the priority of Resonance to make sure that our developers’ mental health and schedules are respected; core principals which we hold ourselves to both now and into the future.
Equity and Transparency
It’s no secret that the gaming industry is ripe with systemic issues, taking root in the form of historic baggage (crunch culture, lack of diversity, undervalued workers, etc…) as well as the natural clash between art and corporate business.
This is an issue that will require the cooperation of industry leaders and studios taking the first steps to make real change - no small feat to be sure! However, even in its infancy, Resonance Games is a step towards remedying the issues that we can clearly see. It won’t be an easy journey, but those are often the ones worth taking. The good news? We believe that not only developers support these changes, but also the gamers around the world that enjoy our collective works: a pillar of our industry.
It’s easy to talk the talk - but Resonance Games also plans to walk the walk. Simple and easily implemented business practices are a start. Transparent salaries with clear, fair and understandable brackets of growth within the studio are a no-brainer for one. Developers shouldn’t have to guess at what they’re worth when negotiating salaries, and nobody should question whether someone doing the same work is making more than them or not.
We’re also privileged to work in an industry in which deadlines, tasks and goals are, more often than not, clearly planned and stated. We believe that if our developers are delivering their work on-time, then they should also be trusted to manage their time, both “in-office” and out. Time off, whether to allow for much-needed rest or to take care of oneself or family when sick, shouldn’t come down to yearly-allotted days stingily tracked by managers. This also includes an acknowledgement that remote-work is both very possible and often advantageous within our line of work.
And last but certainly not least, Resonance Games believes in compensating our developers in accordance to what they really are: creators. Our medium simply does not exist without the hard work of these individuals, and so it should come as no surprise when we at Resonance Games pledge to dedicate part of our total earnings from the games we make to the ones who’ve made them. Our studio benefits when our development team benefits and so we continue to believe in people-first, not profit-first policies.
Games That Strike a Chord
Think back to your favourite games of all time, and how they made you feel. Whether that’s the way the music washed over you, or the excitement you had as you strove to defeat a particularly challenging section; these moments are why we love gaming.
We here at Resonance Games want to create experiences that last the test of time. Games that you will look fondly back at and think “I want to play that again”. There’s an emotional resonance that these kinds of games exhibit, the kind of resonance which not only provides an excellent gaming experience, but also inspires communities to form, sharing the things they love about the games they love.
That is part of the reason we decided to start our game-dev journey with Rhythm in You. We believe that music is a core feature in creating these ‘timeless’ experiences, and so what better way to fulfill our goal than to create a game whose very soul revolves around the concept. We felt a Rhythm-RPG was the best way to express this passion, though it’s certainly not the only kind of game our team wants to make! With Rhythm in You’s success, we can’t wait to dive into new genres and stretch our creative muscles to bring you, the community, a collection of experiences which we hope you’ll one day look back on and think “I want to play that again”.
We are Because you are
On our home page, we mention the words above in our ‘community’ section- but they’re worth repeating here as well. There’s an ancient African word: Ubuntu - which can be translated as meaning “I am because you are”. It’s a beautiful expression that truly resonates with our team, and we feel it’s equally appropriate in expressing our relationship to our growing community.
No media, art or game can survive without a following - and so we here at Resonance Games want to work towards creating a business and space that can evolve how a game studio interacts with its community. We believe that it’s not only our job to inspire our players with the games we make, but also respect the fact they’ve spent their time and money on our art.
It will be important for us moving forward to engage with our community in meaningful ways, and not just as a ‘brand’ - creating opportunities for our community to grow, express themselves and feel valued as fans of our stories and characters. We have our own ideas on how we can do this, but we also want to hear from you! What would make your experiences as a gamer feel more meaningful, and how can Resonance Games help make your investment in us feel more worthwhile? We hope that even opening ourselves to these questions is a step towards creating a positive and caring space for the community we continue to build.
