MX vs. ATV: Encore (July Game of the Month)

This month, we are celebrating the launch of MX vs. ATV: Encore's Xbox One version! Created by Phoenix-based Rainbow Studios, MX vs. ATV just made it's Xbox One debut Friday, July 15th.

As part of the Game of the Month festivities, we will be plastering MX vs. ATV content on our social media channels, and of course, we will be streaming gameplay! Stop by our streams over on Truth & Requiem Gaming.

Here's a bit about Rainbow Studios... "Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Rainbow Studios develops thrilling and innovative off-road racing games for the latest console systems and PC platforms. Such hits include Motocross Madness, ATV Offroad Fury, MX vs. ATV, and Disney Pixar’s Cars."

... and a bit about MX vs. ATV: "Rip, jump, and scrub your way on over 30 tracks and try to cross the finish line first against more than 60 official riders to attain all that motocross glory. Choose between bikes or ATVs, multiple game modes including Career, Single races, Free Ride, and online multiplayer events with up to 12 players. Perform amazing tricks to impress your fans or just "whip" over jumps to finish the race first. Customize your rider with items from more than 80 licensed motocross companies and kick up dirt and dust on your way to victory."

Interview with Rainbow Studios

The awesome team at Rainbow Studios took some time out of their crazy launch time to answer a few of our questions. Take a look! Do you have your own in-house engine or use a third party system? We use our own in-house engine that we have been developing since the late 90’s with major overhauls every 5-8 years. We do this so that we can stay competitive on the new gaming platforms when they are released.

What platforms do you release on now / plan to release on? Our latest game MX vs. ATV Supercross has been released on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The Encore edition of the game has shipped on the PS4 and PC with the Xbox One making its debut on July 15th. What are the development tools you use the most? 3D Max, Maya, Substance, Flash, C++, FMOD, JIRA, Confluence. What advice would you give to a new studio? Choose a strength of the studio and find a way to demonstrate it in a demo. Unity, and Unreal are great engines to demonstrate your studio’s passions and strengths. Building a little game demo with cool things to do show you can put something interesting and cleaver together. Whether its just a full blown vertical slice, part of a level or just something that demonstrates your game idea, it’s a chance to show something interesting to others…

What marketing resources do you use? We like to promote across our social media channels namely Facebook and Instagram while also utilizing many of the brands that we have in the game to help get our message across. YouTube is also a great avenue since you can really hone in on your target audience with your marketing spend. Live off-road events are also a big draw for us as it speaks to our direct demographic that we are selling to.

Any mistakes / hiccups you have made so far, something you would advise a new studio to avoid? Avoid the trap of putting your head down and being too focused on your own projects. Be sure to network with other developers, studios and folks at publishers. It’s good to keep abreast of what’s going on. Don’t be afraid to lend a helping hand here or there. Its always good to have good karma out there!