The release of Skull Island: Rise of Kong on October 17 ignited a firestorm of discussions surrounding its dated graphics and relatively high price tag. Disappointed players took to social media, labeling the game as a “scam” and advising others against investing their money or time in it. However, a new report sheds light on the game’s troubled development process, shedding some insight into why it didn’t meet players’ expectations.
As detailed by The Verge, the game’s developers have now revealed the challenges they faced during development, helping to explain why its graphics may not have met contemporary standards. An anonymous developer involved in the project explained, “The development process of this game was started in June of last year and it was aimed to end on June 2nd this year. So, a one-year development process.”
In addition to the tight schedule, Skull Island’s development team reportedly fluctuated in size, ranging from as few as two to as many as twenty people working on it at any given time. To meet deadlines, developers stated that they entered a period of “crunch,” where they had to work relentlessly. One developer recounted, “The crunch was really set in motion in February. I was on automatic pilot by the end of February because all hope was lost.”
This isn’t the first time GameMill, the publishing company behind Skull Island: Rise of Kong, has faced criticism for putting small development teams under immense time constraints. In the same report, an unrelated anonymous developer mentioned, “It was very common for us not to be provided with all the information about the project. Which was quite frustrating when working because we had to improvise with the limited information we had on hand.”
Despite the game’s lukewarm reception from audiences, many of the developers expressed pride in their work, given the significant challenges they encountered within a tight turnaround.
