Nigel-Lowrie
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Devolver Digital on mixing indie movies and games for charity
If its recent Humble Bundle proves anything, it's that Devolver isn't settling for a footprint in one entertainment medium. With its games and a series of indie films on offer in the latest bundle, Devolver mixed its two passions in the pay-what-you-want, charity-driven Humble Bundle series. Devolver's Nigel Lowrie says the company is attempting to do for film what it has done in the indie game publishing space. "We're mostly known for games but Mike Wilson, one of the partners here, is also very much into independent film and trying to replicate a lot of what we do for games on the film side, and so we have Devolver Films now," Lowrie tells Joystiq. "The Humble people have been really cool and they let us experiment. So the idea was, 'Lets try out games and films together and see if that works,' and it lined up with some charities we wanted to help." The Devolver Double Debut Bundle supports The Film Collaborative, a non-profit "committed to distribution education and facilitation of independent film" and the GoFundMe campaign for the cancer treatment of Independent Games Festival chairman Brandon Boyer.
Reinventing Shadow Warrior for the modern era
Just over 16 years ago, Shadow Warrior launched on PC. As the follow-up to 3D Realms' popular shooter Duke Nukem 3D, the two bore similarities; both donned an iconic first-person shooter style, substituting substance for violence at every turn. While Duke Nukem was a macho, chauvinist with all the ammo he could ever need, Shadow Warrior's main character was crass in a slightly different, albeit still offensive way. The ninja assassin protagonist, Lo Wang, intended as a spoof on East Asian action heroes, was a walking racial stereotype. Lo Wang shouted "you want-a some wang?" with a mocking Asian accent, used chopsticks to catch flies, picked up fortune cookies in secret areas and fought sumo wrestlers. For many, Shadow Warrior was offensive and the game was criticized heavily for it. Sixteen years later, Devolver Digital and developer Flying Wild Hog have announced a collaboration to reinvent Shadow Warrior; the spoils of the partnership due this fall on PC and in 2014 for unspecified next-gen consoles. While a modern Shadow Warrior will bare an updated skin, the "reinvention" isn't expected to be a departure from the original game's roots.%Gallery-188724%
