The Whims of the Gods, developed by PJ Games in collaboration with Juggler Games, is an ambitious cooperative city-builder designed for online multiplayer. While the game still lacks a confirmed release date, it has already started generating buzz at some of the world’s biggest gaming events, including gamescom 2024 and PAX West. Recently, PJ Games shared some insights into their experience at these events and the goals they had in mind for showcasing their game.

According to Matt from PJ Games, the studio approached both events with two primary objectives: "to publicly show The Whims of the Gods for the first time and to listen to feedback from players who don’t deal with the game daily, so they can point out things we don’t notice in the daily production process." These goals were successfully met, with Matt noting that the reception from event attendees was overwhelmingly positive. "Of course, we remember that testing a game at a trade show is a completely different experience than playing at home. Still, positive feedback inspires us to continue working on the quality of the production and indicates areas for improvement," he added.

While the game didn’t unveil any new trailers at PAX West, PJ Games made sure to show off new in-game screenshots and revealed an exciting collaboration with Patryk Scelina, a renowned Polish composer, who will be responsible for the music and sound effects in the game. This announcement was a significant highlight for the studio, as they had not previously shown The Whims of the Gods to players. "We had never shown it to players before, so every day at both fairs brought a lot of good," Matt stated, expressing the studio's enthusiasm.

When asked about new partnerships or feedback they received during the events, PJ Games mentioned that they had productive discussions with several international publishers from regions like Japan, Germany, the United States, and even China. While no official partnerships were confirmed at the time of the interview, Matt expressed optimism, saying, "We don’t know yet whether these contacts will translate into new partnerships, but if you wish us well in your editorial office, keep your fingers crossed for that."

Reflecting on the importance of events like gamescom and PAX West, especially for indie games, Matt pointed out the challenges and opportunities that such massive fairs present. "The competition is huge, hundreds of monitors tempt players, and there are very, very many stands, so it is difficult to keep the attention of the recipient on one title for longer," he explained. Despite these challenges, the studio remains steadfast in its belief that showcasing at these fairs is essential for indie developers. "Indie games will never attract as much attention at the fair as the largest exhibitors, but we believe that presence at the fair is mandatory, regardless of how small the game you are showing," Matt said.

The experience at both gamescom and PAX West gave PJ Games valuable insights into how players interact with their title, providing feedback that will help shape the game as it moves closer to completion. Despite being a relatively small studio, their determination to be present at such high-profile events demonstrates their commitment to making an impact within the indie gaming scene.

In summary, The Whims of the Gods is shaping up to be a promising addition to the strategic city-building genre, with cooperative gameplay at its core.