Going Postal by Seitlich Games is a hilarious game where players play as postman while trying to sabo their competitors. We interview Singaporean designer Song Yi Jie on what inspired him to design this game.
Q: Give the readers a short introduction about yourself and your company. What is your role? What is your company about? What is your “origin” story?
My friend and I started out with a game idea way back in 2017 but never got to doing it. We had many prototypes and even had the art done but it was never released. In 2019 we decided to go ahead and launch a different game first to see how the market would react. The game till today has still not been released but we are working on a video game adaptation for it.
The company name is based on the idea that we are making games that require lateral thinking, being that the original game is a second person shooter. We were looking for a cool name which would represent who we were and came up that we needed an SG acronym. We came up with the name Seitlich Games to represent that, though when translated literally gives a slightly different meaning.
We are still hoping to release the original game but that will have to wait till we work out the kinks.
Q: Let us talk about your products. What inspired the development of Going Postal? Why did the team choose to make this type of game?
Going Postal was inspired by real world events about the postal service. Back when a lot of online shopping was still delivered by the postal service, many times while you are waiting for your parcel you would get a message saying that no one was at home. The game was parodying that aspect of deliveries.
Going Postal was actually a side project since the manufacturing cost of the game we wanted to release would cost too much. We eventually decided to go with it as an excuse to go to Germany and visit the biggest analog game expo. The game also hit the checklist as a smaller project as we wanted more exposure to the boardgame industry.
Q: Most people are contented with just playing games for fun. Anyone who knows anything about game development knows that they take a lot of work to create. What drives you to develop games despite the hardships?
Most of our game ideas never even hit the discussion table. A lot are just written in my notebook and from maybe 30 ideas, only 5 get prototyped for testing. Of those, maybe only 1 would finally make the cut. After that is pitching the idea to publishers or submissions to other companies. Even when accepted, the game may never be produced and be just sitting there until the company decides to publish it or the license expires.
Despite all that, getting to know that your game has been accepted or even seeing people enjoying your creation, gives me a feeling of acknowledgement and purpose. A lot of people will give the typical answer passion, but it really is in this case.
Q: What mistakes did your team make during development? What about this game you wished could have been done better? How are you putting these lessons into future games you are developing?
The biggest mistake the team has made was rushing into a game. Rushing for something we were not prepared for cost a lot during manufacturing and we were not fully satisfied with the end result. A lot of the original artwork and graphic design we were going to use had to be replaced because our artist couldn’t make it in time.
In the future, always give yourself lead time towards the project. It will cost a lot of money and wasted effort to make changes at the last minute. Prepare well and if you need extra time, take it and don’t rush.
Q: We understand that you are very involved in the Singaporean boardgame design community, working with new aspiring designers and more seasoned designers. What are some of the differences you observed since you first started and now?
The greatest difference would be Covid. At the start of the pandemic a lot of budding game designers were popping up, probably because people were exploring their more creative side during the lockdown. There have been many more active game designers hoping to publish their game then when compared back to a few years ago. This could also be due to more prominent Singapore game designers and games such as Singaporean Dream and Chope.
I feel that Singapore still has a lot of potential for growth in the boardgame market and we are only starting to see the beginnings. More people are going to boardgame cafes and boardgame meetups. The games being played fit closer to emerging boardgame markets such as social deduction games and lighter strategy games.
There is still a big piece of the pie left and most industry people are really nice and helpful. One thing great about the industry is that it is easy to ask for help with so many online resources as well as support for new designers.
Q: What are the future plans for the team? If it is a new product, where can we find out more about the product?
The team still has plans down the line, but it is still a secret. If all goes well, the company will be going through quite drastic changes in the future.
I cant share too much but if there is any new news we will post it on our Facebook page.