This year, Limited Run Games is expanding their business to include publishing for the Nintendo Switch. Although the company promises they’ll be releasing a line-up of terrific titles for the system, there’s one game that’s probably closer to the heart of the LRG team than most.
That title is Saturday Morning RPG.
Not only is it the 2nd game released by the company when they were getting their feet wet in the world of publishing, but it’s also a title personally created by co-owner Josh Fairhurst and his team at LRG’s development arm; Mighty Rabbit Studios.
With the excitement surrounding the title, the company’s entry into the Switch business as well as Josh’s hope to make a SMRPG sequel, we decided to ask the co-owner a few questions regarding each.
Here’s what he had to say.
Game Cuddle (GC): To start things off, for those who aren’t familiar with Saturday Morning RPG, could you give us a brief explanation of the game?
Josh Fairhurst (JF): Saturday Morning RPG is an episodic role-playing game set in a world where Saturday morning cartoons are reality. Marty is an average high-school student who ends up gaining a power that attracts some of the world’s most heinous villains to him. Each episode of the game is a fully self-contained thing that can be played repeatedly and in any order. Every playthrough builds up Marty’s powers so there is a constant sense of progression even if you’re playing an episode a second time.
GC: How excited are you about Saturday Morning RPG coming to the Nintendo Switch?
JF: Very! We had developed a Wii U port of the game that was actually quite good and by the time it was ready to go into certification, the Switch was on the horizon. It didn’t make much sense at that point to continue with the Wii U release when it didn’t seem like an audience would be there anymore. It’s great to finally have the game releasing on a Nintendo platform, especially one as awesome as the Switch!
GC: Why is it important to you personally to bring this game to Nintendo’s newest console?
JF: As with many people, the NES was my first console, {so} Nintendo holds a special place in my heart. There’s something really cool and legitimizing about finally releasing a game on a Nintendo platform, and physically at that (with the Nintendo Seal and all)!
GC: Will the Switch version of the game have any new content or features?
JF: We’ve made a few tweaks to improve playability. Notably, Marty’s inventory is far less limited so players can keep way more stuff with them, than in other versions of the game. It sounds like a small thing, but it definitely makes the game more enjoyable.
GC: You mentioned on Twitter that manufacturing for the Switch is a far more involved process. Can you tell us a bit about what’s involved/ why it’s more complicated than manufacturing for other systems?
JF: Nintendo only manufactures the cartridges, not the full finished product. In order to release a physical Switch game you have to arrange a printing partner and an assembly facility and coordinate the packaging of your game. It requires more logistical planning than our other platforms. This is totally fine, but it’s been a learning process so far.
GC: For the PS4 and PS Vita, you published 1,980 physical copies each. Are you going to greatly increase this amount when publishing for the Switch? If so, can you give us any idea about how many physical copies you’ll be selling?
JF: Final numbers aren’t set, but we’ll be around 5,000 – 6,000 units split between Standard and Collector’s Editions, most likely. Switch requires larger runs than we can pull off on PS4 and Vita.
GC: What types of extras will you be including in the Collector’s Edition?
JF: Right now we’re working on a Collector’s Edition that includes the game, a SteelBook, a sheet of scratch n’ sniff stickers, a poster, cassette tape, and two carded GI Joe style figures. The last item has been pretty hard to figure out, but we have someone working on it and we’re hopeful that the end results are solid.
GC: Do you have a better idea yet on a release date for SMRPG?
JF: Planned for the end of April, but that is all contingent on the production timelines for the Collector’s Edition.
GC: You mentioned recently on Twitter that you’d love to make SMRPG 2 and, that if the Switch version of the 1st game sells well enough, maybe you can. Can you give us a ballpark idea of how many sales (physically and digitally) you think it would take to justify a 2nd game?
JF: If we can sell out of the physical release and move 20,000 units digitally, a sequel will definitely be in the cards. Fingers crossed!
GC: Besides great sales, what else would need to happen to make SMRPG 2 a reality?
JF: It’s honestly just a case of the sales needing to justify the work. I have some dream collaborators I want to try and get involved, but the game can be made with or without them.
GC: If you made a 2nd SMRPG, would you want to release it on PC, PS4, PS Vita? Or, would you make it a Switch exclusive?
JF: We’d definitely still have to target a multi-platform approach since this is a niche game with somewhat limited appeal. I think the only way we could make a good return on our investment would be to release everywhere that we can. If the game makes ridiculous money on Switch, I think we’d certainly consider exclusivity, but I don’t really think that will happen. I think 20,000 units is probably a high-end idea of what we’ll do on the platform in the first few months. I’d love to see that blown away, though.
GC: If given the go ahead to make SMRPG 2, do you already know what it would look like? Basic premise, action, characters, etc.? How far along are you in the planning of a 2nd game?
JF: I’ve thought about it a lot. The core concept would be that Marty time-travels into the post-apocalyptic 1990s where his arch-nemesis from the past has teamed up with his future self. Marty would need to team up with his own future self to save the future and fix the past. The game would be designed to last five or six hours, with replays offering significantly different experiences.
Each time you replay the game, you’re essentially creating a new timeline for the next playthrough, like the illustration Doc shows Marty in Back to the Future II. In order to get the real, true, ending you’d need to unlock the various timelines and reach the point where you can tie everything back to where it began. The game would feature a more strategic battle system than the first game with a focus on multiple party members and turn-order manipulation. I’ve probably thought about a sequel too much. I really want to do it.
GC: Do you hope to develop other new games in the future under the Mighty Rabbit Studio label? If so, are you working on anything right now?
JF: Since 2015, we’ve experimented with some new games but we don’t want to release something new unless it will really blow people away. We scrapped most of what we’ve worked on in the last three years in terms of original content. For the most part, the team is just assisting in development of other people’s games and waiting for the opportunity to make our next original game. We’d definitely like to do something new beyond the world of Saturday Morning RPG.
GC: We’re excitedly anticipating more news regarding Switch releases from your company. Will you be making some more announcements soon?
JF: Yes, absolutely! We have a bunch of games that we’re actually porting to the Switch that we can’t wait to reveal!
End of Interview.
Since the interview, Josh has revealed that the Switch version of SMRPG will have a reversible cover. One side will contain new, painted artwork from illustrator, Paul Mann (Double Dragon IV, River City Melee). The other side will be the current art done by Eric Huang.
We greatly appreciate Mr. Fairhurst taking time out of his busy schedule to give us an interview! We’re extremely excited to purchase SMRPG for the Switch. We hope that it’s a huge hit for LRG, so much so, that Josh is able to fulfill his dream of making a sequel!
You can see a Trailer for Saturday Morning RPG on the Mighty Rabbit Studios YouTube channel.
Find Limited Run Games:
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UPDATE: As of 4/19, the digital release date for North & South America, Australia, & Europe is 4/26. Pre-orders for physical copies will become available starting May 28th.
