Devolver Behind the Scenes: Business and Punk Attitude

by Baptiste Peyron, Pierre Maugein, Mike Wilson (Foreword)

This book is intended for readers around the world. Not only to lovers of the Devolver Digital publisher and video game lovers, but also to those who don't care or know anything about it. Why? Because it tells a story that tends towards the universal, shared between moments of distress, doubt, hope and joy. Devolver is a name synonymous with independent games, with a strong identity, as well as a singular and marked communication. Far from the often polite attitude of the great video game publishers, Devolver stands out for its rebellious, punk spirit, which goes hand in hand with a keen business sense. The result of a meticulous investigation by journalists Baptiste Peyron and Pierre Maugein, Devolver Behind the Scenes: Business and Punk Attitude offers, in an illustrated book, the complete and unpublished history of this atypical publisher, articulated around the reported comments of more than forty people gravitating around the Devolver sphere, including the five founders.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a great overview of a philosophy behind the one of the most unique game publishers and contains a lot of really interesting anecdotes, but occasional typos and shallow sidenotes prevents me from giving it a top rating.

[Justin Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Devolver Digital is an interesting story, but the style of writing it’s told in is one of the most obnoxious I’ve ever encountered. The mix of constant fanboy adoration, overdramatization, and joke explaining nearly made me want to quit reading at several points. It’s a shame, because the authors clearly put a lot of work into it and the interview content is consistently interesting, as are the stories about various games in Devolver’s catalog. I only wish it were written in a way that doesn’t constantly call attention to the authors’ presence. There’s a lot of good stuff here, and maybe others will enjoy the style, but it was quite the test of tolerance for me.

[Alexey Matveev · Rating 3 out of 5]

when the author talks about devolver and their techniques - it's nice
when he decides to speak about the french gaming industry - it's "why am i reading this, i thought this is a devolver book"
but then he gets back to devolver and so it goes
fun ride, but i'm not a fan of french gaming culture, saaawwwry

[Ivan Chernov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Не дочитал.

Книжка одна большая рекламная акция с двумя лозунгами:
1. мы не такие, мы - панки
2. мы любим людей

Были ожидания, что будет что-то похожее на "Кровь, Пот и Пиксели" или мемуары Сида Мейера, но всё вышло слишком банально. В целом, всё было понятно по аннотации, где автор писал что собирал информацию с публичных интервью, а не зная что там происходит в компании.

[Михаил · Rating 5 out of 5]

Красивейшая книга, рассказывающая про самого необычного издателя видеоигр. История взлётов, падений и ПРИКОЛОВ. Жирный плюс за то, что большинство историй рассказывают сами участники событий. Небольшой минус за то, что книга очень быстро заканчивается, но зато она прекрасна и как артбук.

[Volodymyr Mysnyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Гарно розкрита історія одного з найцікавіших інді видавців сучасності. Компанія надихає робити не по шаблону, а згідно з власного бачення. Одразу після книги варто включати документалки No Clip про студії, які згадуються в книзі.

[Bob Makin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very in-depth look at the business of Devolver. A bit all over at times, but can't fault it