My journey into gaming began with what were often labeled as “girl games,” specifically various iterations of Barbie adventures, which revealed to me that, as a young girl—and now as a woman with a passion for stylish heels—I could discover creative expression in video games. However, Colin Cragg, the CEO of Blue Scarab, understands that the current surge of action-packed hero shooters has overlooked female gamers who emerged in the 2000s, failing to acknowledge them as a legitimate section of the gaming community.
Comprising experienced developers from franchises such as Helldivers 2 and World of Warcraft, Blue Scarab aims to fill this gap by launching an innovative title—an enigmatic true crime, horse-riding MMORPG named Equinox: Homecoming. While many in the gaming industry continue to develop more extraction shooters like Bungie’s Marathon, Blue Scarab is excited to offer something distinctly different.
In sharing his vision for the game, Cragg reflects, “What would happen if we actually approached a title for [women] with the same seriousness and budget that we would give to a double A kind of production for any other demographic?” This concept is rooted in his experience as the former CEO of the beloved 2012 online horse game, Star Stable, as he considers bridging traditional gaming narratives with expanded audiences.
Furthermore, he notes, “It’s been a really exciting opportunity to try and actually work within those guidelines and say, ‘Okay, we’re not making the next shooter. We’re not making an extraction shooter. We’re not making another survival PvP title,’” during our Zoom discussion.
Cragg emphasizes, “The entire industry is totally and completely clogged with releases that have $300 million budgets focusing on the exact same gameplay,” adding that it’s crucial for stakeholders to recognize that “you’re ignoring 52% of the world population.”
As a part of that overlooked demographic, I am eager to ride through fields of dandelions, armed not with weapons, but with a deep curiosity for the mysterious and magical.
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