Victor Breum and the gaming industry were a match made in heaven. Then the crisis hit

When Victor Breum received production funding for his graduation project 'Mind Diver', he was able to start a company and work in depth with what he was most passionate about. But when investments in the gaming industry dried up, he and his team had to chart a new direction for themselves. Here you can read about Victor Breum's wild encounter with an ever-changing industry.

In many ways, Victor Breum is a prime example of a graduate from the National Film School of Denmark’s animation program and DADIU. He has always been interested in game design, his first solo projects date back more than ten years, and when he pitched his graduation project 'Mind Diver' to the Danish Film Institute, he was handed a large chunk of development money. With it, he was subsequently able to found the company Indoor Sunglasses with his team.

“We got the money and then we got started, and then there was a honeymoon period where everything was great. We had all that money, were able to pay ourselves wages and work on the project. We were also nominated for some awards.”

This could have been the story that Victor Breum stopped by The National Film School of Denmark to tell after he graduated in 2022. The succes story. And Victor Breum has a resumé that you could easily make you think that this is how it went. But it wasn't. It rarely is.

A different direction

Because dark clouds were gathering over the industry. Leading up to Victor's departure in 2022, it had been a jubilant year with a huge amount of attention and massive investments. But soon after, the crisis hit and it still hurts.

“I think there was an 80% drop in investments in general. And there are a lot of studios that have closed in the last few years. And thousands and thousands have been laid off worldwide. I would have liked to know that beforehand. But most people would, I suppose.”

So although Victor Breum felt that his education had prepared him well for the industry, there are just some things you can't prepare for. Instead, you have to be agile and be able to adapt when necessary. And for Victor Breum and the team behind Indoor Sunglasses, it was. Necessary. At least in part.

“A project like ours, which is a bit artsy and a bit niche, is the first thing to go. And we hit a point where we kind of ran out of money and had to rethink a lot of things. And when we applied to DFI again, we got a little less than what we wanted, but we could make a new plan. And we learned more about running a company rather than running a project.”

Luckily for Victor Breum, he brought his background from the animation program and DADIU with him. And the same goes for the rest of the team behind Indoor Sunglasses, who have all spent a semester at DADIU.

“We speak a very similar language,” as Victor puts it.

Because during his education he was trained to lead a team, and when you're a leader, you're also the one who fills in the gaps between other people's tasks. You act as a backstop. That's why it has long since become commonplace for Victor to have a multitude of different tasks in one day, when things sort of fall between responsibilities.

“Just today I've been working on contracts to start with. And then I've also coded some specific small things in the game. And I've gotten very used to that shift.”

So when the net tightened around the project, Victor Breum had to draw on that flexibility and, together with the rest of the team, set a new strategic direction for the small company.

“After that, we really shifted to: 'Okay, what contract work can we find for others and where else can we apply for funding'. We started working on a VR pitch to Meta, started thinking much broader, thinking about next projects. And we've been working on that ever since. Now we make children's games for another Danish game company. And then we got the production support for 'Mind Diver'. So we can finish it.”

Lean and mean

So they are pulling through at Indoor Sunglasses. And this is due in no small part to Victor Breum's ability to wear many hats and keep many things in the air at once. According to Victor, it's also an invaluable skill in an industry in turmoil, which he says points to a major shift underway - not just in gaming, but in the entire entertainment industry.

“The big teams have proven to be pretty unsustainable. In the mix of how many games are coming out right now and how many people are getting them on Steam, a tiny team can be just as successful as a gigantic one.”

Technological developments and streamlined processes have meant that you no longer need millions of dollars and a huge team to create a game that appeals to many people. At the same time, games are being released in abundance and access to platforms like Steam is no longer restricted to a select few. The playing field has leveled out.

“And that only makes things worse for the organiazations with thousands of employees. Yes, even for those of 50. And that's just tough business.”

It's not just in the gaming industry that cost-effective and leaner solutions are in demand. And the more you expose yourself to technology, the better. Because there's a trend for innovators and industry frontrunners to gain more and more influence. And Indoor Sunglasses is certainly not blind to this.

“It's obviously a shame for the big games, but it's also a great opportunity and an exciting perspective that the small ones have so much say in things. We have six people with us. But we're also gauging how long people should be on the project and whether we should also create more small things. Because the more shots you have, the more opportunities you have for it to succeed. I'm talking a lot about business now, but you have to do that when you're trying to create a sustainable business where you do what you want to do.”

Profits come first

And that's the bottom line. Doing what you're passionate about. That's why there's no frustration in Victor Breum's mind about often having to remove himself from the creative, from the material, and deal with the business side of things.

“It's part of it,” he says. “And in the best of all possible worlds, someone would just come along with a big bag of money and say 'here you go', now you can just go crazy with creative endeavors. But it doesn't work like that."

And although the learning curve has been steep, Victor Breum explains that he wouldn't be without the business side of things. Because it has forced him to get closer to understanding what it is that makes people buy a game and what makes them happy to play it.

But the crisis has made the Danish gaming industry less risk-averse and more focused on what sells.
And this is not surprisingly frustrating for someone like Victor Breum, who has such high ambitions on behalf of the medium as an art form.

“The space for what doesn't sell, what isn't broad and safe, it's very small. And when the willingness to take risks is so small, much of the output is also quite backward-looking. And perhaps this means that the gaming industry doesn't have as many artistic ambitions as other industries that are less market-based. The mindset is to make entertainment. And that's finebut it's projects looking to do something other than that fly below the radar. And that’s a shame."

So what do you do as a recent graduate if you want to do both?

“There is no right answer. You have to learn the game and then keep the nerve and the idea of bringing something new. To stick with it. Because it's easy to end up in an acid bath where you’re stripped of all creative ambitions. At the same time, you have to learn the game, how to get funding and how the market works. And there are actually gaps. There are really great things being made that people can make a living from.”

Friends are the best network

While it may sound harsh to have such a crisis in the industry, Victor Breum emphasizes that the gaming industry is populated by many very helpful and friendly people. And perhaps, he says, this is also linked to the medium's historical role as an outsider.

“Maybe there's a little bit of joy that others just think it's a cool medium too. So if others share your passion for the medium and your craft, a lot of people want to talk to you. It's really amazing who I've been able to write to and ask: 'Hey, do you want to talk to me for half an hour?And they just say 'Yes'. And it could be someone who has just released a gigantic worldwide success. People want to help.”

That's why Victor Breum also encourages future graduates to seek out and cultivate a network. Because it's all about cultivating relationships if you want to get a meaningful collaboration up and running. Victor Breum strongly believes in doing things collectively, which is why all six members of Indoor Sunglasses are part of the ownership group.Because if everyone has ownership, people get more involved, he says.

“The best network is your friends. So it's really about getting to know your fellow students. Because they're the ones you're going to get the most out of. The ones you grow with”

Facts

DADIU was founded in 2005 by The National Film School of Denmark and a number of other university programs and art schools across the country. Today, the collaboration consists of 10 educational institutions.

Every fall, around 100 students, including students from the animation program at the National Film School of Denmark, gather for a joint semester of interdisciplinary teaching and development courses, which concludes with a longer game production.