Interview with Marcus Rodriguez
Indie Game Developer & Founder of Night Owl Games
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April 21, 2025
Marcus Rodriguez, creator of the hit roguelike \"Neon Depths\", discusses his transition from AAA development to the indie scene, the importance of community building, and the art of creating engaging procedural content.
Tell us about your journey from AAA to indie development
After spending 5 years at major studios working on big-budget titles, I felt increasingly disconnected from the creative process. The turning point came when I prototyped Neon Depths during a two-week vacation. The freedom to make quick decisions and see immediate results was intoxicating.
"Going indie was like trading a cruise ship for a speedboat - scarier, but so much more exciting"
How do you approach procedural generation in your games?
The key is to create systems that generate interesting situations, not just random content. In Neon Depths, we use what I call "controlled chaos" - procedural generation with carefully crafted rules that ensure each playthrough feels both unique and intentional.
Procedural generation visualization in Neon Depths