Little Cities interview - James Howard chats accessibility and cost atmospheres

A city in Little Cities

A city in Little Cities

Little Cities is a great cosy town-building game that thrives in how unique it all feels. Rather than cranking up the heat as you learn the mechanics, it takes the foot off the gas and lets you play at your own pace.

To learn a little bit more about it and how it came about, we managed to chat with James Howard on making the game with his partner Kelly and the unique challenges that come with this.

Hi there, could you introduce yourself, what you do on the team, and your pronouns for the piece?

Pitch us - why should someone play Little Cities?

With the Little Citizens Update, what is your goal for the player?

hands in Little Cities
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What kind of atmosphere do you want the game to give?

Where do you want to go with the game from here?

In the newest update, residents can live their lives in the homes you create. Are there any plans to further expand interaction with citizens?

With such a cosy tone, how do you find the balance between fun and atmosphere?

Coming up to the one-year anniversary, what have you learned over the last year?

Being your first published game as a team, how has the production cycle been and what would you say for someone getting into the field?

What would you say is your primary inspiration behind Little Cities?

What player behaviours have surprised you the most?

What is your favourite thing that the game's little citizens can do?

What would you say are the themes of the game?

Are there any plans to launch the game on PSVR2?

What would the team like to work on next?

Little Cities has made some important strides over the last year to become a fuller and more well-rounded game. Taking inspiration from city builders but taking advantage of the unique atmosphere of VR, it does something a little different. With the Citizens update out now, we're looking forward to seeing what comes next.