Hampus Soderstrom is a developer known and respected not only for his innovative products (Toribash), but for his humble and logical take on games and game development. In what may be the shortest, most to the point interview Casual review has ever done, Hampus shows us the minimalism that makes his games what they are is not just a stylistic choice, it is who he is. Meet Hampus.

CR: Hampus, could you tell us a bit about Nabi Studios, and your role in it?

HS: Nabi Studios is an independent game developer that publishes and runs the online game Toribash.

I started the company late 2006 and now we are 9 people working with it. My role is to make sure we keep good releases coming out at a steady pace.

CR: Toribash is your most well-known game with a community of over 12 thousand active users. Would you say that Toribash is mostly “done” or are there plans to expand it a lot more?

HS: The core functionality is there and I don’t intend to change that very much.

To make the game finished we will need to develop it as long as we keep the servers running. Running a game like Toribash is more of a service than a product. In that service includes adding new features that the players ask for and require.

CR: What do you think explains the popularity of Toribash?

HS: It is a free game with blood. The kids love that.

CR: Could you tell us anything about your next project, Glitch Racer?

HS: Glitchracer is a free form racing game where you build, race and crash a bike in user made levels.

CR: Going from the promo art of Glitch Racer, your games have a common visual theme in the form of simple stick-and-ball figures. Would you ever consider more complex, detailed characters for certain games, or is the “stick figure” look something that will continue in Nabi Studios games?

HS: Yes, this is the look I like. I don’t think 3d modelers add anything extra to games that makes it worth the investment.

CR: What’s the most interesting casual game you’ve played lately? What kind of gameplay interests you the most?

HS: I am following the development of a library called box2d. Some of the casual games there I have been playing around with lately. Like the ragdoll cannon game: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/444877

CR: Tell us about working in Singapore, and the development environment down there. Why are so many companies moving to Singapore these days?

HS: I think it is good working here. There is a small and growing community of developers that meet up every now and then.

CR: One of the most interesting things about Toribash is that it has never been on the major portals, or in the places other “casual games” have gone. How did you get the word out and develop this community?

HS: We have some features that enabled viral marketing, such as doing youtubes and sharing fight replays.