Croatian Developer Željko Kos Discusses His Journey, Projects, and Upcoming City-Builder Game, Pompeii: The Legacy

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Željko Kos is an extremely experienced developer on the Croatian gaming scene. He has been a producer, programmer, and video game designer since 1999 and is a co-founder of LGM Games and Overseer Games. He also owns Siscia Games and is currently working on the city-builder title Pompeii: The Legacy.

We asked him about his journey as a developer, the projects he has worked on, his opinion on the gaming scene in Croatia, and what we can expect from his latest title. He is proof that Croatian video games can achieve exceptional popularity when the right idea is combined with a suitable genre that attracts a wide audience.

We certainly recommend following his projects. Although the newest title, Pompeii: The Legacy, still does not have its Steam page, you can find more information here. If you are interested in other games he has worked on or supported, you can visit the official Steam page of Overseer Games.

Can you tell us something about your journey as a developer; considering you started way back in 1999, what was it like then, and how did you get into the world of programming?

I started programming already on the Commodore 64, and after enrolling in university, I shifted my focus to 3D modeling. Towards the end of my studies, I fell into bad company and started working as a level designer on a project at Fragile Bits. In addition, I was looking at other people’s code, which attracted me more and more. That’s when my first studio, Razbor, came along, where we managed to create and release the adventure game Legacy: Dark Shadows.

What were your first projects, and how did they influence your subsequent career development?

As I mentioned, I consider Legacy: Dark Shadows to be my first project. On that game, I worked on both character modeling and the complete code. Since it wasn’t possible to use commercial game engines at that time, I had to write it myself. The very fact that you had to learn every segment of game programming to reach the goal is what shaped me as a generalist game programmer.

Which project are you most proud of?

Starpoint Gemini 3 was extremely technically demanding. Since we were working on our own game engine, we needed to develop an animation system for characters that supported facial expressions and speech. On that project, we used both motion capture and facial capture, technologies that few people in Croatia use even today. That game is primarily a space simulation but contains many elements from other genres. On that project, I collaborated with the writer Darko Macan and many top-tier graphic artists, of whom I would especially highlight Stjepan Mihaljević and Goran Pavlovski.

In your opinion, what are the most important trends in the gaming industry right now? Which genres would you highlight as performing well?

I think the quality of the game is more important than the genre. Today there is a hyperproduction of games. On Steam, this is evident through 40,000 game publishers. I am not sure, but I assume that 90% of the games released do not earn even 10% of their own development costs. That is precisely why it is important for a game to stand out in quality from other games in its genre. When my company started developing Patron, there were only a few quality city-builder games on Steam. Today, 3 years later, there are hundreds of city-builder titles on Steam. It has become very difficult to predict trends a year or two in advance.

How important is player feedback in the development process?

Feedback is far more important than we are, and as game designers, we must accept that. Of course, one must be very objective and know how to filter that information, because in addition to quality feedback, developers also receive a lot of noise—information that some players generate based on their own flawed perception of the upcoming game.

Given that you are the co-owner of the studios Little Green Men Games and Overseer Games, what would you emphasize most about teamwork and leading a team? Approximately how long does it take you to successfully finish the development of a game?

In our work so far, we have done projects whose development lasted from 8 months to a maximum of 3 years. Previously, the development of our games took longer. Today, I prefer to work on a relatively shorter game development cycle because of less stress and less risk that longer development entails. Teamwork in the creative industry is extremely stressful. Creative people want their own freedom, but the deadlines pressing the company deny them that freedom and guide them within the defined boundaries of the project. The positive thing is that over years of working in the industry, a certain template crystallizes that should be followed so that creatives are satisfied and, at the same time, the project progresses.

Would you prefer to have a publisher behind you or release the game independently? What is your experience with that?

Personally, I would prefer to work independently. However, a studio sometimes doesn’t have that option due to rising costs and must seek a publisher. Since I have experience working both with a publisher and independently, I can say that for a team with experience and knowledge, it makes no difference whether they have a publisher or not. However, a small team that is just starting out without a publisher is often doomed to fail. It is sometimes good for beginners to set boundaries on how far they can go, precisely for their own good.

You have worked on very successful Croatian titles such as Aquatico and Patron. You are also currently working on your own game, Pompeii: The Legacy. Where did you draw inspiration for this title, and what can we expect from it?

Pompeii: The Legacy is my first title that I conceived entirely on my own. I have always been fascinated by Roman civilization. Since we are fortunate to have numerous remains of that civilization in our country, even in my youth I saw the remnants of Roman buildings in Istria, Dalmatia, and on the continent. While preparing this project, in addition to reference games, I watched numerous documentaries, series, and films on Roman themes. The knowledge I gained helped me crystallize the vision for this game.

Pompeii: The Legacy will be a classic city-builder with developed trade, in which the player rebuilds Pompeii anew 20 years after the great volcanic eruption. At the time the game’s story begins, the Roman Emperor Trajan is in power, who also appears as one of the protagonists. The game’s plot will span several hundred years, and the player will manage several generations of a family that is building Pompeii. The head of the family will decide the lives of their subjects, as well as the lives of their successors.

What can you tell us about the WhaleX engine?

It is a game engine based on DX11 technology. It relies on several add-ons like the Autodesk FBX Library and nVidia Physx. The engine was primarily developed for the needs of creating space simulations, but I later made it more universal, and it was successfully used in Patron and Aquatico. For the needs of this project, I improved the rendering of terrain, animated characters, and added more realistic drawing of the sea using Gerstner’s wave system.

In your opinion: Unity, Unreal Engine, or perhaps Godot? Which one is better in your view?

First and foremost, before choosing an engine, you need to know your own needs. If you want to make a photorealistic game, then you will probably choose Unreal; if you want to make a 2D platformer, Godot is the choice that covers your needs. The second thing is whether your programmers are more proficient in C++ or C#. If you only have C# programmers, then Unity is your best choice. Every engine is good in the hands of developers who have basic knowledge. The opposite is also true: no engine is suitable for people who don’t know the fundamentals.

We know you are also working on Kaiserpunk; how was the player reception during Steam Next Fest, and when should the game be released?

This is the first Overseer Games title whose development I am not directly involved in. However, as a co-owner of the company, I follow the statistics and can say that Steam Next Fest went very well. My colleagues did an excellent job regarding both game development and marketing. During the festival, the threshold of 100,000 wishlists was crossed, and that number continued to grow. The release date for Kaiserpunk will be announced very soon.

What would you highlight as the main reason for the success of Aquatico?

I believe it is the first city-builder in which the action takes place completely underwater. One version of Anno was partially underwater, but in Aquatico, there is no action outside the deep sea. When you have something so unique, it is easy to devise a marketing campaign and attract influencers and players. Also, in Aquatico, we have the ability to build on the seabed, but also in raised underwater domes. That method of construction was not common in games of this genre until then.

As an experienced developer on the Croatian scene, what is your opinion on the gaming industry in Croatia today?

The gaming industry in Croatia has greatly increased in the last decade. With the growth in the number of studios, the quality has also increased. We currently have a great diversity in the size of the studios, which is very good for the industry. With the emergence of the gaming incubator in Novska, the industry gained additional momentum. Today, there are numerous schools, universities, and courses that help new game developers gather knowledge. This was unimaginable at the time I started in the industry.

How important are the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) and the Cluster of Croatian Video Game Producers (CGDA) for the Croatian gaming scene, in your opinion?

As one of the founders of the CGDA, I am glad how the cluster has now developed and professionalized. I think that with the arrival of Aleksandar Gavrilović as the cluster’s secretary, everything has become much more dynamic. HAVC as a large institution and the CGDA are still in the courtship phase, and I hope that their relationship will become a partnership in the near future. HAVC currently co-finances video game projects to a small extent, but for now, those funds are mostly symbolic. However, it should be emphasized that there is a great willingness among the leading people at HAVC for video games to become equal to film.

What are the key skills that young developers should develop?

Young people should develop knowledge of mathematics, physics, and logic. Young people do not remember a time when we went to bookstores for professional books. We older folks have switched to books on Kindle, but young people, due to a lack of perception of the value of books, no longer use them as a source of knowledge. The saddest thing is when a young person who knows how to “program” blueprints in one of the game engines truly believes they are a programmer.

Young people in any position in a team, if they do not have a logical way of thinking, if they do not know how to use spreadsheets and various tools, if they are not creative, they will find it difficult to fit into a game development team. In addition to the mentioned skills, a game designer needs to be aware of the competition by playing video games, but also to develop imagination by reading books and watching movies.

Is there a dream or ambition you have not yet fulfilled but wish to in the future?

To go on vacation without a laptop. To go to Pula, Rome, and Kyoto, without a camera (mobile phone).