Pieces Interactive is an independent game development company situated in Skövde, a small city in the midst of Sweden. The company was founded in 2007 by 9 people with the curiosity and determination to prove that quality and uniqueness can come in all forms and sizes.

[GDN] A new Swedish game company started in 2007 and cooperating with representatives for Japanese business culture (Tecmo), who are publishing your games, how does that work? Are there any culture clashes?

First off, thanks for your interest in Pieces and inviting us to this interview.

Yeah, there are times when the difference between business cultures becomes apparent, not just in our experience working with Tecmo but in general. The way business is done in the US is a bit different from here and how organizations are run in Japan might be even more contrasting.

 With Tecmo we have mainly been working together with their US office. The producers and executive producers for both Puzzlegeddon & Fret Nice are people working out of the US. That said, Tecmo is a Japanese company and that means that much of the business is handled or approved through Japan, which of course can make things a bit complicated, but I wouldn’t say there has been any culture clashes, surprisingly. When the Tecmo guys been visiting they’ve even tried some pickled herring, poor bastards.

[GDN] Your game ideas are innovative &  have received attention at both the Swedish Game Awards in 2007 (Best PC Game) and the Independent Games Festival in 2008 (Finalists in Design innovation and Excellence in Audio), do you have a winning concept to reach that quality in your games that you would like to share with the GDN readers?

Well thanks for saying so. I wish we had a foolproof recipe but actually we are constantly pushing ourselves in new directions and challenging the definition of what a Pieces game is. If there is one thing then I would say it is that we have been taking the risk from the start in always playing to our strengths and making products which will stand out.