The Company
Oro Interactive is a Belgium-based game publisher recognized for specializing in catchy and creator-focused indie games, often with a horror affinity. They support impactful game launches by focusing on titles that stand out in the crowded indie market.
Their upcoming title, Roadside Research (developed by Cybernetic Walrus), is a unique 1 to 4 player co-op gas station simulator. The crucial twist is that players are extraterrestrial agents, deep undercover on Earth. They must master the mundane like restocking, cleaning, serving customers… while secretly advancing a parallel agenda.
Gathering intelligence for an impending invasion.
The Challenge
Oro Interactive wanted to see how the foundational elements of Roadside Research were being received by players right from the start. They sought to understand, in a very early version of the game, if they had “nailed the shop part of the simulator”.
To achieve this, the team partnered with Antidote to streamline their entire testing process. By using our platform, they deployed remote First-Time User Experience (FTUE) studies to collect targeted feedback from their ideal player demographic.
The aim was to collect feedback early in the development cycle to then make adjustments based on what the players experienced. This is a perfect example of a team that is committed to building a game for their player base and actively listening to their community.
Solution & Results
For this round of testing, Oro Interactive wanted to validate the multiplayer experience in Roadside Research. Specifically, how different lobby sizes affected gameplay flow and coordination.
They ran three separate lobby setups:
- One with four players
- One with three
- One with two
Since players needed to manually coordinate, Antidote’s platform made it easy for them to connect through a dedicated Discord channel before jumping into the session.
Playtest setup included:
- 9 total players
- 90-minute sessions
- Mix of male and female participants
- Player base from English-speaking countries
- Core features incl. gameplay recording, think-aloud comments and surveys
Through the playtest, the team gathered valuable early insights. Hans Haave, the Head of Publishing at Oro Interactive, said:
“We were able to find certain pain points and early glitches. We ultimately found that the shop sim was up to par with its competitors, so we could spend time afterwards focusing on the alien half of the game.”
The collaboration ran smoothly from start to finish, allowing Oro Interactive to stay focused on refining gameplay rather than managing logistics. Hans further commented on this by saying:
“(working with Antidote) Very smooth – our account manager and the backend team were very quick to answer our questions and help us get everything organized.”
In the end, the playtest confirmed that the simulator mechanics were on solid ground, freeing the team to shift their attention toward enhancing the game’s alien features and narrative elements. All based on target player feedback!
Why Oro Interactive Recommends Antidote
We asked Hans whether he’d recommend other publishers to work with Antidote:
“Painless setup, good and responsive team, does what it says on the tin! Can’t complain about that. There was minimal friction between putting the game up on the platform and receiving the information we were seeking.”
By partnering with Antidote, Oro Interactive was able to:
- Organize remote FTUE playtests with minimal setup time
- Collect actionable feedback early in development
- Validate key gameplay mechanics before full production
- Streamline logistics so the team could focus entirely on iteration
If you want to organize your next remote playtest without the logistical headaches, try Antidote and see how simple player research can be.
