2022 Update
The Expanse
I’ve worked in a number of established IPs, but, in my opinion, none of them have held as much exciting storytelling potential as the world of the Expanse, the realistic sci-fi setting of the novels by James S.A. Corey and the Amazon Prime TV series.
Return to the Faelands!
Nearly 10 years since its launch, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will be receiving a new DLC expansion. Yes, you heard that right. Fatesworn, the newest (and possibly largest) piece of additional content for the sleeper 2012 action RPG will be released on December 14, 2021.
Hello Kitty!
Over the years I’ve worked on numerous games in notable IP, but I’ve never worked in a world as light and adorable as Hello Kitty & Friends from Sanrio Co., Ltd. After several years of grittier storytelling - and a pandemic, no less - it’s been refreshing to spend some time in Kitty’s town with her bustling crew of silly friends and neighbors. Color! Cuteness! A skateboarding puppy named Cinnamoroll!
Life is Strange: Wavelengths
Over the last few years I’ve had the great pleasure of working with the talented team at Deck Nine Games, and they’ve been busy! Months after introducing the latest full installment in the celebrated Life is Strange series: Life is Strange: True Colors, Deck Nine and Square Enix have just announced the game’s first piece of additional DLC content.
Updated: Happy Birthday, Cris Tales!
I’m pleased to wish Carlos Rocha Silva, Dreams Uncorporated, SYCK, and the entire team at Modus Games on the release of Cris Tales, an homage to JRPGs of the past that seeks to finds its own place in the canon with a striking art style and ambitious time mechanics.
Endemic Fantasy
Although it’s not a big news day, this Kotaku article snagged by attention. (Thanks, Google!) Working with Dreams Uncorporated on Cris Tales was a fascinating experience, and the passion with which Carlos and his team approached their worldbuilding was uniquely impressive. I’m glad they’re leveraging that unique aspect of the game in its PR and marketing.
Colombian landmarks and their Cris-Tales counterparts.
The Kotaku piece concerns a concept that Carlos Rocha Silva, CEO of Dreams Uncorporated, calls Endemic Fantasy, which involves modeling fantasy locations closely on real-world landmarks. In this case, the developers sought to bring a handful of notable areas from their native Colombia to life via Cris Tales’ vibrant art style and fantastical setting. It’s always interesting to get a glimpse of how creatives express their own identities and experiences through their work.
Here’s a presentation from EGX 2020 that goes into more detail about the studio’s Endemic Fantasy approach to worldbuilding.