With the end of 2020 fast approaching (or in some parts of the world, already here), we thought it would be great to share some exciting updates with the studio and look back on what we were able to accomplish this year.
One change, apparent now from our website, is that Chad Sutton, our new artist and roommate, decided in October to move back to Michigan. We were sad to see him go (the cat especially) and hope to work with him in future. During the short time he was working at the studio, he created some amazing artwork—including the logo for the studio!
What does this mean for future games and projects? Our core team, Erica and Cameron, are still 100% employed at the studio working on at least two main projects, hoping to spin up a third soon. In the meantime, we plan to limit scope on new work and outsource any art tasks on a small contract basis as they are needed.
Work this year was difficult, as expected, but we are still proud of the projects we did finish. Here is a quick rundown of what we were up to:
- 10.5 Cows – a game jam game we made with our friend and fellow developer Tim Handley of Mindful Mammoth
- Alhambra VR – a partnership with Claremont McKenna colleges to help students create a VR museum.
- Ulterior Spirits – a 36,000 word, web-based game, entered into this year’s interactive fiction competition.
- A small prototyping contract for VR Scout, an amazing media company out of LA
- Continued work on a long-term contract out of Minneapolis, MN.
- Acceptance into the Pitch Wars mentorship program—and subsequent offer of representation– for Erica’s adult SFF novel.
That last one is a big deal. While we did spend time moving, protesting, fleeing wildfires, and addressing some pressing animal and human health issues, the book is where a sizable chunk of our working time went this year. Getting an agent took years of writing and editing as well as no small amount of luck!
Looking towards the future, we have big plans. Work for the next few months, however, will be mostly focused on the book edits. Erica and Cameron are now represented by Becky LeJeune at the Bond Literary Agency, so the unofficial book project has now become official studio work.
This is not to say we are shelving our game development! With Erica focused on the novel, Cameron will be using his time to push some updates to old projects, finish up contract work, and begin prototyping our new stuff! We hope to be able to share more about that early next year.
Until then, we hope everyone had a great holiday and is staying safe. See you in 2021!