“In neon sky our kin are lost, till future has returned to dust”. What exactly that means I am not sure but that tagline is another piece of the puzzle and mystery for the newly teased title Somerville. The game is a collaboration between film animator Chris Olsen and co-founder, Ex-CEO of Playdead Dino Patti. The two came together to form a new development studio, Jumpship based out of Guildford in the United Kingdom.
Olsen, whose credits include Skyfall, The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron and Heavenly Sword, has been working on Somerville since 2014 as a side project. The creator of the IP, which has been described as a sci-fi action adventure title, has been chronicling the development of Somerville on his Tumblr page where those interested can see some of the WIP (work in progress) animations and more that will be incorporated into the final product.
Dino Patti recently announced his departure from Playdead that included a $7 million settlement based in part on the success of 2016’s Inside. Patti was a co-founder of the company as well as CEO at that time. Since his departure, Playdead has teased their own upcoming title.
Jumpship is currently hiring their team to staff the new independent studi0 and to work on Somerville. The company states their views on creating games as, “Our philosophy is to break preconceived notions of what games can be by exploring the creative possibilities of the medium. We believe in games as a legitimate and positive endeavor; with potential not only as an entertainment medium, but as a tool to question the human condition. We strive to support our intent with an unwavering ethic in all facets of the process.
This unwillingness to take the path well-trodden, to aim for standards seemingly out of reach and meticulously handcraft every aspect is where the weight of value lies for us as a studio. It raises entertainment to something deeply personal.”
