Nordic Games Retail Release
As seen in the latest documentary episode, we’ve signed a deal with Nordic Games for retail distribution of Broken Age on PC, Mac, and Linux! We’ve already started work to prep the boxes so that they can hit alongside the digital release this Spring. The box will see distribution across Europe and North America at a suite of retailers.
Part of the deal was that we’re also going to be recording new German VO for all characters! Localization for Act 2 dialog is now complete and we’re heading to the studio this week to start recording in German! Hope to share some of these tracks with all you German speaking backers soon!
We should also note that this box will be a different one than the Kickstarter Collector’s Edition reward. That will have the physical release of the documentary as well, so it will still lag behind the game’s release a bit so we can include the final documentary episodes.
Broken Age coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita
We had another fun announcement for the project last month at PlayStation Experience in Vegas. Broken Age is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita alongside its PC release! The game is already up and running on Vita with PS4 next on the list to tackle. With Cross-Buy, Cross-Save, trophies, and another pass on polishing up controller support, Broken Age on PlayStation will be a great option whether on the couch or on the go, or both! (Like, say if your couch had wheels on it, and a motor.)
Project Updates
Since the last Kickstarter update, there have been a few project updates in the backer forums over here and more recently here. Suffice to say, progress on Act 2 is coming quick now, and that’s only going to continue until we ship. Expect to hear lots of us in the coming months! Until then, here’s a bit of a recap on what was said there.
The big news is that the entirety of Act 2 hit Alpha last December, and much of it is well on it’s way to beta! The game is playable from start to finish, including the big finale scene we’ve been working on for the past few months. All the professional VO has also been recorded and implemented in the game. With the size and complexity of Act 2, these are HUGE HUUUUUGE milestones!!
We’ve been playtesting the game a lot starting from the beginning and allowing players to switch characters throughout. So far we’re seeing exactly what we were hoping! Playtimes of just Act 2 complete with the finale have ranged from 9-13 hours, the puzzles seem to be providing a good level of challenge, nothing is really standing out as needing to be heavily re-worked, and most importantly people are laughing a lot and seem really pleased with where the story goes. YAY!
Come 2015 will be hitting the ground running with a goal of getting the game to Beta in late February. Then it’s just polish polish polish til we get the game absolutely perfect and worth the 3 year wait. Hope is to launch on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Ouya, and Android next Spring as close to simultaneously as humanly possible.
An audio update from Camden
The audio team is cranking in full gear, having just implemented all the professional VO, adding sound effects to all final cutscenes, and recording an implementing a host of new Act 2 music. In the audio post below, Camden shares some of the audio ambiance from Act 2. Head on over to the forum thread and try to guess what they may be from!
Devs Play
Did you hear? Just before the holidays we launched another new series called Devs Play from our friends at 2 Player Productions! It pairs the running commentary of a Let’s Play with the insight and experienced game developers here at Double Fine as well as friends from outside the studio. The series is hosted on the Double Fine YouTube channel.
As the final release of Broken Age looms on the horizon, 2 Player wanted to experiment with new types of shows that could keep Double Fine’s engagement with the community active while representing the studio’s commitment to demystifying the world of game development.
Featuring personalities from within Double Fine and special guests from outside the studio, six episodes comprise the eclectic first season. These episodes of Devs Play are scheduled to release for free on Youtube, with the first three available to watch now and the remaining to follow weekly.
The Lion King - Featuring Greg Rice with guest Louis Castle
Earthbound (The Mother Trilogy) - Featuring Ben Burbank
Gauntlet DS - Featuring Anthony Vaughn and Geoff Soulis with guest Mike Mika
1/13/15-The Legend of Zelda - Featuring Brandon Dillon and Matt Hansen
1/20/15-Doom - Featuring JP LeBreton with guest John Romero
1/27/15-Psychonauts - Featuring the original development team with guest Stephen Kiazyk
Good New Games
The holidays may have come and gone, but to those looking to hold on a bit longer we’ve got a pair of short form holiday games from rad developers to recommend!
Lost Constellation
This one comes from the lovely team of folks behind Night in the Woods which was funded right here on Kickstarter a while back. It’s a supplemental game to that title and is every bit as visually striking and unique. Name your price and grab it right over here.
The Sensational December Machine
Another holiday title, this time from Simogo who has shown they can pretty much do no wrong through releases like Beat Sneak Bandit, Year Walk, and Device 6. Grab a warm drink and a blanket and download the game for free right here. Then go on and dig into their entire catalog because it’s all just nutso.
Thimbleweed Park
This one likely needs no introduction to the majority of you, but it’s so exciting it definitely deserves calling out! I mean, classic point and click adventure game from our good pal Ron Gilbert, what else needs to be said? The Kickstarter sailed past its goal and has since closed, but you can still get in on the fun on the game’s website.
That’s it for now! Be in touch soon, likely when the game hits Beta next month! AHHHHH IT’S COMING SO SOON!!
because I remember the times when they were decent.
