Somerville (video game)

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Somerville
Somerville logo.png
Developer(s)Jumpship
Publisher(s)Jumpship
Director(s)Chris Olsen
Producer(s)Dino Patti
Designer(s)Keith Linares
Programmer(s)James Bailey
Artist(s)Georgi Someonov
Writer(s)Chris Olsen
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release2022
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Somerville is an upcoming video game and the debut title by the independent studio Jumpship. The studio's co-founder, Dino Patti, previously co-founded Playdead and worked on Limbo and Inside as executive producer on both games. The game is set to be released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2022.

Gameplay[]

Similar to Limbo and Inside, Somerville is an adventure game played from a third-person perspective, most often at times like a platform game. The player controls a family of three, a father, a mother, and their young son, as well as a pet dog, in the wake of a post-apocalyptic event on Earth. The player must guide one of the characters through the ruins of civilization, avoiding strange alien artifacts that try to kill humans, and working with human survivors to find safety for the family. Like Limbo and Inside, the game is presented without dialogue, instead using the setting, environments, and animations to tell the story.[1][2]

Development[]

Dino Patti at Gamelab in 2017

Dino Patti was a co-founder of Playdead, the studio behind major independent successes Limbo and Inside. Following Inside's release in 2016, Patti left Playdead, stating he felt he had helped bring the studio to a point where it could stand on its own.[3] By 2017, he announced that he had formed Jumpship along with UK film animator Chris Olsen, and that they were working on a game called Somerville, providing a teaser trailer for the game.[4] The basis of Somerville had been Olsen's idea when they first formed Jumpship and was expanded upon following the studio's formation.[5]

More details about the game were featured during Microsoft's presentation at E3 2021, including the planned 2022 release date for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S.[6] Olsen stated that many gaming outlets mislabelled the game as a puzzle-platformer based on this trailer and similarities to Limbo and Inside, but he said the game lacks both puzzle and platforming type elements, and was not confined to 2D-like movement. Instead, the concept of the game was too difficult to describe beyond being a science fiction adventure game, according to Olsen.[5]

Further reading[]

  • Sarkar, Samit (June 27, 2017). "Somerville is the first game from ex-Playdead CEO's new studio". Polygon. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  • "Ex-Inside Dev Announces New Game: Somerville - IGN". ign.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  • "Playdead co-founder unveils new sci-fi adventure called Somerville | PC Gamer". pcgamer.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  • "Playdead co-founder's next project is Somerville | Rock, Paper, Shotgun". rockpapershotgun.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.

References[]

  1. ^ Clayton, Natalie (June 13, 2021). "Somerville is Inside set during an alien apocalypse, and it's coming next year". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  2. ^ Hester, Blake (June 13, 2021). "Somerville, The New Game From Former Playdead CEO, Gets New Trailer". Game Informer. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  3. ^ Pearson, Dan (July 19, 2016). "Dino Patti leaving Playdead". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  4. ^ Kerr, Chris (June 27, 2017). "Playdead co-founder Dino Patti helps form new studio, Jumpship". Gamasutra. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Sinclair, Brendan (July 15, 2021). "Somerville is Chris Olsen's game, and it is not a puzzle platformer". . Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Knezevic, Kevin (June 13, 2021). "Somerville Gets Atmospheric New Trailer At E3 2021". GameSpot. Retrieved June 13, 2021.

External links[]

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