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Frictional Games, the developer behind some scary games like SOMA, Penumbra and Amnesia seem to have started teasing that a new game is coming.

The "Next Frictional Game" website they've historically used to tease new titles, has remained dormant for years with a message of "Our next project has not yet been announced." after the release of SOMA back in 2015. However, at some point after November 28th (the last recorded snapshot) last year it all changed.

Now, it has a repeating short video showing something pulsing. What though? I've no idea. Looks almost like a really early fetus perhaps? It's probably going to be something terrible we have to deal with or run away from once again.

Exciting, as Frictional have been a very long supporter of Linux gaming. They put their games on Linux like Penumbra way before most did, back a good while before Steam on Linux was a thing.

Begin your wild speculation and prepare you fresh pants, it's likely going to be another scary game considering that's what they seem to always do.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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22 comments
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Eike Jan 6, 2020
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I'll keep saying how incredible SOMA was, and that I recommend it even for people who are not into horror games (it's got some "safe mode") until I'm banned from this site or burried.

;)
NeoTheFox Jan 6, 2020
Yeah, some was on a whole other level, but I loved their games since Penumbra series. Consider me hyped, it's gonna be interesting to see what they cooked up.
Kors Jan 6, 2020
Thank God, at last!
It will be an instabuy as soon as they launch on Linux.
Xpander Jan 6, 2020
Hopefully its something like SOMA was. Truly amazing game! Amnesia and Penumbra series are great also, but story wise kind of meh imo. SOMA was the real experience, not so horror ofc, but story and the atmosphere was spot on imo.
Eike Jan 6, 2020
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Yeah, some was on a whole other level, but I loved their games since Penumbra series. Consider me hyped, it's gonna be interesting to see what they cooked up.

Somehow unfortunately, I stared with Amnesia, which, while far from being perfect, was an amazing experience. I couldn't get into Penumbra anymore after that.
fractal Jan 6, 2020
Looks like a loop of asteroid photos taken by a probe. SOMA had mankind go extinct due to an impact event.

Coincidence? I think not. :O

Their games usually get sequels and SOMA was well received, so I assume it will be something related.
Eike Jan 6, 2020
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By the way, because I saw the tag "indie game".
Would SOMA qualify as indie?
Liam Dawe Jan 6, 2020
By the way, because I saw the tag "indie game".
Would SOMA qualify as indie?
Why wouldn't it? Frictional developed and published it themselves.
Desum Jan 6, 2020
Soma would have been as good of a book as it was a game. Take that as praise or not depending on how much you like reading.
Eike Jan 6, 2020
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Would SOMA qualify as indie?
Why wouldn't it? Frictional developed and published it themselves.

If EA develops and publishes a 100M$ production, is it indie?
IMHO, indie is (also?) a production value question.
I'd have seen SOMA above most indies with this respect, but I'm not sure.
Liam Dawe Jan 6, 2020
Would SOMA qualify as indie?
Why wouldn't it? Frictional developed and published it themselves.

If EA develops and publishes a 100M$ production, is it indie?
IMHO, indie is (also?) a production value question.
I'd have seen SOMA above most indies with this respect, but I'm not sure.
Frictional is a small privately owned indie company from Sweden, with only a few staff. Just because the quality of a recent game or two has been quite high, doesn't make them not indie.

EA is a publicly traded company.


Last edited by Liam Dawe on 6 January 2020 at 1:32 pm UTC
Eike Jan 6, 2020
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If EA develops and publishes a 100M$ production, is it indie?

Well, if it did, it would be a very high production value Indie. That's where the name comes from, isn't it? "Independent".

However EA usually uses its main brand (EA) as a publisher and its various sub-brands/studios (Bioware, Respawn Entertainment, DICE, etc.) as developers, so their games aren't "indiependent".

So, would you call it "indie" or would you not?

I sure wouldn't...


Last edited by Eike on 6 January 2020 at 1:52 pm UTC
Eike Jan 6, 2020
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Frictional is a small privately owned indie company from Sweden, with only a few staff. Just because the quality of a recent game or two has been quite high, doesn't make them not indie.

Wow, Wikipedia mentions 16 employees.
Amazing what they are doing!
kokoko3k Jan 6, 2020
I don't know if i actually would risk with a "soma 2".
The first was so just perfect, from the story to the voices and the graphics, that making a sequel would probably be worse, but hey, who knows!
Also, what engine do they use? Is it something they made from scratch?
It works quite well and is light on resources too.
Also, it proves to be okay even for open and sunny spaces, as you can see, for the first time in frictional games, in the very final scene of soma itself.
EDIT
They made the HPL engine, now at version 3.
https://wiki.frictionalgames.com/hpl3/engine/rendering


Last edited by kokoko3k on 6 January 2020 at 4:27 pm UTC
edo Jan 6, 2020
I played it a bit of SOMA and I did not liked it. I dont enjoy walls of lore text, and this is that kind of game. I hope their new game wont be like soma, and instead to tell their story in a less boring way
Raaben Jan 6, 2020
I've been a huge fan of Frictional Games since the first Penumbra way back when. They're one of the only game developers left that I will throw my money at immediately. As long as Linux is still one of their platforms I'll be buying as soon as orders are live ^_^
razing32 Jan 6, 2020
Seems cool.
Are we going to speculate on this like we did the Feral radar ?
That small blob could be a fetus or a chameleon for all i can figure.
berarma Jan 6, 2020
I played it a bit of SOMA and I did not liked it. I dont enjoy walls of lore text, and this is that kind of game. I hope their new game wont be like soma, and instead to tell their story in a less boring way

Perhaps you stopped too soon. I don't like text walls neither but this game has a good balance and a really good script. Once into it I couldn't leave. A really great game.


Last edited by berarma on 6 January 2020 at 7:32 pm UTC
appetrosyan Jan 6, 2020
Super stoked. Frictional have their own engine, develop games that manage to challenge the conventions of good gameplay! I strongly recommend. Hopefully they have a GOG release, if not, ... no matter.
14 Jan 7, 2020
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I'll keep saying how incredible SOMA was, and that I recommend it even for people who are not into horror games (it's got some "safe mode") until I'm banned from this site or burried.

;)
I did not know there was a safe mode. Now, I'm curious. I'll look into this with SOMA. I do not like horror or creepy games.
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