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.
Quoting: EikeFrictional 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.Quoting: Liam DaweQuoting: EikeWould 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.
EA is a publicly traded company.
Last edited by Liam Dawe on 6 January 2020 at 1:32 pm UTC
Quoting: PatolaQuoting: EikeIf 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
Quoting: Liam DaweFrictional 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!
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
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.
Quoting: edoI 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
Quoting: EikeI'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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