Jonathan Blow
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What's in a Name: Thekla, Inc.
Thekla, Inc.'s Jonathan Blow, creative lead of Braid and upcoming game The Witness, revealed the following Italo Calvino quote, from the book "Invisible Cities," as the origin behind his new dev studio's name. "Those who arrive at Thekla can see little of the city, beyond the plank fences, the sackcloth screens, the scaffoldings, the metal armatures, the wooden catwalks hanging from ropes or supported by sawhorses, the ladders, the trestles. If you ask 'Why is Thekla's construction taking such a long time?' the inhabitants continue hoisting sacks, lowering leaded strings, moving long brushes up and down, as they answer 'So that it's destruction cannot begin.' And if asked whether they fear that, once the scaffoldings are removed, the city may begin to crumble and fall to pieces, they add hastily, in a whisper, 'Not only the city.' If, dissatisfied with the answers, someone puts his eye to a crack in a fence, he sees cranes pulling up other cranes, scaffoldings that embrace other scaffoldings, beams that prop up other beams. 'What meaning does your construction have?' he asks. 'What is the aim of a city under construction unless it is a city? Where is the plan you are following, the blueprint?' 'We will show it to you as soon as the working day is over; we cannot interrupt our work now,' they answer. Work stops at sunset. Darkness falls over the building site. The sky is filled with stars. 'There is the blueprint,' they say." - Italo Calvino, "Invisible Cities"
The Witness preview: Peering through the Myst
"Hey man, come in," a weary looking Jonathan Blow said. He was welcoming me into his temporary New York City abode, a swanky hotel in midtown where he'd been put up for a few days to show off a preview build of his next game, The Witness. His bare feet indicated to me that I'd either just woken him up, or that he was very comfortable with strangers. It turned out to be a combination of both, as Blow's PR-less presentation style (and sleepy demeanor) soon revealed. "We started the game about two years ago, for real. I actually started it as a prototype earlier than that, before I finished Braid. I wasn't convinced I really wanted to do it, because I was still in the mindset of 'I'm the lone indie developer who types everything in himself and this is gonna be a much more ambitious project.' So I didn't wanna do it for a while, then I played with some other game ideas. Kinda liked those, but decided I really wanted to do this," Blow cursorily explained before I jumped in. While the dev process has seen contract workers, Blow's new studio (the ... uniquely named Thekla, Inc.) still only employs three full-time devs, himself included. "We're gonna be going into more of a production-type phase this next year," he added. The work of just one 3D artist has made the game's mysterious, puzzle-filled island alive with bright, colorful, abstract flora. In fact, outside of a handful of expected bugs I encountered, The Witness is shaping up to be another standout work from a developer already well-respected in his field. Blow left me with one final note before I jumped in: "What you play here is basically the game, it's just gonna be a better version of this that we show."%Gallery-130165%
Indie Game: The Movie has new trailer, new music, and new Kickstarter
The two-person team behind Indie Game: The Movie just released a new trailer for the increasingly epic project, featuring developers Team Meat, Phil Fish, and Jonathan Blow as they pour their lives into their games. If you want to see how a film can draw genuinely interesting visuals out of "people talking about making games," look no further than the trailer after the break. Those visuals will also be accompanied by interesting sounds: filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot announced today that Sword & Sworcery EP composer Jim Guthrie is creating the music for the film. Now, in order to finish that movie, the duo has initiated a second Kickstarter campaign. Basically, they need to bring more people in: "We're looking for help with the finishing costs of the feature film (audio, colour, and mastering) in order to make this movie the best possible version of itself." Available rewards for helping them reach the $35,000 goal include digital, DVD, or extended Special Edition copies of Indie Game: The Movie, t-shirts, and credits in the film. Go help out! We want to see this movie!
Go see Hecker, Neuse and Blow speak at UC Santa Cruz next week
Between Jonathan Blow, Chris Hecker and Alex Neuse, the University of California Santa Cruz panel being held next week should be chock full of interesting, honest discussion from the trio of all-star indie developers. The group is being gathered to speak for UCSC's "Foundations of Interactive Game Design" class on May 26, though the panel is open to the public. The discussion is being moderated by associate professor Noah Wardrip-Fruin. As for what's being discussed, your guess is as good as ours. Hecker describes it as "an open panel discussion" and notes that his game SpyParty unfortunately won't be on-hand for attendees. Blow separately confirmed to us that he doesn't plan on having his studio's next game, The Witness, at the event either. Bit.Trip series co-developer Alex Neuse didn't get back to us before this post was run, but it stands to reason that his next game, Laserlife, won't make an appearance either. That isn't to say you should miss the talk, which will assuredly be thought provoking. And hey, if you're that worried about getting a chance to play SpyParty, why not sign up for the beta? That worked out pretty well with you and Minecraft, right?
Blow by blow by Blow: Braid creator's commentary
There's still a ton of unanswered questions surrounding Braid, the more philosophical of which will likely remain unanswered for a long, long time. However, if you're perplexed by the technical side of the time-bending indie darling, check out a video of Jonathan Blow's Game City panel below.
'The Incompetent Perfectionist': Inside SpyParty dev Chris Hecker's process
"When you're trying to do that perfect jewel, there's a kind of bar you have to hit. People argue that Jon [Blow, developer of Braid] could've shipped with the programmer art -- I mean, it won the IGF design competition. And I don't think so. I think the game design was the most important part, but the whole package came together so well -- the way David [Hellman's] art looked with the thing, and the .... I think that there's a certain quality bar that is the expression of what you're trying to do, and you kind of have to hit that." SpyParty developer Chris Hecker doesn't plan on releasing his ambitious one-on-one spy game until he feels that it's hit the "perfect jewel" point -- an indescribable essence, or rather, a point in development when the concept and execution gel. "I'm not that interested in shipping the earlier version of it," he told me at an NYU coffeeshop late last year. Hecker's bringing the game with him to next week's Game Developer's Conference where he'll also be giving a few short lectures. And yes, he'll be making the trek across the country in a few weeks to PAX East so that everyone can check it out. %Gallery-117474%
The Witness makes low-key debut at PAX
The first public appearance of The Witness, a new game from Braid designer Jonathan Blow (and a small team of independent designers), almost went unnoticed. Its presence at last weekend's Penny Arcade Expo wasn't announced by an enthusiastic press release or trumpeted by a flashy trailer. It didn't even have a sign. "PAX is a huge show, with tons of stuff to see everywhere; if the game could hold peoples' attention under those conditions, purely on its own merits rather than by hype or pedigree, then I would know that it was really working," Jonathan Blow wrote on The Witness blog. "Happily, the game worked very well - despite the fact that the visuals are still in an early prototype stage. People tended to play for a long time, and they liked what they played." Kotaku's Stephen Totilo compared the first-person exploration and puzzle-solving to Myst. The game's beautifully lit and serene world hides abstract enigmas, such as boards that require you to trace the correct route. What's most interesting, however, is that there don't seem to be any prompts or instructions for the player -- making this understated PAX reveal seem very appropriate indeed.
Official site for Jon Blow's 'The Witness' launches, reveals concept art
The official site for Jonathan Blow's "philosophical, and quiet" next project, The Witness, recently underwent a massive update. While the archaic poetry certainly got our conjecture wheels a-spinning, the renovated site promises more concrete info through continuous updates while the game is developed. The blog's first post reveals a cadre of concept art for the game, as crafted by designer Eric Urquhart. It looks appropriately pretty and mysterious -- what's behind the door? What's with that force field? Who is the sculptor? Is it all just one big allegory for the atomic bomb? (Whoa, sorry -- we got our J. Blow games mixed up.)
Braid coming to PS3 next week, November 12
It only took 15 months, but Braid has finally found its way to the PlayStation Network. Jonathan Blow's critically acclaimed puzzle-platformer may be late, but its time-shifting gameplay mechanics certainly make the old adage "better late than never" all the more apropos. The Hothead-developed port will be available on the North American PlayStation Store on November 12th, "with a European version to be announced shortly thereafter." The PSN version of Braid will cost $14.99, the same price as its XBLA equivalent. %Gallery-77299%
Jonathan Blow hiring 'full-body motion tracking' programmer
It's been a while since we've heard anything regarding Braid developer Jonathan Blow's next project, The Witness -- however, if a recent post on Blow's blog is any indication, the "philosophical, and quiet" game might be moving in an unexpected direction. According to the post, Blow is "hiring another programmer into the new company, to do very interesting work with full-body motion tracking." We contacted Blow to see if this new hire would be working on The Witness, and whether the motion tracking technology mentioned is Project Natal. He responded by saying he "can't talk about this right now," and added, "it may not even actually happen (depending on whether I can find someone qualified to do it!)." So, there you have it. If you've got experience with body movin' (body, body movin'), it sounds like Blow could use a hand. And an arm! And a torso. And a ... yeah, you got it.
Blow points finger at next game's name: The Witness
Jonathan Blow has revealed The Witness will be the name of his next game, and there's even a teaser site to go with the announcement. "Teaser site" is a bit generous of a term, it's a website with some prose that reads like a lost page from Braid's between-level books. Clicking on the text will reveal another page, stating that the "exploration-puzzle game on an uninhabited island" will release in late 2011 on multiple platforms.Blow had previously mentioned some details about his next title, calling it a "philosophical, and quiet" puzzle-exploration title. As long as The Witness comes with an actual ending that wasn't designed to give academics something to write books about (that nobody will ever read), and leave everyone else scratching their heads, we'll be fine.Update: Added information about clicking on text.[Thanks, Fahd]
Braid set to perplex PlayStation Network users
There's only one reason for you to have not played Jonathan Blow's time-twisting puzzle-platformer Braid, and that's if you don't have an Xbox 360, PC or Mac. Considering you're reading this right now, we can assume that you can't use this as an excuse. Still, on the off-chance that you can, we've got good news -- IGN is reporting that Hothead Games has confirmed that the well-received indie title is coming to the PSN. You at least have a PS3, don't you? What, are you a Colecovision fanboy?Though IGN confirmed the rumored port's existence, no release date or possible PS3-exclusive features were mentioned. We've contacted Hothead to hopefully divine these vital details.
Germany's USK: Braid jumping, running to PS3
Jonathan Blow's time-manipulating puzzle-platformer, Braid, is probably best associated with Xbox 360. According to a listing on Germany's USK ratings board website (discovered by NeoGAF user Fortinbras), though, the game -- which falls under the organization's fancifully named "Jump 'n Run" category -- is finally headed to PlayStation 3.Blow talked about the possibility of a PS3 version almost a year ago, saying that it could happen after a "limited exclusive" with Microsoft had ended. There's no indication when our #5 game of 2008 will hit PSN, though it seems it will come via its PC publisher, Hothead Games. We've contacted Blow for more info; hopefully his answer comes running 'n jumping back to us soon.
How to make money as an indie dev
Every self-respecting indie developer we know treasures their poverty, wearing it as a badge of honor not unlike those bohemian kids in Rent. But for you monsters that are just interested in a payday, Jeff On Games has an interesting piece about how likely it is that you'll be able to make a living solely as an indie developer (i.e. not very) and how best to achieve that lofty goal.Unsurprisingly, the keystone to the whole thing is being able to make a quality title. But we'd add another important step to Jeff's list: Capturing the heart of a blog and having it pimp your game in stories with only a threadbare connection to it. On a completely related note, have you still not played Time Gentlemen, Please? [Image credit: Sklathill]
Blow confirms a few details about next project
Following the pseudo-reveal of Jonathan Blow's next "philosophical, and quiet" puzzle-exploration title, we contacted the cerebral developer to see what details we could discern about the project. He responded, and explained that he got the idea for the game a few months before the launch of Braid, but developed some trepidation about tackling "a more-expensive, harder-to-make 3D game." During those doubt-filled days, he worked on the prototype projects (such as the 2D RPG) we heard about.A few weeks ago, he began "working on the game in earnest," and is now hiring 3D artists to help realize his vision. He assumes it will be another downloadable title, but isn't sure -- it's not set to drop for two years if his team stays on schedule, and who knows what platforms will be around then? Blow said we should hear more concrete details about the title as his team begins to produce some concept art and in-game visuals. We'd suggest keeping an eye on his blog 'til then.
Blow's next project to be quiet, philosophical 'puzzle-exploration game'
With stories claiming Braid creator Jonathan Blow was working on a handful of small titles from a variety of different genres (including a 2D RPG!), we can't help but feel a bit disappointed that his next project has been confirmed to be a "puzzle-exploration game that is philosophical, and quiet, and is being made for reasons other than crass profit motive." Way to think outside of the box, Jon. (Oh, who are we kidding. It's going to be amazing.)This story comes to us by way of a pair of now hiring ads (for 3D artists, if you're interested) Blow posted on his on blog, looking for help on the aforementioned project, which he later confirmed to gaming news blog EndSights to be his next release. From what we can glean from the ads, the game will have a two-year development cycle, will place "a heavy emphasis on the way things look," and will feature a plot which will make non-philosophy majors feel very, very confused.We've contacted Blow to see if we can get any more details about the project.[Thanks, Art.]
Jonathan Blow on indies, games as art, storytelling
Speaking to the adorably named Press Pause to Reflect, Jonathan Blow -- creator of Braid -- had a few things to say about independent games, as well as the game industry in general. The remarks that most will probably focus on concern the debate over games as art. When asked what it will take for games to be considered works of art, Blow said, "All that needs to happen is for game developers to do more-serious work." He elaborated that currently "the work isn't there," adding that the industry, by and large, is about "pandering and infantilism." Assuming game designers can overcome that, said Blow, "We will find that there is an audience out there that takes us seriously."Blow also discussed the methods of game storytelling -- taking a moment to defend the dated and often maligned use of text instead of cut-scenes -- and how services like XBLA and PSN are affecting the independent games business.Finally, when asked about his next game, Blow said that he currently has four games prototyped, though he has yet to decide which one will become his next project.
Survey: Developers still worship Miyamoto, Blow too
Luminary Shigeru Miyamoto hasn't lost his shimmer in the eyes of game developers, with a recent industry poll finding the Nintendo icon to be without equal. The survey, commissioned by organizers of next month's Develop Conference, asked 9,000 devs to name their game development hero, with nearly a third of respondents pointing to Miyamoto as the man with the plan. The popularity contest also named id Software's John Carmack as the next most idealized developer, followed by Maxis and now Stupid Fun Club brainpan Will Wright. The top ten list of industry highlights was rounded out by Braid dev Jonathan Blow, who's likely too busy rewinding time (to see if he can somehow land higher on the ballot) to care.
Braid comes to the Mac
You have to admit: for all of the gaming woes that the Mac faithful has suffered, there's fortunately never been a shortage of great indie games for us to play. Aquaria made it to our platform, World of Goo appeared pretty early on, and now Braid, Jonathan Blow's terrific deconstruction of Super Mario Bros., has appeared on OS X thanks to the kind folks over at Hothead Games. The game has won more awards than you can count, but I can personally tell you it's great, as I played the XBLA release when it first arrived. It's a classic 2D platformer in the vein of Mario with a very important twist: you can reverse, slow, and replay time throughout the various levels. That twist results in an extremely artistic game that takes apart the original Mario story and ends up with something very much more beautiful and sad."Artistic"? "Beautiful"? "Sad"? Can I say these things about a videogame? Of course I can -- Braid stands in a class of its own as an experience that uses art and gameplay together to tell quite a story. If you're a fan of innovative games or just great interactive experiences, and haven't played through it yet (it's fairly short, maybe six hours at the most), it's definitely worth a look. The Greenhouse is selling the Mac or PC versions for $14.95.
Braid soundtrack now available (with remixes!)
We love how just a scrap of music can put you in the mood to play a game. Who can listen to the Oblivion or Halo themes and not get the itch to pick up a controller? We don't know, but they're stronger than us by far.After 15 minutes of listening to the recently compiled Braid soundtrack, we're dying to take the game for another run, maybe even track down all those stars that we've been neglecting. Oh, and don't miss the two new remixed tunes, which take advantage of the game's time-twisting theme with hypnotic results.[Via Braid blog]
