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That Dragon, Cancer dad, devs push on after tragedy
That Dragon, Cancer tells the real-life story of Joel Green, a young boy fighting terminal cancer, placed in a low-poly, point-and-click world. There are no puzzles in the game, only daily activities haunted by an unseen monster silently shaping the lives of Joel and his family. Joel's father, Ryan Green, is developing the game alongside Josh Larson and a handful of contributors. That Dragon, Cancer includes personal notes and stories from the Green family, describing their pain, joy, hope and despair as the story progresses and Joel's health continues to decline. In March, after battling cancer for four years, Joel died at the age of 5. The game must go on. Ryan Green, Josh Larson and the That Dragon, Cancer team are pushing forward with development, gathering funding from investors and today launching a Kickstarter campaign seeking $85,000 to help finish the game. That Dragon, Cancer has the financial support of Indie Fund – up to $50,000 – if it needs it and if the campaign is successful. This all means the game is delayed from its 2014 launch window, but when it does launch, it will do so on Ouya and Steam (PC and Mac) simultaneously. It was previously designed as an Ouya exclusive, but the micro-console maker is allowing a side-by-side PC premiere as a show of support for the developers, who wish to get That Dragon, Cancer in front of as many people as possible.
That Dragon, Cancer tackles Ouya in 2014
That Dragon, Cancer will debut on Ouya in 2014, showcasing an intense, emotional game on the big screen, in living rooms and just as developers Ryan Green and Josh Larson intended. That Dragon, Cancer tells a raw story of Green's real life – his 4-year-old son, Joel, has cancer and is fighting his eighth tumor, and the game chronicles his family's struggles, mimicking events and emotions that Green is experiencing himself. It's a breathtaking, interactive poem disguised as a low-poly point-and-click adventure. "Part of the reason we're creating this game is to create a safe space to talk about hard things," Green told Joystiq. "We want people to share their own experiences about life and death and hope and grace with each other .... It's an experience that we're designing for players that have an hour or two to spend with us. And while it's certainly a personal experience, my hope is that it will be a shared experience." Green and Larson will self-publish That Dragon, Cancer through their studios, Media Greenhouse and God at Play, with an investment from Ouya. Kellee Santiago, head of developer relations at Ouya, said that investment was "enough so Ryan and Josh and their team [could] make this game a reality without the added burden of struggling financially to do so." After crafting the ideal living room experience, the developers will "eventually" bring the game to other platforms.
