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Fez studio starts Polytron Partners to 'give back'
Polytron Corporation is breaking into the not-publishing (but kind of publishing) business with Polytron Partners, beginning with Panoramical, an audio visualizer from designer Fernando Ramallo and Proteus music man David Kanaga. Fez creator Phil Fish announced Polytron Partners on his blog: "We only got to make Fez in the first place because of the help and support of a LOT of cool people. Time to give back a little, you know? When I offered to help with the release, Fernando explained that he was already working out a somewhat similar deal with Adam and Bekah Saltsman's FINJI. They would provide help with day to day operations, payment logistics, things like that. The kind of details independent developers often need help with when they're busy trying to ship the damn thing. What Polytron could help with was production and promotion."
Fez sales surpass 1 million
That's a lot of tiny red hats. Fez has sold more than 1 million copies across all platforms – Xbox 360, PC, Mac and Linux – developer Polytron Corporation announced today. In its celebratory post, Polytron thanked everyone: "Thank you for buying the game! Thank you for stealing it! Thank you for telling your friends about it! Thank you for buying it again when it came out on PC! Thank you for boycotting it so well! Thank you for putting up with the bullshit! Thank you for all your love letters, fan art, cosplays and freakin' tattoos you got, you crazy bastards! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Fez hit XBLA first in April 2012, and we found it to be an absolute joy. It later came to Steam for PC, Mac and Linux, and during two days of the Steam Summer Sale this year, Fez raked up 105,000 sales. Fez is on its way to PS3, Vita and PS4. A sequel to Fez was announced in June and canceled in July.
Steam weekend deals: Walking Dead, Fez, Mars War Logs
Some good deals are lurking in the Steam weekend sale section. Telltale Games' The Walking Dead headlines this weekend's deals, offering up its entire first season for $6.24. The 400 Days DLC is also half-off during this promotion, bringing it down to $2.49. Polytron Corporation's Fez has also slashed its price in half: The standard game is $4.99 while the bundle including the soundtrack is down to $7.49. Rounding out the weekend discounts are select games from Focus Home Interactive, including Mars War Logs for $10, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes for $10.19 and Game of Thrones, available on its own for $7.49 or in a bundle including a bunch of DLC for $10. All weekend deals are available until the Steam store updates on Monday, September 9 at 10am PT.
Fez 2 cancellation 'a surprise' to Polytron producer
Polytron producer Marie-Christine Bourdua said she was surprised to learn Fez 2 was canceled, telling Joystiq she wasn't even in Montreal – the studio's home base - when company co-founder Phil Fish announced the game's fate on Twitter. "But it's ok," Bourdua told Joystiq at Torontaru July, a new monthly meet-up for game players and developers in Toronto, Canada. "It was weird and special to learn it that way, but I respect and trust Phil a lot, so that's totally fair that he decided that and he has his reasons." "We learnt it the same minute you did," original Fez programmer Renaud Bédard said, referring to the Fez 2's abrupt cancelation announcement on Saturday. "The development of Fez 2 is up to him. If he decided [to cancel it] now or he decided it at the end of development, it's easier to cut it out now, than it is to say 'Hey, we've been working on this for years and I'm not feeling able to finish it.' So in that way it just makes more sense," Bédard, who joined Capybara Games at the tail-end of 2012, added.
Fez fan art takes that spreadsheet joke to a whole new coordinate
In 2011, Fez developer Phil Fish said, "PCs are for spreadsheets." When he announced Fez would hit PC, fans and haters jumped on the "spreadsheet machine" dig. After Fez's successful XBLA and PC launches, this fan art by Steam user McKack is a good stopping point for the joke. All the jokes, even.
PSA: Fez dons its pre-order cap today on Steam, GOG
Xbox Live Arcade indie darling Fez has entered its pre-order phase on both Steam and GOG today, offering a buck off the $9.99 asking price for early commitment. Fez will launch for Windows PC across both digital distribution platforms on May 1.The PC launch is the first action in a plan by creator Phil Fish to port Fez to "pretty much everything." PSN and PS Vita, Mac, iOS, Linux and Ouya ports are all in various stages of development and planning, Fish has said. In little over a year, Fez has sold more than 200,000 copies on Xbox Live Arcade.
Fez sold 200,000 copies on XBLA to date
Fez, Polytron Corporation's cute platforming game that made it into Joystiq's Top Ten of 2012 list, has sold over 200,000 copies on XBLA to date. The game crossed the 100,000 copies mark in late May 2012.The figures come from creator Phil Fish, who took to Polytron's blog today to discuss the one year anniversary of Fez's release. Fish recently noted during a Reddit AMA that the game "should eventually be out on pretty much everything." Fez will arrive on PC on May 1.
Fez patch pulled by Microsoft
A recent patch for Fez that fixed exploits but also corrupted save files was pulled from Xbox Live by Microsoft, according to an update on developer Polytron's blog. The issues caused by the title update could potentially be resolved by clearing the Xbox 360 cache, though now new players shouldn't be affected.We reached out to Polytron for comment, and were told the developer will "have more details as we work things out with [Microsoft] after the weekend."
Fez patch released, absolutely do not play it
The long-awaited patch for Fez has finally arrived, though you may want to hold the fanfare. While the patch does fix a number of glitches and prevents a lot of exploits and problematic "infinite death loops" (eek!), it also introduces a "fairly widespread" new problem, according to Polytron. Specifically, "the save file can be seen as corrupted by the game after installing the patch."Clearing the Xbox 360 cache "should resolve the issue." If that doesn't work, however, "there is no known workaround." In other words, you probably shouldn't play Fez until Polytron patches the patch.
Fez patch still incoming
Fez programmer Renaud Bedard has provided an update on the patch meant to handle some "nasty" bugs in the XBLA puzzle platformer. Turns out the patch was submitted on May 17, entered certification on May 21 and failed four days later due to two critical issues.Bedard was finally able to reproduce one of the issues on June 8 and the patch is back at Microsoft for certification. He estimates it'll take another two weeks for the update to hit – you know, unless there's another hiccup. He notes on the Polytron blog, "Many apologies for the delays. It was a tricky one."Fez has sold over 100,000 copies since its April launch. You can watch Polytron's labor on digital celluloid in Indie Game: The Movie, available now on iTunes, Steam.
Fez sales shift 100,000 copies across XBLA
Phil Fish (and co.'s) passionate labor has paid off with Fez having reached 100,000 sales on Xbox Live Arcade. Fish made the announcement this morning on the Polytron site. Looks like Microsoft finally gave Fish a sip of that secretive sales data.Following years of development, which made it feel like Fez had become the second-cousin of Duke Nukem Forever, the game finally launched last month to high critical praise – which is more than we can say for that cousin we mentioned.
How the community solved Fez's hardest puzzle
Fez players be forewarned, the following contains spoilers. Stay far, far away if you want to uncover all of Fez's secrets for yourself. With that out of the way, dedicated fans know that collecting cubes is only half of Fez. The other half is solving puzzles, some of which hide their solutions in plain sight, while others taunt players with obtuse, seemingly indecipherable clues.
PSA: Fez soundtrack now available for purchase, free streaming
Fez keeping you up at night? Do you struggle to sleep as the solutions to puzzles maliciously circle around in your brain, refusing to take shape? You might as well compliment the madness with the full Fez soundtrack. You can now stream the entire album for free, or secure a download for a measly seven bucks.Composed by Rich Vreeland (A.K.A. Disasterpeace), the soundtrack features 26 deliciously lo-fi tracks. Go ahead and give it a listen. At least then you can convince your friends that it's not just playing in your head.
Metareview: Fez
Fez is already on track to be this year's indie darling among critics, like Braid, Limbo or Super Meat Boy before it. Heck, it received awards before it ever launched. We called Fez "joyful" and entirely worth its protracted development. We aren't alone. Eurogamer (100/100): "It's during this stage that you'll seriously tackle the game's many secrets - all handily marked, but not at all spoiled, on the head-spinning 3D map screen. Think Miyamoto, Kojima or Schafer at their most impish: treasure maps, invisible platforms, secret messages delivered in unexpected ways, puns and tricks of the light." OXM (95/100): "For an experience that could've drowned in an overreliance on using familiar signposts from what's come before it, Fez succeeds in celebrating the past in a smart, joyous way that has us incredibly excited for gaming's future." Edge (90/100): "Draw lines between distant landmarks; forge connections that reveal the logic of a set piece; untangle the story in short, gleeful bursts. The route you pick through Polytron's floating world is nearly impossible to verbalise, while its puzzles resolve themselves in your mind unexpectedly, in clear, wordless chunks. There's really no language to cover many of the things you get up to in Fez. For a videogame in 2012, that may be the ultimate endorsement." Gamespot (80/100): "Fez goes far deeper than the simple platformer it initially appears as, and figuring out the solutions to the many puzzles is an experience that harks back to a time when games weren't scared of taking off the leash and letting you run wild. Invest time in Fez's colorful world, and enjoy the wealth of incredible ideas buried within. "
Fez devs aware of 'nasty' bugs, working with Microsoft to resolve
Fez programmer Renaud Bedard notes "twenty thousand people" have played the game in the past 24 hours, more than have in its five years of development, adding: "So, as it happens, bugs popped up. Some pretty serious."Bedard mentions that a "small subset" of older Xboxen with smaller hard drives can't run the game. He also notes the game has problems running off a USB stick and that in a "rare situation" – by exiting the game from the "wall village" interiors – a save file can corrupt. He admits it's "nasty stuff.""We will be working internally and with Microsoft on those issues and let you know more later. It makes sense to issue a patch, but we don't currently have an ETA on it."Those experiencing "game-breaking problems" should let Polytronic know by email."Sorry, and thanks for understanding!" He concludes, "And we're thrilled to see that the vast majority of you are enjoying the game as it was meant to be."
PSA: Fez finally for really real available to buy and play and everything
Ready to get your Z-axis adventures on, all the while wearing an adorable (and potentially magical) hat? Polytron's Fez is finally (finally) available for you to do just that via Xbox Live Arcade. Better yet? It's just $10!But you haven't heard of Fez, you say? Well, frankly, that's kinda weird. We're saying we think you're kinda weird. If that is the case, however, there's a brand new launch trailer for Fez just above so you can learn all about it. Oh, and hey, we think it's pretty great, in case that wasn't already clear.
Gain some perspective with this new Fez trailer
Fez's concept of 2D platforming in a 3D space sounds simple on paper, but you have to see its execution in motion to really, really wrap your head around it. Thankfully, we've got six minutes of said motion after the break.
Fezes are cool: An afternoon with Phil Fish
Amidst the gridlocked, city-wide pandemonium that is SXSW Interactive, I was able to rescue Fez's lead designer and artist Phil Fish from a pack of ravenous, business-card waving fans long enough for an interview. We set up at the quiet end of the Palmer Events Center's glass-lined second floor, standing at a chest high, sidewalk cafe-esque table overlooking Zilker Park. It had been raining for two days straight, but that morning the clouds had parted and festival attendees were treated to one of the few gorgeous spring afternoons Texas will get this year.Fez has missed its most recently announced release window of Q1 2012, but the fact that the game is undergoing Microsoft certification means that it'll be out relatively soon. "We almost made it to Q1," Fish said. "We entered certification like two weeks ago, but we actually just failed it, which is kinda standard. Pretty much everybody fails their first cert."Microsoft has a two-month window in which it can release Fez once it has gone gold, and Fish wants to make sure it happens as quickly as possible. "We're trying to put pressure on them to release it as soon as possible because the zeitgeist is really good right now, with the movie starting to get a lot of play and the award. And, also, it's been five years. I don't want to wait another two months after that."
Phil Fish's next game won't be on XBLA, might be Kickstarter'd
Fez may just now be undergoing the certification process at Microsoft, but that doesn't mean designer Phil Fish is resting on his laurels. Quite the contrary, in fact; Fish's next project is already in its formative stages, and he's so anxious to begin work that he may use Kickstarter to fund it. Whatever that project might be, however, it won't be an XBLA game."Well, our next project is going to be not for XBLA," Fish told us during SXSW Interactive, in response to a question regarding Fez's limited XBLA exclusivity, and the possibility of a similar arrangement for his next title. "I think it's unfortunate that Microsoft works that way, but like I said [during the panel] we gave them what they wanted and they've been backing us up the whole time. I'm sure you've heard many horror stories of people working with XBLA; they've been nothing but understanding and supporting of us this whole entire time."It's been three months since Fish's work on Fez ended; the game is still being debugged by other members of the team, but in his capacity as a designer he's finished. He hasn't quite known what to do with himself in the interim, and that restlessness has lead him and his team to heavily consider Kickstarter for their next project."It's going to take a while before we get money from Microsoft, and I want to get started on this project that I'm making with a couple people, a larger team than just me and another guy," Fish said. "We wouldn't need much and we wouldn't ask for much, but I assume we'll get more than we ask for, having just won the grand prize and Fez about to come out."The campaign wouldn't start until after the release of Fez, which Fish is concerned about: "I'm afraid people might take [the Kickstarter] the wrong way. Like, 'Why do you need a Kickstarter, you just made Fez?' Yeah, but it takes five months before we get paid, maybe, it's totally variable, but at least three months. The best case scenario is we get paid three months after the release. I don't want to wait three months."
Polytron working on Kinect project, Microsoft 'interested'
With Fez wrapped up and heading to Xbox Live Arcade, Polytron Corporation head Phil Fish is already discussing the studio's next project. Speaking to Gamasutra, Fish revealed that its collaboration with Kokoromi, Super Hypercube is now in development for Kinect. Super Hypercube is a puzzle game which tasks players with manipulating 3D objects and slotting them into differently shaped holes. Originally created to utilize head tracking with a Wii Remote, the game has since transitioned to Kinect. The game was a finalist at IndieCade earlier this year, with Fish noting that Microsoft "seemed interested" in the title. To learn a little more about the project, we spoke with Fish, who tells us that Polytron and Kokoromi "went back to the drawing board" with the Super Hypercube, essentially rebooting development. "It has slightly different gameplay and art style, but basically it works the same way," says Fish, "You move your head, it moves the camera." Beyond that, Fish stresses that the project is "a bit early," so it may be some time before we hear much more. You can learn more about the original Super Hypercube design (and even download the game) from the Polytron website.
