Released later this year
Today’s State of Play may have been a lot shorter than I expected – and missing a major title or two that I thought would be there – but it’s a great presentation nonetheless. Especially if you don’t plan on buying a PS5 until 2023. And while the big names, celebrity heavyweights wrap up the show, the trailer that makes me most excited is the one that gives us a fresh look Season: A letter to the future from Scavengers Studio.
Originally revealed at the 2020 Game Awards, Season: A letter to the future tells the story of the protagonist capturing the sights and sounds of a breathtaking world as it approaches the end of its season. Instead of trying and saving the people who are attached to this supposedly perished land, the protagonist aims to capture the world in all its stillness and beauty for future generations. . From the look and feel of the new trailer below, that means lots of photos, recordings, and interviews.
And cycling. Lots and lots of cycling.
Changes at the studio
I fell in love with Season: A letter to the future since it first appeared on my radar. But it’s been a bumpy road for this bike ride as developer Scavengers Studio has had to manage pandemic working conditions and allegations of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. In January of last year, GameIndustry.biz published an article interviewed nine current and former studio employees who accused Creative Director Simon Darveau and CEO Amélie Lamarche of encouraging a toxic work environment. After the article was published, Lamarche resigned as CEO and Darveau was suspended indefinitely.
Last July, Scavengers Studio report the results of the workplace assessment performed by an outside company, which claims they found no evidence of the allegations after working with 85% of the studio’s workforce but said that “There are workplace behaviors that still need to be improved. ” Following the review, Lamarche returned to his CEO role, and Darveau was transferred to a “non-manager role in research and development.” Last month, The developer has provided an update about the efforts the studio has made to improve the studio and its work environment, including hiring a Chief Human Resources Officer, forming a wellness committee and hiring a diversity and integration.
It’s a shame that such a heavy asterisk has to hang over the head of a beautiful game like this, but that’s just the reality of the world we live in and the industry we cover. Thankfully, it looks like Scavengers Studio is making real strides to improve the condition of the studio, which is more than you can tell from some of the companies that have come under fire in recent years.
Season: A letter to the future will launch this fall for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.
CJ Andriessen
Just what the Internet needed: another white guy writing about video games.
