Released later this year
Today’s State of the Art may have been a lot shorter than I expected – and it was missing a huge headline or two that I thought was there – but it was a great presentation nonetheless. Especially if you weren’t planning on getting a PS5 until 2023. And while the big names, the big hitters, have finished the show, the trailer that got me most excited is the one that gives us a fresh look at Season: A letter to the future by Scavengers Studio.
Originally revealed at The Game Awards 2020, Season: A letter to the future tells the story of the protagonist recording the sights and sounds of a breathtaking world as he comes to the end of his season. Rather than trying to save the people left behind on this presumably doomed land, the protagonist aims to capture the world in all its stillness and beauty for future generations. From the looks of the new trailer below, that means lots of photography, audio recordings, and interviews.
And ride a bike. Lots and lots of biking.
Changes to the studio
I was in love with Season: A letter to the future since he first appeared on my radar. But it’s been a bumpy road for this bike ride as developer Scavengers Studio has had to deal with pandemic working conditions and accusations of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. In January of last year, GameIndustry.biz published an article interviewing nine current and former studio employees accusing creative director Simon Darveau and CEO Amélie Lamarche of fostering a toxic work environment. Following the publication of the article, Lamarche resigned from his role as CEO and Darveau was suspended indefinitely.
In July of last year, Scavengers Studio communicated the results of a workplace assessment conducted by an outside company, stating that it found no evidence of the allegations after working with 85% of the studio’s workforce but stated that “there are behaviors at work that still need to be improved.” Following the evaluation, Lamarche returned to her CEO role and Darveau was moved to a “non-managerial research and development role”. Last month, the developer provided an update on efforts to improve the studio and its work environment, including the hiring of a human resources director, the establishment of a wellness committee and the recruitment of an inclusion and diversity expert.
It’s a shame that such a heavy asterisk has to hang over the head of a stunning game like this, but that’s just the reality of the world we live in and the industry we cover. Fortunately, it looks like Scavengers Studio is making real progress in improving studio conditions, which is more than you can say about some companies that have come under fire in recent years.
Season: A letter to the future will launch this fall on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Read the original article here
