Game Dev Legend Frédérick Raynal Returns with The Last Worker Spin-off
Starring the character voiced by Jason Isaacs, SKEW is coming exclusively to Playdate
Dubrovnik, Croatia - 29 September, 2022 - In a surprise twist at the Reboot Develop Blue conference, Jörg Tittel, writer-director of the highly anticipated console, VR and PC game The Last Worker, has announced a collaboration with one of the greatest and most influential developers of all time, Frédérick Raynal (Alone in the Dark, Little Big Adventure, Toy Commander).
Developed exclusively for Playdate, Panic’s beloved yellow handheld system with a crank, SKEW is an “endless spinner” starring the broken CoBot voiced by Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The Death of Stalin, Star Trek Discovery).
SKEW is based on an exhilarating sequence from the star-studded narrative stealth adventure, The Last Worker, currently being developed by Wolf & Wood, produced by Tittel’s Oiffy and published by Wired Productions.
SKEW Features:
- Propeller Powered: SKEW has to fly through the hazardous back channels of JFC-1, the largest online retail facility in the world, powered with just one propeller.
- Dodge Danger at Breakneck Speeds: The further players get, the faster they go, the bigger the score.
- Leaderboards: Beat your own scored on the device or Compete and Compare Results Online
- Realtime 3D on the 1-bit Playdate - the blazing fast levels are rendered in buttery smooth real time 3D, thanks to Frédérick Raynal’s proprietary wireframe engine
- Every Playthrough is Different: Procedurally generated levels, so every race is unique
- Full Accessibility: a range of control options, from crank, accelerometer, and various button/D-pad combinations.
SKEW marks Frédérick Raynal’s return to game development after a long break, during which the Alone in the Dark creator dedicated his time to working on complex projects involving robotics, smart cities and more.
"When Jörg first showed me the concept art for SKEW," says Raynal, "I was amazed by how close it looked to a wireframe 3D engine I wrote a few years ago. I felt it would fit the Playdate perfectly. Working on the Playdate is a real pleasure, its low-tech features and 1-bit screen remind me of how technical constraints can push creativity and turn the development process into a game in itself. It also helps to focus on gameplay because you don't get lost on too many side features. I tried to respect the old 'easy to play, hard to master' rule and hope everyone will enjoy it."
“I’ve been a fan of Fred’s work ever since I played Alone in the Dark as a kid, a game that would change games forever, from inventing the survival horror genre to introducing real-time 3D characters,” says Tittel. “I interviewed Fred for the Official Dreamcast Magazine about Toy Commander in 1999, and we’ve remained friends ever since. When we both fell in love with the Playdate, we had no choice but to make a game for it.”
For more information, visit the official website for The Last Worker, follow on Twitter, Instagram, or join the Official Discord today.
ABOUT THE LAST WORKER
The Last Worker is a first-person narrative adventure written and directed by Jörg Tittel, developed by VR pioneers Wolf & Wood (A Chair in a Room Greenwater, The Exorcist Legion VR) and published by Wired Productions. The game is centered around our struggle in an increasingly automated world and offers an emotional, provocative and comedic story with rich characters played by an all-star cast (Jason Isaacs, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Zelda Williams, Tommie Earl Jenkins, David Hewlett, Clare-Hope Ashitey). Featuring uniquely immersive gameplay, handcrafted 3D and 2D visuals based on concepts by legendary British comics artist Mick McMahon (Judge Dredd, Batman) and a multi-instrumental score by Oliver Kraus, The Last Worker was the only game in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. The Last Worker will dispatch in Early 2023 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, major VR platforms and PC. www.thelastworker.com
ABOUT FREDERICK RAYNAL
Frédérick Raynal is a French video game designer and programmer, best known for creating Alone in the Dark (1992), Little Big Adventure (1994) and the European Dreamcast launch title Toy Commander (1999). Alone in the Dark is widely regarded as one of the most influential games ever made, having introduced real-time 3D characters and invented the survival horror genre. In 2006, Raynal along with Shigeru Miyamoto and Michel Ancel were knighted as Knights of Arts and Literature by the French government. It was the first time that video game developers were given this distinction.
ABOUT OIFFY
Oiffy was founded in 2011 by Jörg Tittel, director/writer Alex Helfrecht and producer Philip Munger. Their debut feature, sci-fi drama The White King starring Jonathan Pryce and Fiona Shaw, which Jörg co-directed with Alex, premiered at the 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature. Their next feature film, which just wrapped principal photography, is the painted animated live music adventure drama A Winter’s Journey starring John Malkovich, Martina Gedeck, Jason Isaacs and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. Directed by Helfrecht and produced by Tittel, the film is a live action / animation hybrid adapted from Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise” and animated by the artists behind the Oscar nominated Loving Vincent. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and sold internationally by mk2 Films, A Winter’s Journey is the first feature film to be made with the help of PlayStation's and Media Molecule’s BAFTA winning Dreams™. Besides directing an as-of-yet unannounced VR game, Jörg is adapting his graphic novel "Ricky Rouse Has a Gun", an action satire set in a knockoff Disneyland and a Boston Globe Book of the Year, into a film and videogame. Jörg is a member of BAFTA and Patron at game-centered mental health charity Safe in Our World. www.oiffy.com
ABOUT PLAYDATE
Playdate is a brand-new and truly unique gaming handheld system that is a celebration of video games. It’s yellow. It fits in your pocket. It includes brand new games from amazing creators. It has a beautiful black and white screen. And yes, it also has a crank. The system was created by Portland, Oregon, based Panic. Originally — and still — a Mac app developer, Panic has also become a highly-focused video game publisher that has helped to release into the world Firewatch, Untitled Goose Game, and the upcoming interactive food game, Nour: Play With Your Food. The first season of Playdate games features original titles by Keita Takahashi and Zach Gage, with a host of new games in the words, notably the next game by Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope. www.play.date
