Skip to main content

Amnesia: The Dark Descent creator takes on two new projects

amnesia creator takes on two new projects soma header
Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Soma creator Frictional Games has announced that it has two new projects in development as part of a company-wide shift in favor of frequent, experimental releases.

The strategy will give the veteran studio greater freedom in its release strategy, as the team will be less reliant on revenue earned from its back catalog.

“For the first time in company history we’re now developing two games at the same time,” Frictional Games creative director Thomas Grip wrote in a recent company blog post. “This will require non-trivial changes in how we manage the team, but in the end we’re very sure it’ll be worth it all. By having two projects going at the same time, we can release games at much higher frequency.”

Grip continues: “In turn, this lets us be more experimental as we don’t have to rely as much on each new game being a big money generator. We’re still in the early phases of this transition, but it’s shaping up really well so far.”

Grip also revealed that Frictional’s sci-fi survival horror game Soma has sold more than 250,000 copies across all platforms, and is close to recouping the studio’s investment. Grip estimates that “it’ll only take 20k – 30k more until we’ve earned back our entire investment in the project.”

While Grip did not reveal any details regarding Frictional’s upcoming projects, he notes that Soma‘s success allows the studio to pursue games of a similar scope in the future. Soma spent more than five years in development, and is approaching profitability in its first six months of release.

Frictional Games made its debut in 2007 with Penumbra: Overture, a first-person survival horror game for the PC. After producing a trio of Penumbra games, Frictional found its first breakout success with Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a groundbreaking horror game that has sold more than one million copies to date.

The studio afterward produced a sequel, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, with Dear Esther creator The Chinese Room heading up development. Frictional resumed development duties for its follow-up project Soma, which hit the PlayStation 4 and the PC in 2015.

Editors' Recommendations

Danny Cowan
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay shows off absolutely disgusting finishers
Key art for Mortal Kombat 1 shows its logo and Liu Kang.

Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay was finally shown in detail at Summer Games Fest following its initial reveal in May, and it's already looking like the most cinematic entry to date. Classic characters like Sub Zero and Scorpion are back in their full glory, and the finishing moves have never been quite as visceral or engrossing -- with "gross" being the keyword to focus on if you're particularly sensitive to watching characters sawed apart limb from limb.

Mortal Kombat series co-creator Ed Boon took to the stage shortly after the gameplay presentation to describe some of the new gameplay elements in a quick interview with Summer Games Fest host Geoff Keighley, noting that this entry represents a series reboot that is designed to introduce a new spin on classic Mortal Kombat lore.

Read more
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will make you forget about The Sands of Time remake
A character reached out to grab a shard in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

Ubisoft confirmed Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown at the 2023 Summer Game Fest kickoff stream with a trailer showing its gameplay and story. The trailer showcased the fast-paced, real-time combat that the series is known for in its action-packed footage. It also introduces a sword-slinging protagonist and his journey through Ubisoft's latest version of its Persian setting.

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown Official Trailer

Read more
How to transmog gear in Diablo 4
Diablo 4 barbarian

You're going to be scoring a lot of loot while playing through Diablo 4, and you certainly have no use for the vast majority of it. But just because it doesn't have the stats you're looking for doesn't mean that it can't look cooler than what you're already wearing. That's where transmog comes in. It allows you to save the look of any armor piece and apply it to a new piece so that you can ensure you're always maintaining whatever aesthetic you desire. We'll share with you how the transmog system works below.
How to transmog in Diablo 4
To transmog your gear in Diablo 4, you'll need to find and visit a wardrobe, which can commonly be found in settlements across the lands. You can identify a wardrobe's location by looking across the map for its icon, which looks like, well, a standard two-door wardrobe. No surprises there.

Once you find your way to a wardrobe, you'll have a few different options: You can change some basic character features, such as makeup and jewelry, or you can begin applying new looks to your gear. When choosing the latter, you'll be able to apply the appearance of any pieces of gear that you've previously salvaged at a blacksmith. You'll also have the option to switch up the color of the gear to further customize your character's vibe.

Read more