Earlier this morning on IGN Japan, indie developers Suda51 (No More Heroes) and Swery65 (Deadly Premonition) announced that they would be teaming up to craft a horror game...maybe...they aren't quite sure. The Livestream was more of a train of thought deal where the two bounced ideas off of each other in an impromptu brainstorming session. At the very least, the duo are definitely collaborating on a new game.
Suda51 calls the project Hotel Barcelona, which appears to just be a spur of the moment title for some horror experience. The two went over how they were initially working on a PSVR title that was canceled and wished to keep collaborating together. They settled on Livestreaming their thoughts since the two keep forgetting ideas from "booze-related amnesia." They sound like a couple of fun chaps.
Suda explained that the PS2 survival horror title Siren is a source of inspiration for this new game. Interestingly, that game's director -Keiichiro Toyama- is also involved with the project. Most known for his work on Silent Hill, Toyama was brought in randomly when Suda pulled out his phone and texted him during the Livestream. This is guerilla game development at its finest.
The duo are interested in exploring multiple timelines, with one seeing players exploring the titular Hotel Barcelona's different rooms as a proxy for different dimensions and people. Swery notes how he takes more inspiration from Twin Peaks, which has been pretty evident in his past work.
As for how the game will play, Swery jokingly stated it might take the form of a side-scroller. The duo is teasing the idea of making the protagonist completely evil, or possibly a journalist writing about the hotel. They also discussed placing real people in the game and having fans send in pictures as characters. It's kind of nebulous, but also intriguing.
Whatever form this game does take, publisher Devolver Digital will be backing it. Suda and Swery were given a budget of $1 million from the company and are looking to release this game on Mobile, Switch, and Stadia. Nothing is set in stone, though, so those platforms will need to have a big asterisk next to them.
Source: IGN Japan