Just earlier this week, weShareabout a series of different upcoming[email protected]The perception of the games, we saw these games behind closed doors. This includes the enigmatic The Last Cast of Benedict Fox, the striking Planet of Lana, the action-packed Everspace 2, and the captivating and calming Lightyear Frontier.
Speaking of the latter, we also had the opportunity to speak with Joakim K. Hedström, CEO of developer (Frame Break) and[email protected]Andreea Chifu, Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager, sat down to learn more about the upcoming indie game.
Speaking of the initial response to the game, Hedström said: “We’ve had a much bigger response than we expected. It’s been exciting and a little bit scary, but very motivating overall.
Lightyear Frontier tasks players with building their own homes and farm plots on a distant planet inhabited by a variety of strange flora and fauna. The trick, however, is that the gameplay all revolves around the player-operated mech suit.
Regarding mecha cultivation, Hedström noted: “The mech is really the key to this project, it has been guiding the game from the moment it came in.
“People see the mechs and think they’re going to fight, but no. You’re going to be holding this big, bulky piece of metal, and you’re going to be doing these very casual and comfortable things every day.
about[email protected]How the plan helps developers, says Chifu: “Being able to work with the program has two main advantages: the first is empowering developers to take creative risks and continue developing their games. The second is tapping into this audience.
“We’ve seen from the internal analysis we’ve done that once a game is announced as Game Pass, there’s an eightfold increase in engagement and awareness of the game.
Hedström added: “People will have the opportunity to try our game, get into it, fall in love with mechs, and then have a very low barrier to entry to invite their friends and play with them.
About working in the Swedish games industry, Hedström says: “For us, when we started and stepped into this community, having all these incredible games all around us, all these experiences around us was a big statement to take advantage of and help and support each other.
Chifu added: “The fact that Sweden already has so many game incubators, so many schools dedicated to games, and so many people, not afraid to venture into games even since the 80s, says it all.
On what he’s most looking forward to players seeing in Lightyear Frontier, Hedström said: “The world we managed to create, this planet, was just; every once in a while, the artist would send a screenshot like ‘We just finished this area,’ which is worth wallpaper in itself.
“Having this planet for players to explore and find their place in, where they might want to build their own farms and build their homes, I think it would be incredible.
Hedström confirmed that Lightyear Frontier will release on PC and Xbox, with cross-play available at launch. Watch the full interview above.