Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Fezes are cool: An afternoon with Phil Fish]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/fezes-are-cool-an-afternoon-with-phil-fish/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/fezes-are-cool-an-afternoon-with-phil-fish/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/fezes-are-cool-an-afternoon-with-phil-fish/#comments Amidst the gridlocked, city-wide pandemonium that is SXSW Interactive, I was able to rescue Fez's lead designer and artist Phil Fish from a pack of ravenous, business-card waving fans long enough for an interview. We set up at the quiet end of the Palmer Events Center's glass-lined second floor, standing at a chest high, sidewalk cafe-esque table overlooking Zilker Park. It had been raining for two days straight, but that morning the clouds had parted and festival attendees were treated to one of the few gorgeous spring afternoons Texas will get this year.

Fez has missed its most recently announced release window of Q1 2012, but the fact that the game is undergoing Microsoft certification means that it'll be out relatively soon. "We almost made it to Q1," Fish said. "We entered certification like two weeks ago, but we actually just failed it, which is kinda standard. Pretty much everybody fails their first cert."

Microsoft has a two-month window in which it can release Fez once it has gone gold, and Fish wants to make sure it happens as quickly as possible. "We're trying to put pressure on them to release it as soon as possible because the zeitgeist is really good right now, with the movie starting to get a lot of play and the award. And, also, it's been five years. I don't want to wait another two months after that."

Continue reading Fezes are cool: An afternoon with Phil Fish

JoystiqFezes are cool: An afternoon with Phil Fish originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>FezIGFigf-2012indie-game-the-movieKickstarterLisanne-PajotmicrosoftPhil-FishPolytronpolytron-corporationsummer-of-arcadeSXSW-2012XBLAxboxTue, 13 Mar 2012 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Indie Game: The Movie is an official SXSW selection]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/indie-game-the-movie-is-an-official-sxsw-selection/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/indie-game-the-movie-is-an-official-sxsw-selection/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/indie-game-the-movie-is-an-official-sxsw-selection/#comments Indie Game: The Movie is leaving the screens of Sundance for the wider world's consumption, and one of its first stops will be at SXSW as an official festival selection. Indie Game: The Movie has been chosen on its value as a film, not being shown as a "Documentary Feature Competition" or a "Documentary Spotlight," but as a "Festival Favorite."

Indie Game was previously part of SXSW's ScreenBurn Arcade series, and directors / everything else James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot are scheduled to host a panel with Fez's Phil Fish.

SXSW runs from March 9-18 in Austin, Texas, with festival film badges starting at $550 (yes, those are the cheapest) before February 10. This may not be the "public" screening most of us are hoping for, but Indie Game: The Movie will post showings as they come up, such as the Santa Cruz screening it lists now.

JoystiqIndie Game: The Movie is an official SXSW selection originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>indie-game-the-movieJames-SwirskyLisanne-PajotmacmicrosoftmobileOfficial-selectionpcplaystationps3sxsw-2012xboxThu, 02 Feb 2012 04:00:00 EST<![CDATA['Everything's happening now:' Indie Game: The Movie at Sundance]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/everythings-happening-now-indie-game-the-movie-at-sundance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/everythings-happening-now-indie-game-the-movie-at-sundance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/30/everythings-happening-now-indie-game-the-movie-at-sundance/#comments In many ways, documentaries are not truly tools for documenting events. Instead, many documentaries choose to delve into the minds of their subjects, presenting not documentation, but something else entirely -- an up-close trip into the human psyche.

During one such moment from Indie Game: The Movie, which I caught at a screening at the Sundance film festival, game designer Phil Fish states that if he couldn't finish his long-awaited game Fez, he would commit suicide. The camera remains on him for an awkward moment, and the line draws a number of uncomfortable chuckles from the audience. He seems to rethink his outrageous statement and then states once more: "I will kill myself."

This attitude for the most part represents the majority of the film. Focusing primarily on the development and production of Fez and Super Meat Boy, Indie Game is really the story of obsessed developers pouring their insecurities and hearts and souls into a game, without leaving much, if anything, for themselves.

Gallery: Indie Game: The Movie

Continue reading 'Everything's happening now:' Indie Game: The Movie at Sundance

Joystiq'Everything's happening now:' Indie Game: The Movie at Sundance originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>braidedmund-mcmillenFezindie-game-the-moviejames-swirskyjon-blowjonathan-blowlisanne-pajotsundance-film-festivalsundance-film-festival-2012super-meat-boyteam-meattommy-refenesMon, 30 Jan 2012 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Indie Game: The Movie wins big at Sundance]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/29/indie-game-the-movie-wins-big-at-sundance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/29/indie-game-the-movie-wins-big-at-sundance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/29/indie-game-the-movie-wins-big-at-sundance/#comments Indie Game: The Movie is really good, apparently -- writers, directors, producers, editors and camera crew James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot won Best Editing in the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition last night. We offer a sincere, hearty congratulations to Swirsky and Pajot, and anything else that gets Indie Game: The Movie closer to a widespread release (and we mean anything).

Swirsky and Pajot reflected on the overwhelming sensations in winning the award on the Indie Game: The Movie blog: "We can not tell you how much this means to us and how completely and utterly our minds are blown. We shot over 300 hours of footage in making this film, and the edit was, by far, the most difficult aspect of the process. We couldn't be more proud to receive this award."

More screenings are sure to come -- keep an eye here for updates.

JoystiqIndie Game: The Movie wins big at Sundance originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Best-Editingdocumentaryindie-game-the-movieJames-SwirskyLisanne-PajotsundanceSun, 29 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Indie Game: The Movie: The HBO series, produced by Scott Rudin [Update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/indie-game-the-movie-the-hbo-comedy-series-produced-by-scott/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/indie-game-the-movie-the-hbo-comedy-series-produced-by-scott/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/indie-game-the-movie-the-hbo-comedy-series-produced-by-scott/#comments


Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky's Indie Game: The Movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, and already it's gaining mainstream attention. High-profile producer Scott Rudin (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and HBO have optioned for the rights to Indie Game: The Movie, with plans to develop it as a half-hour fictional series, with Rudin as executive producer, Deadline New York reports.

We picture Super Meat Boy's Edmund McMillen and FEZ's Phil Fish as a hilariously unfit buddy-cop duo patrolling the mean streets of Hoboken, New Jersey with an 8-bit-animated talking-dog sidekick. We picture that, but we really hope it's not the case -- the trailers for Indie Game: The Movie suggest a classier vibe, although if Trent Reznor signs on to compose the HBO series' soundtrack, we may expect to see a very different side indie development, indeed.

Update: Pajot and Swirsky have clarified the original report, which stated the possible HBO show would be a comedy series, and apparently the joke's on us. "HBO has optioned IGTM for the basis of a (fictional) series," Pajot and Swirsky write on the Indie Game: The Movie Facebook page. "It is NOT a comedy. It is NOT a sitcom." We're all sleeping better tonight.

JoystiqIndie Game: The Movie: The HBO series, produced by Scott Rudin [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hboindie-game-the-movieJames-SwirskyLisanne-PajotScott-Rudinsundancesundance-film-festivalsuper-meat-boySun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST