The storied creative director and writer on starting a new studio and sticking to your guns
Storytelling in games is on the cusp of transformation: fittingly, so is Amy Hennig. The celebrated creative director and writer has become almost emblematic of the state of narrative design in games. Through her work on the Legacy Of Kain series at Crystal
Dynamics, and the Uncharted franchise at Naughty Dog, she helped push the medium to blockbuster heights thanks to an instinct for innovation – and a confidence that, by her own admission, hasn’t always been easy to maintain. She was set to continue with the singleplayer Star Wars game that she was working on at Visceral Games, before EA cancelled the project and closed the studio. Now, Hennig is looking to start up on her own, convinced that the future success of games as a whole lies in smaller experiences catering to a broader audience.
Firstly, congratulations on receiving the Lifetime Achievement award at the Game Developers Choice Awards. How was that?
It’s just such a warm feeling to feel recognised by your peers. I mean, we’re just all stuck in our heads and our own little worlds. We all have impostor syndrome. The people that don’t, there’s something sociopathic and wrong with them, probably [laughs]. You know, we never feel worthy of that kind of recognition. But you don’t want that to look like a lack of gratitude. I’m incredibly humbled and grateful.
Esta historia es de la edición July 2019 de Edge.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 2019 de Edge.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
BONAPARTE: A MECHANIZED REVOLUTION
No sooner have we stepped into the boots of royal guard Bonaparte than we’re faced with a life-altering decision.
TOWERS OF AGHASBA
Watch Towers Of Aghasba in action and it feels vast. Given your activities range from deepwater dives to climbing up cliffs or lumbering beasts, and from nurturing plants or building settlements to pinging arrows at the undead, it’s hard to get a bead on the game’s limits.
THE STONE OF MADNESS
The makers of Blasphemous return to religion and insanity
Vampire Survivors
As Vampire Survivors expanded through early access and then its two first DLCs, it gained arenas, characters and weapons, but the formula remained unchanged.
Devil May Cry
The Resident Evil 4 that never was, and the Soulslike precursor we never saw coming
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare has made a deeply self-conscious game, visibly inspired by some of the best-loved ideas from Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
SKATE STORY
Hades is a halfpipe
SID MEIER'S CIVILIZATION VII
Firaxis rethinks who makes history, and how it unfolds
FINAL FANTASY VII: REBIRTH
Remaking an iconic game was daunting enough then the developers faced the difficult second entry
THUNDER LOTUS
How Spirit farer's developer tripled in size without tearing itself apart