Twentytwelve

I'm guessing it's pretty obvious that I don't blog much anymore. Mostly because of this thing eating up all the time I have to spare. But also because of Twitter and Facebook, where it just happens to be quicker and easier to express myself, socially network and share.

Still, for those of you who've stuck around for the duration of the dry spell: Welcome to the Future.

2012 is going to be a pretty exciting year, and I'm not talking about Mayan prophecies. The Secret World will finally be out, ending -- or not ending, but paragraphing -- more than five years of development. We won't be leaving TSW behind, of course, since there's tons more to come after launch, but at least we'll be able to catch our breath and look ahead.

And what's ahead? That's too early to say, but rest assured that I haven't, and will not, leave The Longest Journey and Dreamfall fans in the dark forever. Chapters is going to happen, and hopefully this year you'll know when and how.

There might also be other stuff, but it's only January, so let's pace ourselves.

Around this time, I've usually done my lists of top games and films of the year that's been, and that's in the works. Mostly for my own benefit, to recap and process a bit, but hopefully it'll help some of you discover things you haven't yet.

January the one, then. Twentytwelve. Year of prophecy, change and release.

A holiday walkthrough

I'm on holiday. Obviously.

First clue: This.

Second clue: I'm blogging, so I'm either on holiday or it's the End of Days, and while it may still turn out to be the latter, it's also the former. Which means that, while I was steaming like a particularly pale pork bun in the stifling heat of southeast Asia, I missed out on all the fun:

(That was the Polaris, by the way, and not the Savage Coast. They are two very different areas.)

The crew did a fantastic job, and you'll see and hear more of lead designers Martin and Joel (and a bit less of me) in the months ahead. Once the summer holidays are over. Because even obsessively workaholic game developers need a break. To recharge those batteries or, in my case, to tend to the creative well.

(But more on that next time.)

Recently, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days with my friend John Walker from Rock, Paper, Shotgun. We spent a couple of days talking about The Secret World and mysteries (and, okay, yeah, The Longest Journey and Dreamfall). It's one of the most interesting discussions I've had about the work we do, and you can read the excellent two-part interview here and here. John also posted his thoughts about The Secret World in a separate preview, which is certainly worth a read.

In addition to putting my bare and deathly pale feet up and catching up on my reading (just finished Patrick Rothfuss' The Wise Man's Fear; currently halfway through Embassytown by China Mieville) I've also finally fulfilled one of my childhood dreams: I bought a cheap remote-controlled helicopter and learned how to perform a smooth landing. This impresses no one but my almost-four-year-old daughter, but that's the joy of children: it doesn't take a lot to get them excited, and they have a way of making you feel good about yourself.