Summary
It’s been over seven years sinceGiant Sparrowreleased a new game, and there’s no end to the wait in sight.Giant Sparrowis an indie game company led by Ian Dallas that has released two games to date, both of which have earned critical acclaim and firmly established Dallas as one of the industry’s best indie devs.
Giant Sparrow’s first game was 2012’sThe Unfinished Swan. Initially released as a PlayStation exclusive game,The Unfinished Swanfeatures a unique mechanic where players explore a world made almost entirely of white. They throw paint blobs to see the structures in the world, in turn allowing them to progress through the game.The Unfinished Swanearned even greater acclaimwhen the game was brought to additional platforms. Its PS3 debut was followed by eventual releases on PS4 and Vita, and most recently, PC and iOS devices.
Five years after the release ofThe Unfinished Swan, Giant Sparrow launched its best game yet,What Remains of Edith Finch. The spellbinding narrative-driven game tells the story of the ill-fated Finch family, showcasing a variety of gameplay and art styles as players explore the family home.What Remains of Edith Finchwon Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2017, earned an 88 overall rating from critics, and is often pointed to as one of the best indie games of all time. It’s now been over seven years sinceWhat Remains of Edith Finchwas first released, and Giant Sparrow still has yet to even reveal its next game, let alone release it.
What is Giant Sparrow’s Next Game?
Giant Sparrow hasn’t properly revealed its next game yet, but its website does give fans an idea of what they can expect from it. According to the blurb, Giant Sparrow’s next game is “still early in development,” but it will “focus on interactions between humans and urban wildlife (both mundane and fantastical). Giant Sparrow cites classic games likeICOandWindosillas well as Studio Ghibli’sSpirited AwayandDavid Attenborough nature documentariesas inspiration. Additional inspirations for Giant Sparrow’s next game include “early animators like Winsor McCay and Walt Disney” who used “cutting edge technology to build something that didn’t feel technical at all but instead felt weirdly alive.” In summation, Giant Sparrow’s next game will feature animals, and it sounds like it will have a unique art style inspired by classic animation. But again, the game hasn’t actually been shown to the public yet, so fans should keep that in mind.
As for when Giant Sparrow may announce its next game, the website says such an announcement will happen on Twitter. For what it’s worth, Giant Sparrow hasn’t updated its Twitter since 2022. The last communication it sent was a re-tweet of Annapurna Interactive announcing the launch ofWhat Remains of Edith Finch’s PS5 and Xbox Series X versions. It’s possible that the announcement will indeed happen on Twitter, but there’s also a chance that Giant Sparrow will reveal its next game as part of some kind of industry event.
If Giant Sparrow goes the latter route, there are many options where it could showcase its next game. Giant Sparrow once had a close relationship with PlayStation, so perhaps its next game could be announced at the rumored upcoming PlayStation Showcase. Perhaps the game will be revealed at a Nintendo Direct or the Xbox Games Showcase. WithWhat Remains of Edith Finchwinning Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2017, maybe Giant Sparrow’s next game will be revealed at Keighley’sSummer Game Fest on June 7. It’s also possible that Giant Sparrow’s next game won’t be revealed at any point in the near future, so fans should brace themselves for that possibility.
What Remains of Edith Finch
WHERE TO PLAY
Winner of Best Game at the 2018 BAFTA Game Awards, as well as Best Narrative awards at the GDC 2018 Choice Awards, 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards, and The Game Awards 2017,What Remains of Edith Finchis a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state.As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she’s the last one in her family left alive. Each story you find lets you experience the life of a new family member on the day of their death, with stories ranging from the distant past to the present day.The gameplay and tone of the stories are as varied as the Finches themselves. The only constants are that each is played from a first-person perspective and that each story ends with that family member’s death.Ultimately, it’s a game about what it feels like to be humbled and astonished by the vast and unknowable world around us.Created by Giant Sparrow, the team behind the first-person painting gameThe Unfinished Swan.
