Wattam E3 <3
/So - we are finally back and settled in after a very exciting and heartwarming E3. Summer is upon us, and as we stop and reflect on all the wonderful moments, it's a little overwhelming.
What's it like to reveal a game like Wattam to the general public? Well, we can start with: amazing, scary, fun and exhausting. The booth was packed with people every day, between demos, interviews and playing other amazing indie games at the booth and on the floor - we didn't get much rest. But it was all worth it!
LA Times - 10 Games To Watch - "Wattam" is charmingly silly, a game designed to showcase the sheer joy of play and imagination.
Guardian UK - 13 Favorite Games of E3 - This collaboration between Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi and Funomena, the new studio from Journey producer Robin Hunicke was everything we hoped for and more."
Venture Beat – Dean Takahashi Best Games of E3 - Never have we seen such a goofy premise for a video game. I’m not surprised it’s fun.
GamesRadar - Best of E3 - It's colorful, silly, and joyous. It's a celebration of everything that links us together; of our common bonds and togetherness
IGN Best of E3 Nomination - Biggest Surprise - Suffice it to say, any cynicism that touches this game will immediately recoil in screeching terror as it melts into a bubbling black pool. It’s just that delightful.
It's hard to convey in the face of all this lovely praise just how uncertain it can feel to make something "unexpected." How nervous we were about people enjoying Wattam, even though at its core, it was inspired by the idea that games can be fun for everyone, playing together, without being told exactly what to do. And how scary it is to "explain" or "sell" a game that has to be played to be believed.
But somehow, our intentions came across \0/
Polygon: There's a lot of that in Wattam: holding hands, hugs, being friends with an eclectic group of things. It's special and lovable, the kind of thing you can play with kids or grandparents, anyone who might want to see what a game is capable of when designed with pure joy as your starting point.
Onion AV Club: Like the best family-friendly works, it’s capable of both unbridled joy and valuable introspection and moves swiftly between the two.
Killscreen: Through a combination of wacky rules and rewarding experimentation, Funomena appears to be a digital play space that encourages a mentality summed by up a question: "why the hell not?".
Hardcore Gamer: If you want someone to love the game you simply need to put a controller in their hands and ask them to play. It’s in actually exploring the wonderfully weird world of Wattam that you can truly understand how special it is.
We love making Wattam because it isn't the kind of game you would expect. And we love building the systems within it - which aren't things you would see juxtaposed in other games. We love creating a world full of silly characters and bizarre interactions that are "laugh-out-loud" fun. And we were thrilled to have friends like Fumito Ueda and Warren Spector enjoy the game, to hear their encouraging words and see them smile. It means we're heading somewhere great!
As I explained in Keith's lovely Guardian piece about Funomena and our goals here, game development is an uncertain adventure. And we had no idea when we brought Wattam to E3 just how many hugs we were in for. Thanks to everyone who encouraged us and supported us in sharing this game with the world. We honestly couldn't be more grateful - and look forward to showing more of it to you in the coming months!
