PLAYTONIC GAMES, which is a new development studio formed by the talent behind renowned adventure series such as Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, revealed over the weekend the first details of its debut game PROJECT UKULELE (working title) at the EGX Rezzed expo in London.
PLAYTONIC was formed in 2014 by veterans of Rare Ltd, including Steve Mayles, creator of the beloved Banjo and Kazooie characters, and Chris Sutherland, the software engineer responsible for more than two decades of iconic games. Between them, the seven-person PLAYTONIC team has over 100 years of combined experience working on blockbuster franchises.
PROJECT UKULELE, an all-new 3D platformer adventure, has been conceptualised as a spiritual successor to the team’s most revered and successful releases of the past, with stunning worlds to explore, unique collectables to uncover, fun moves to learn and hilarious characters to meet – or defeat.
At EGX Rezzed the PLAYTONIC team pledged to recapture the spirit of their previous releases, while enforcing their reputation for innovative, fun gameplay with game worlds that players not only explore, but expand and unlock in a totally free-form structure.
The team also announced its intention to launch a Kickstarter program in May 2015, in order to greatly expand the scope of PROJECT UKULELE and ensure the creative freedom required to make the game that fans want to play.
“Our team’s passion for our past games and the 3D platformer genre lead directly to the birth of PLAYTONIC,” said Gavin Price, managing director and creative lead. “Through PROJECT UKULELE fans will finally get to see those pent-up ideas and passion become reality.
“Since the announcement of our studio the reaction from the community has been absolutely incredible. Through consultation with them we’ve decided to greatly expand the scope of our project with the launch of a Kickstarter program. By working together with fans we’re confident we’ll be able to create a game that not matches their expectations, but one which hops, flips and soars above them.”
