Over seven years have elapsed since the initial teasers from Playdead, the creators of Limbo and Inside, tantalized fans with hints of their enigmatic third project. Now, nearly five years after Eurogamer last reported on a sliver of concept art, Playdead has unveiled a fresh batch of images, affirming that their project is alive and thriving.
The first intriguing glimpse into Playdead’s untitled third game emerged in 2017, approximately six months after the critical success of Inside. At that juncture, the studio confirmed the commencement of work on their “next adventure,” with the accompanying artwork suggesting a solitary journey imbued with sci-fi elements.
Subsequently, additional morsels of atmospheric concept art have intermittently surfaced – initially on social media in 2018, then discreetly nestled within online job postings in 2019, and most recently on LinkedIn last year.
Each snippet seems to hint at an odyssey where a lone spacefarer traverses a barren planet littered with forsaken technology. Notably, gleaned from Playdead’s job listings, we ascertain that the elusive project is a “third-person science fiction adventure set in a remote corner of the universe.”
Presently, the Copenhagen-based studio is actively recruiting for various positions, spanning from VFX artists to technical directors. They’ve rekindled interest in their job opportunities via social media, unveiling captivating new concept art for their third endeavor. One image portrays our diminutive protagonist bearing an air of detachment amidst what appears to be agricultural machinery.
Another artwork featured both on the job listings page and Playdead’s promotional material depicts a landscape dominated by pipes and imposing cylindrical structures shrouded in a desolate expanse of snow.
While these revelations do little to elucidate concrete details about Playdead’s persistently mysterious game, they offer assurance that progress continues unabated behind the scenes.
It’s worth noting that Inside, too, underwent a protracted gestation period – its development spanned approximately seven years, commencing shortly after Limbo’s debut in 2010 – and the resulting experience proved well worth the anticipation.
Since Inside’s release, designer Jeppe Carlsen, who also contributed to Limbo, has departed Playdead to establish Geometric Interactive. Their inaugural title, Cocoon, garnered acclaim, earning the distinction of our Game of the Year in 2023.
