Waking finally hits stores today. It's been a very long and hard journey. I don't have much to say except that I'm tired. Very tired. I'd like to thank everyone at ID@Xbox for having faith in me many years ago. I really think the vision of what I was pitching back in those days has really come together well. For everyone who decides to purchase Waking, thank you. I really hope this game evokes memories and ultimately leaves you with an uplifting message.
That's it for now. Not sure what is next for me. This game took up so much of my time and mental space, I can barely imagine life without it. We'll see I guess. Bye for now.
May 2020
We have a release date! June 18, 2024
The porting and Xbox certification is finally done! Wakng is finally on it's way to being out there!
September 2019
Porting delays... :(
Porting to Xbox is taking way longer than everyone thought. We can't set a proper release date until the port is solid...so for now things are delayed. Sorry.
July 2019
The Waking Demo is here!
The demo includes the first hour of the game. Will not be available after release.
June 2019
Publisher Announcement
Happy to finally announce that I've teamed up with Tiny Build to publish Waking.
May 2019
Porting...so close!
We're super close. Waking has been handed over to the company in charge of porting and we're going through the final steps of getting up and running on the Xbox.
April 2019
Waking at PAX East
Some people playing Waking (the purple booth) at PAX East.
Jan 2019
Losses
This was a hard month for me. Both my father and my girlfriend passed away. Part of the intention behind making this game was to get people to cherish the ones they love. I have so many great memories of both of these beautiful people. Heartbroken.
Sept 2018
Waking has a Publisher!
For now it's a secret...but Waking has signed with a well-known indie publisher. My game marketing skills are pretty awful, so hopefully having a publisher will help things get off the ground. It's great having a real team behind me because I've felt pretty alone through this whole process.
Oct 2017
The Making of "Waking"
A short video about my journey to Fairfield, Iowa...to create this game.
Sept 2017
Name Change: Coma is now Waking
After a lot of consideration, I've decided to rename the game "Waking" ...there have been a couple games released and announced in the past year with the word Coma in the name and it's just going to be too confusing to keep the name. I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of one of them at PAX, Thomas Brush, who is developing Tale of a Coma. He's a super nice guy who was really understanding about everything and his game looks great. I'm personally pretty happy about "Waking" because I feel that the game has evolved into something much more than its basic premise. Onward...
June 2017
E3 Coliseum: Indie Revolution Panel
Had a great time participating in the Indie Revolution Panel in the E3 Colisuem. Above is me, Eli Cymet - producer of Alto's Adventure, Benden Greene - developer of Player Unknown: Battlegrounds, and Robin Hunike - producer of Journey & Luna.
Game Announcement at E3!
June 2017
The story so far...
June 2017
Several years ago I left New York City and moved to rural Iowa. I had a dream of moving to a small town and starting over...working on passion projects and living an otherwise simple, unremarkable life. It's dirt cheap to live here and with some help from ID @ Microsoft I was able to make my dream come true...and start the long process of developing COMA.
The essential goal of this game was to combine the fun & challenge of combat games with the emotional components of indie games. I didn't want the game to be a story you're being told, instead I wanted the game to allow the player to explore their own personal, sentimental inner worlds. It's a celebration of your story...the things you cherish in your heart, the people you love, where you came from and who you became...your fears, your pain, and the dreams that push you forward. It's about this stupid life we're all living, that we are desperately trying to find meaning in. It's about how we don't really value any of it until it's all ripped away...
The writing of this game was very challenging. What questions do you ask people about themselves to get them to delve deep within...or far back into the sentimental parts of their past? How and when do you ask them? ...and how do those memories work as weapons in the game? What are the essential experiences that we all go through? What are the core parts of all of our stories? It took a while, but I think I got it...it's in that childhood pet...or that place we went to as kids when we wanted to be alone...it's in the best and worst qualities of parents...in a long lost teddy bear...or the shape of the eyes of the first person that broke our heart. These little memories are like the crown jewels in the palace of our lives. Remembering and making these treasures is what we're all trying to do...and it's the quest in the game.
So where am I right now? The game is basically done except for a few story-related scenes. There are of course, tons of bugs and general dumb stuff like enemies getting stuck on walls that need to be fixed. Getting the thing running on an Xbox will probably take a bit of time too.
Right now, I'm thinking early 2018, but don't hold me to that of course. Like all indie games, it'll be done when it's done. If you want to show a little support, please share the trailer with some kind words. I'm almost there and I appreciate your support!
