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Kentucky Route Zero studio's next game is in development

Cardboard Computer announced at the Annapurna Interactive Showcase that the team is hard at work on its next title.

Ozzie Mejia

July 28, 2022 12:15 PM

Annapurna Interactive

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Those who have followed indie games over the last decade likely have an affinity for Kentucky Route Zero, though it's also just as probable that they never experienced it. Its episodic schedule and lack of marketing and publicity made it an overlooked indie gem, but a gem, nonetheless. With the story finally finished, developer Cardboard Computer now appears to be on to its next adventure, announcing at this year's Annapurna Interactive Showcase that a new title from the studio is currently in the works.

"We're working on a new project," said Cardboard Computer's Jake Elliot during a developer vignette. "It's the first project [where] we're really seriously focusing on performance. That's the core part of the piece."

Little is known about the new Cardboard Computer project, but the video featurette shown during the Annapurna Interactive Showcase noted that the team was placing a greater emphasis on smoother character models and a presentation more pleasing to the eye. On top of that, the team is looking for a much shorter development cycle than what Kentucky Route Zero had by the end of its story."

"The beginning of Kentucky Route Zero was a more staggered sort of development," Composer/Producer Ben Babbitt added. "And now we've known each other for so long and we're so comfortable with each other, I think that informs making the new [project] work in a way that feels substantial and exciting."

This is not the first time that Annapurna Interactive has worked with the Cardboard Computer team. The two parties first came together to release Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition, which compiled the full story for modern consoles and released at the start of 2020. The full five-part adventure will also be available on mobile devices through Netflix later this year.

There's a lot that's unknown about the next Cardboard Computer project, but the team's sophomore effort should be a story worth following. We'll follow everything happening with the Kentucky Route Zero team and report back with the latest updates. We're also following the Annapurna Interactive Showcase, so come back to Shacknews for more reveals.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?