No Machines for Pigs Until 2013

I’m unsure if this is good news or bad news, but Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs has been delayed into early 2013. Creative director Dan Pinchbeck of thechineseroom broke the news in an interview with GameZone.

“The quality of the game is the absolute first, last, and always with this development, and we felt it could do with a few more months' work to make sure that's really going to happen,” he said.

thechineseroom was also responsible for the spooky, beautiful Dear Esther from earlier this year.

Pinchbeck confirmed the delay to me in an email this morning, and teased the next couple of months.

“The fat just ain't dripping off the bones yet,” he told me. “But we'll definitely have more to show in the not too distant future.”

Clearly, Pinchbeck pushed back A Machine for Pigs because I haven’t written about Amnesia yet. (Soon.)

It’s part of my job to know about games, even when I’d like to join the chorus of people in a media blackout. A Machine For Pigs is a game that falls into that camp for me, and while I’m not actively avoiding it, I’m also not interested in knowing every detail prior to its release. It’s why the reason A Machine For Pigs exists surprised me.

“Frictional are working on a new game but wanted to get another Amnesia out and didn't have time to do it, so they were looking for a studio to take it on,” said Pinchbeck. “We know each other anyway, mutual fans, and we just got talking. It cemented over a few beers at GDCE last year, and we got cracking. Frictional are executive producers for the project, and we're making the game. It's a lot of fun.”

Yes, fun. That describes Amnesia. Fun.

Good, will never finish the first at this rate.

Dammit I was really hoping for this to be out this year. But at least they're spending their time on it.

Is the first one worth playing? Is it that good or you have to be a super fan of the horror genre to enjoy it?

I didn't even know they was doing a follow up to Amnesia. However I guess if they are delaying it then it will end up being a thrill trip. Which reminds me I need to get back and play the first one.

@Nightriff: I don't know if "enjoy" is the right word ... it is a hell of an experience for sure.

but I want to put the pig in the machine naoooowww

Patrick's going to sabotage this game from the inside so that he can't make himself play it, isn't he?

On one hand: Fuck. I'm desperate to recapture the feeling of discovering the first game. On the other: I haven't even touched the custom content for the first. I'm sure there's a few that come close to matching the main game, right?

Sweet, I still need to get around to finishing the first.

I think this game might have the best video game name ever.

Honestly, kind of sad about this. I really need some games other than Borderlands and Assassin's Creed to be excited for at the end of this year.

Damn Potatoes!

I wonder how they'll handle monster AI, It's hard to replay Amnesia and Penumbra knowing that if you don't look at an enemy it can't see you.

2013: The year where every other damn game is released until new consoles rear their heads.

I can't even play the first without shitting myself. I'll still watch day9 play it though!

Amnesia is not THAT scary we need to just move on already. Thief Deadly Shadows, now THAT game had some scary levels.

@me3639 said:

Damn Potatoes!

That's the real reason it was delayed. The metagame for the current Steam Sale has already been cemented.

Aw man, what a bummer :(

oink

;_; another game I'm interested delayed until 2013...

Can't read the title of this game without hearing this in my head.

Hamnesia. That is all.

Well this will give me some time to finally play the first one. I've never been a huge fan of horror games but Amnesia has always intrigued me. So I'll be sure to pick it up and play it before the new one is released.

Hey, as long as they deliver the spooks, I can wait.

Based on the headline, I was expecting this to be a parody trailer revealing a funny little piggy adventure.

Now I will be having nightmares involving Bricktop and Hannibal Lector.

nooo!

The pigs really need that machine though.

Old news, I'm afraid. 

I read this and was all "Hmm, I really should pour a few drinks and play the first one over the weekend". Then I watched the trailer and was all "Fuuuck no".

I would love to see the staff play through the first game during a kind of happy hour sort of thing.

"The fat just ain't dripping off the bones yet"

*shudder*

Why is there a machine for pigs? Is it only for them? Is it good or bad? Does it turn you into a pig?

So many questions...

CHIIIIIVEEEESSSSSSS

I have tried to play Amnesia three different times and found it dreadfully boring. I love horror games and since it's release I have heard over and over how terrifying it is, but I just could not find anything about it even a little bit engaging. It was mostly just tedious and the graphics are poor at best. I am left to wonder; when does it get scary? I played it for about two hours the last time I tried it. Have I not gotten far enough in? Does the story become involving? I really don't give a shit about my protagonist at this point and the audio logs aren't grabbing me at all. I do not want to hate this game. I want it to be good. If someone says I should keep going, I'll keep going. I'm just not getting what is supposed to be good about it so far. And if I haven't liked anything about a game after two hours I start to wonder if I ever will.

i really hope this will be based in the bay of pigs

well goddamn it, what am I supposed to do with all these pigs in the meantime?!

i can't wait i played a bunch of the first and loved it i just never finished it because i got distracted by other games and forgot about it :/.

@Nightriff: I looooooooooooooooved it. It's so different from every other game I have played.

I'm still, patiently, waiting for anything either of these two puts out. Both have really great ideas and I will probably always be interested in what they do. 
 
It's also really great Frictional is in a position, now, where they can have a second development team work on this while they work on something else. I don't know if that's better then where they were at when Amnesia first came out, but it sure does sound like it. I know Amnesia did well, but this sounds like it did them great.  
 
I am continuing to be so glad for them. =)

@Brad3000 said:

I have tried to play Amnesia three different times and found it dreadfully boring. I love horror games and since it's release I have heard over and over how terrifying it is, but I just could not find anything about it even a little bit engaging. It was mostly just tedious and the graphics are poor at best. I am left to wonder; when does it get scary? I played it for about two hours the last time I tried it. Have I not gotten far enough in? Does the story become involving? I really don't give a shit about my protagonist at this point and the audio logs aren't grabbing me at all. I do not want to hate this game. I want it to be good. If someone says I should keep going, I'll keep going. I'm just not getting what is supposed to be good about it so far. And if I haven't liked anything about a game after two hours I start to wonder if I ever will.

You're not the first person I've met who feels this way about the game. I've never played it and I don't care to, but yeah.

I didn't find Amnesia to be that scary honestly, mostly I just thought the constant balance of hiding in the darkness versus losing your sanity to be well implemented.

But jesus the subtitle of this game unsettles the hell out of me

@Owlright:

I don't find it that scary anymore, especially since I know how the game mechanics work inside and out, but when I first played it, it scared the ever loving crap out of me. The only problem now is that custom map makers aren't doing anything new, so a lot of the scares in custom maps are recycled from the campaign. There are only 2 custom maps from the top of my head that I can recommend that at least got me a little frightened, but nothing more really.

@Brad3000 said:

I have tried to play Amnesia three different times and found it dreadfully boring. I love horror games and since it's release I have heard over and over how terrifying it is, but I just could not find anything about it even a little bit engaging. It was mostly just tedious and the graphics are poor at best. I am left to wonder; when does it get scary? I played it for about two hours the last time I tried it. Have I not gotten far enough in? Does the story become involving? I really don't give a shit about my protagonist at this point and the audio logs aren't grabbing me at all. I do not want to hate this game. I want it to be good. If someone says I should keep going, I'll keep going. I'm just not getting what is supposed to be good about it so far. And if I haven't liked anything about a game after two hours I start to wonder if I ever will.

If you haven't gotten it yet, then you likely won't. I met the game with some fascination when it was released but was a tad bored until a certain water sequence. From there on I felt refreshed and had a fine experience.

Patrick's obsession with this game is entertainment enough.

I really hope that they dont go too far on this one and make sure it feels just like a more refined version of the original. I hate it when i see bigger companies destroy a game by trying to make it something its not. The atmospheric quality of the original is what made it great and I hope that they dont throw that away for constantly seeing your enemies, rather than being scared because you dont know whats there.