After years of development, a couple of re-designs and a few public gaffes later, Fez is finally done.
Designer Phil Fish announced last night on Twitter that Fez would be released via Xbox Live Arcade on a rather appropriate date: April 13. You’ll only be paying 800 Microsoft Points ($10) for it, too.
Fez was first revealed all the way back in 2007, and loosely had a release window several times, only to be delayed over and over again. The game was a source of controversy at this year’s Independent Games Festival, as Fez won for “Excellence in Visual Art” in 2008, which also came with $2,500, and the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize” this year, which came with a much bigger pot: $30,000. The rules on entering twice may change next year.
Fish also made waves around the same time for deeply criticizing Japanese video games during the Q&A session for Indie Game: The Movie, following a question from a Japanese designer in the audience.
In a few weeks, though, we'll have the best way to judge a designer: their game.