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From indie development to Guerrilla Games: The ‘Gravity Ghost’ story

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“When we finally did crack that, I was over the moon,” Robinson Swink said. “And then, believe it or not, once the game is complete, there’s still a ton of work to do.”

This time around, she hired a PR team to handle marketing and pass out review codes for the launch. Robinson Swink is busy, nowadays, as a Senior Quest Designer at Guerrilla Games, the Dutch studio behind Killzone and Horizon Zero Dawn. In the past four years, she’s made the move from full-time indie development in Arizona to large-scale studio work in The Netherlands, with a stint in California along the way. All the while, she was chipping away at the PS4 version of her game.

“I feel like I’ve had to reinvent myself,” Robinson Swink said.

“I’ve had to reinvent myself.”

After the PC launch of Gravity Ghost, Robinson Swink picked up a job as the creative director of a video game masters program at UC Santa Cruz. For roughly three years, she mentored students and connected them with the professional marketplace, teaching the tools to succeed in modern studios. One of her student teams built an esports-focused title and ended up securing $1 million in funding.

As the end of her contract neared, she reached out to a recruiter who worked with video game and technology companies to check out her career options.

Gravity Ghost

“She basically told me, ‘You’ve been out of development for three years or so. You wait any longer, you’re never gonna get back in,'” Robinson Swink recalled. “I was like, ‘What?!'”

So, she started applying (and hired a C++ tutor for a year so she could add that skill to her résumé — students, take note). Guerrilla was high on her list, following the release of Horizon Zero Dawn in 2017.

“I decided Horizon was really important to me,” she said. “And I wanted to work on stuff that was important to people, so I decided to apply there.”

Robinson Swink won’t say what she’s working on now at Guerrilla, though her past work aligns beautifully with the themes of its most acclaimed title. Not only because Ashly Burch is the voice actor in both Gravity Ghost and Horizon, but because both games handle heavy themes of self-realization and loss in a mature, yet mechanically immersive, way.

“With something like Horizon Zero Dawn, there are definitely moments of real joy, and then there are also moments of real, real darkness that hit pretty close to home,” Robinson Swink said. “So, I think, definitely there was that appeal for me. On the surface, Horizon‘s an excellent, excellent game without the story. But then they added that, and it added so much to the whole experience, I was just in awe.”

“I’m just enjoying being part of a team.”

When developers leave AAA studios to go indie, they often cite feeling restrained. They’re unable to freely express their ideas at large companies, lost in the machinery of a thousand-person development team and working toward goals set by shareholders, rather than storytellers. Starting an independent studio has historically been viewed as a way out, and a path back to video games’ artistic roots.

It was the opposite for Robinson Swink. She started out in charge of her own independent studio, building the game she wanted to — and handling everything else that comes with running a successful business. When her current boss, Tim Stobo, recently asked how she was enjoying the jump from indie to large-scale development, she replied, “I’m just enjoying being part of a team and not having to be the one in charge, and not having to make all the decisions. Just being able to focus on the creative part, which is what I’ve always loved the most.”

Gravity Ghost

Robinson Swink has been making a living as a game developer for more than 10 years (alongside her husband, Havocado developer Steve Swink). Setting up her new home in The Netherlands, launching Gravity Ghost on PS4, and flexing her creativity at a studio she truly believes in, Robinson Swink feels like she’s made it.

“I feel like I’m at the place now that I was hoping to be when I started out chipping away at Indie games,” she said. “My first paying gig in video games was in 2007. I did the art for a point-and-click adventure game called Blackwell Unbound. I made, I think, $600 for doing that. That was only a dozen years ago and I feel like now, I’ve arrived. It feels really good to know that that hard work all went somewhere.”

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VAIO’s port-loaded 12-inch laptop goes on sale in the US

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Following its launch in Japan, VAIO’s small but mighty SX12 — which offers just about every conceivable I/O you could ever want — is now available in the US. Its starting price of $1,119 means this isn’t a cheap deal, but how could it be when such a diminutive 12-inch model somehow crams in three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a HDMI port, a full-sized SD card slot, a headphone/mic port, an Ethernet port and even a VGA port. Got literally anything to plug in to something? This’ll do it.

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Everything you need to know about the Galaxy Note 10

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Two sizes, but no headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ hands-on

Say hello to two new Galaxy Note phones. The Note 10 is a little smaller (6.3 inches) than last year’s model, while the Note 10+ is a little bigger (6.8 inches). However, both come with new gesture controls, lack of a headphone port and the usual sumptuous Samsung screen. In short, it’s more choice for your stylus-toting lifestyle. Preorders start August 8th, at 12:01AM ET, while the devices will be in stores on August 23rd, so you can go check them out before splurging that $950 (or $1,100 if you pick the bigger Note 10+). We think the petit Note 10 is the more appealing option, even if it’s a little too pricey.

Two new smartphones, a laptop and more.
All the important news from Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 event

It wasn’t just two new phones. Samsung’s Unpacked event included a new Windows 10 laptop that’s meant to run for a whole day, as well as a new Android tablet and smartwatch we’ve already talked about. Samsung gave a deep-dive tour of its upgraded S Pen stylus and its gesture controls, or Air Actions. These will let users activate shortcuts and perform specific actions by drawing shapes above the screen. The S Pen can also shrink, enlarge or change the color of text — and you’ll be able to export handwritten notes in different formats, including Microsoft Word and PDF.

Some models will pack Sharp IGZO displays.
Nintendo may have many, many more Switch consoles planned

Nintendo is definitely releasing the $200 Switch Lite handheld on September 20th, and may, according to rumors, release a higher-end console soon. Its plans might even go farther, too. According to Wall Street Journal sources on the inside, the company is reportedly working on updates beyond those models “to make the platform’s lifecycle long.” Sharp VP Katsuaki Nomura has added that the company will supply its IGZO display panels to a videogame client assumed to be Nintendo, according to an earlier WSJ report. Expect the next Switch to have a better-looking, power-sipping screen, as well.

For Microsoft, it looks like money well spent.
Ninja already has a million subscribers on Mixer

Streaming superstar Tyler Blevins, better known by his online handle, Ninja, has already racked up one million subscribers on Mixer. It’s an impressive feat considering Mixer is smaller than Twitch and the streamer only announced his exclusivity deal last week. For now, anyone can nab a free one-month subscription to Ninja’s channel. After September 30th, though, fans will have to pay a fee — probably $5.99 — for subscriber perks such as custom emotes and ad-free streams. That will prove to be a true test of loyalty.

What, no haircut video?
Apple (gently) taps ASMR fans with its latest iPhone ads

Apple wants to show that it’s hip, latching on to one of YouTube’s biggest trends: ASMR videos. A year or two late, the company has posted a series of iPhone-captured Apple ASMR clips from director Anson Fogel, which aim to deliver relaxing tingles. There are only four so far: You can fall asleep to rain during a camping trip, scratch that mental itch with hiking trail crunches, set your mind alight with whispers or listen to satisfying wood carving sounds. If sweet whispers and crunches do absolutely nothing for you, we’ve got some bad news: This is only season 1.

Eat fresh without eating real meat.
Beyond Meat comes to Subway in the form of a meatball

Impossible Foods might have Burger King, but Beyond Meat has Subway. The sandwich chain has announced that it will test a sub with plant-based meat, the Beyond Meatball Marinara, in 685 North American restaurants this September. Eat faux.

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Google Maps’ AR walking directions comes to many more phones

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Engadget had a chance to test the app in an early preview in February 2019, and we found it to be pretty cool but still a bit rough around the edges. At its I/O developer conference, Google unveiled a limited release of the app for Pixel devices owners and Local Guides. One of the key changes it made was to limit screen time while walking to make the experience safer.

On top of Live View, Google Maps unveiled a Reservations tab in “Places” that lets see all your flight and hotel reservations in one spot whether you’re on or offline. It’s also got an updated version of the Timeline (on Android only) that makes it easy to find a spot you’ve visited in the past, provided you have Location History turned on.

The new Live View is rolling out to Maps starting today, Google said. To try it out, you can search for a location to walk to, tap on the blue directions button and tapping the walking icon. At that point, if the feature is available on your device, you can select a new button called “Live View” near the bottom of the screen. You’ll then be guided through the use of the feature. It looks like a huge improvement over the current (wonky) walking directions, just make sure to keep your wits about you while using it.

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Netflix signs a $200 million deal with ‘Game of Thrones’ showrunners

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The streaming giant reportedly had to beat competing offers from Amazon and Disney, which also tried to lock Benioff’s and Weiss’ services. Sources told THR that Amazon, which signed a similar nine-figure agreement with Westworld’s creators earlier this year, was the frontrunner until Netflix countered with a presumably better offer. Meanwhile, HBO (the duo’s home for the past decade), made it clear early on that it couldn’t compete with the other companies.

Benioff and Weiss said in a statement:

“We’ve had a beautiful run with HBO for more than a decade and we’re grateful to everyone there for always making us feel at home. Over the past few months we’ve spent many hours talking to Cindy Holland and Peter Friedlander, as well as Ted Sarandos and Scott Stuber. We remember the same shots from the same ’80s movies; we love the same books; we’re excited about the same storytelling possibilities. Netflix has built something astounding and unprecedented, and we’re honored they invited us to join them.”

While the deal will definitely see the duo develop a number of films and shows exclusively for the streaming company, it’s not entirely clear when they will begin. If you’ll recall, the partners are writing and producing a Star Wars trilogy separate from Rian Johnson’s for Lucasfilm, and the first in the series is already scheduled for 2022.

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Microsoft is closing its long-running MSDN developer magazine

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An announcement on the MSDN website asks “How far have we all come since then?” and notes that as is the case with many things nowadays, it’s time for MSDN to move online. While the physical magazine will be retired, back issues will be digitally archived, and the title’s role as a resource will continue through channels such as Microsoft Docs and The Visual Studio Blog. Subscribers, meanwhile, can expect a pro-rated refund check in the mail after the final issue arrives in November.

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Facial recognition will catch sleepy taxi drivers in Russia

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The device, which will be mounted on the car’s windshield, includes software that can identify the signs of an exhausted person — including blinking, yawning and a less than upright posture. In total, the software can identify 68 facial points.

The move by Yandex is in response to demands from Russian legislators that taxi companies do more to prevent accidents. Moscow faced 764 car accidents last year, which resulted in 23 deaths. Many blamed the increased use of ride-hailing services and more cars on the road for the increase in roadside collisions.

Automakers have already rolled out similar facial recognition features in their vehicles. The 2019 Subaru Forester includes a feature called DriverFocus, a driver monitoring system that can identify signs of fatigue in drivers. A driver-facing camera on the Cadillac CT6 sedan uses infrared light to track head position.

Uber has a more low-tech approach to keep tired drivers off the road — it automatically goes offline for six hours after drivers reach the 12-hour time limit. Lyft has a 14-hour time limit. But drivers can easily bypass such restrictions if they use both apps. Yandex has already piloted face recognition for drivers in 100 cars, and plans to roll out the technology to several thousand cars soon.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 isn’t compatible with its VR headset

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A spokesperson told us:

“The Gear VR is not compatible with Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+. We remain committed to innovating in VR and AR to deliver incredible new experiences to our consumers.”

Unfortunately, the second half of that statement is pretty vague and leaves Gear VR’s future up in the air. Samsung didn’t talk about its virtual reality device during the Note 10 event at all, so we’ll just have to wait and see whether the company is developing a newer version of the phone-powered device, a standalone VR/AR headset or something else entirely.

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Apple (gently) taps ASMR fans with its latest iPhone ads

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This is billed as “Season 1,” so you can expect more ASMR going forward. Don’t be surprised if there’s a haircut or massage video in the pipeline, then.

Of course, these are ultimately iPhone ads. Apple is showing that you can produce these kinds of videos using the device in your pocket, even if you’ll likely need accessories and apps to match the quality you see here (a binaural microphone could be a must-have). It does show that marketing doesn’t always have to revolve around in-your-face promos, though. And think of it this way: these might some of the few tech company videos you’ll want to watch more than once, even if you have no intention of buying what Apple’s selling.

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Dell’s revamped XPS 13 2-in-1 goes on sale tomorrow

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Options can upgrade the 1,920 x 1,200 screen to a 4K panel in addition to a maximum Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of solid-state storage.

We have yet to take a deeper look at the latest 2-in-1, but it’s promising. It not only addresses many of the concerns about the old model, but could even be an upgrade over this year’s standard XPS 13. The taller screen, larger keys and bigger trackpad should help productivity, while there’s more metal in the chassis than in any previous XPS laptop — it should feel as premium as it looks. We thought the regular XPS 13 was near-ideal as long as you weren’t looking for a gaming rig, and the 2-in-1 appears set to achieve similar results for the hybrid PC crowd.

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