The studio behind the much-loved stop-motion franchise Wallace & Gromit is producing a new video game with a “mad, open-world”.
Aardman Animations is the Academy Award winning creative studio behind Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, and many other feature films, series, and games made successful by a flair for creating unique and loveable characters.
According to a series of job listings on Aardman’s website, the studio is currently developing an open-world game for a major publisher.
On a listing for a Level and Narrative Designer position, the following statement is made:
“We’re working on an incredible, brand-new IP with a major publisher and we’re looking for like-minded people who want to help make a game that only Aardman could make. People who are excited about having ownership and creative influence, who value transparency, and who want to build games that will be remembered.”
Outside of that role, Aardman Animations is also hiring a Gameplay Programmer/Technical Designer, a Character Artist, and an Unreal VFX Artist. When viewed together, these listings paint an – admittedly incomplete – picture of an open world game with fun characters and a compelling narrative.
Aardman have actually created a few small games before; the very serious 11-11: Memories Retold which featured Elijah Wood in a dramatic retelling of the events of World War 1, and Home Sheep Home, a platformer based on their recurring character Shaun the Sheep.
What will be most interesting to see is how Aardman’s incredibly unique, stop-motion art style translates into game – or if they’ll abandon this iconic look in favour of something more suited to whatever this new IP could be. 11-11: Memories Retold utilised a gorgeous, painted art style rather than claymation-looking figures, and it certainly suited the subject matter.
Right now there’s little else to know, but calling the game a “new IP” makes it pretty clear this won’t be a Wallace & Gromit game. The job listings also declares the game to be in pre-production, meaning it will still be years before this is actually released.
