Press Release
For Immediate Release
September 8th, 2020
Alto’s Adventure developers form new, ‘folk’ games studio Land & Sea
September 8th, South West of England, UK – The BAFTA-nominated development team behind Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey – namely, Harry Nesbitt and collaborators Joe Grainger and Todd Baker (Monument Valley 2) – have teamed up with Jair McBain (Mini Metro, Mini Motorways) and writer Jenna Jovi to form Land & Sea, an independent games studio founded with the goal of creating timeless, hand-crafted experiences that resonate with a wide audience.
From left to right: Todd Baker (Composer/ Audio Designer) , Joe Grainger (Designer / Programmer) , Harry Nesbitt (Founder / Creative Director) - Photography © Gareth Dutton
Founder and creative director, Harry Nesbitt, explains why the team is drawn to the term ‘folk’ games in describing the experiences they are crafting: “We believe there’s a shared groundedness in the things we make; an earthy, honest quality that evokes a strong sense of time and place. We want our players to feel they’re peeking through a small window into a much larger world; a world that exists beyond the edge of the screen and stays with you long after you’ve put the game down.
“It’s also about the kinds of stories we want to tell – stories that are ultimately about ordinary people, often with a humble way of life and a strong connection to the landscape around them. These are threads that began with Alto’s Adventure and hopefully extend well into our future as a studio.
“The Alto Series also showed us the immersive and meditative power that games can have. We were overwhelmed by the feedback we received from players who felt that our games helped them feel grounded by providing a sense of ‘zen’ in their otherwise stressful lives. Moving forward, we want this feeling to be a guiding principle of our studio.”
As well as continuing to nurture their existing partnerships, Land & Sea are also developing new IPs that seek to encapsulate these core themes. “We’re not ready to reveal too much just yet” explains producer, Jair McBain, “but we can say that the first of these will be an accessible, coming-of-age folktale set against an ancient pastoral landscape.”
Land & Sea is now hiring and hard at work on their next title.
The team also continues to support their previous titles in the Alto series alongside Snowman, under the banner of “Team Alto”.
Those who are eager to keep up to date with Land & Sea, can follow the official Twitter account or visit the website. For further information, please contact hello@landandsea.games.
More detailed information and images can be found in our press kit.
A downloadable PDF version of this press release can be found here.
Email: hello@landandsea.games
Twitter: @landandseagames
Press Kit: landandsea.games/presskit
