EXPLORE A POST-FLOOD WORLD AND UNCOVER A DEEP CONSPIRACY IN
SALTSEA CHRONICLES,
OUT TODAY ON PS5, SWITCH AND PC
Alongside, Die Gute Fabrik has published a considered
report on the climate impact of the game’s production
BETWEEN SHEFFIELD AND COPENHAGEN, OCTOBER 12, 2023 – Today, Die Gute Fabrik is pleased to announce their new story-driven adventure game Saltsea Chronicles is out today on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC, for $24.99 with a 20% launch discount.
Additionally, the studio and Dr Benjamin Abraham are excited to share a carbon impact report titled: Climate Impacts of Producing Saltsea Chronicles. Made in partnership with Dr. Abraham, sustainability researcher and founder of the video game environmental consultancy AfterClimate, the report looks at the climate impact of the production of Die Gute Fabrik’s new game and attempts to put a figure on the CO2 emissions produced throughout development. Abraham believes this is the first such study by an indie scale company attempting to track the impact of a single game. By understanding their own climate impact and identifying strategies to minimize it, Die Gute Fabrik also hopes to inspire other studios and the industry as a whole to take action. The report aims to give other studios the tools to monitor their own impact, set targets, and take action. Finally, it recommends a climate ratings system which could be a useful industry-wide tool for climate action and accountability.
“I’m really proud to have been able to support such an extensive assessment of the impact of Saltsea Chronicles’ production process.” Hannah Nicklin, Game Director and CEO of Die Gute Fabrik explains. “Saltsea Chronicles itself is set after a huge climate disaster – it’s not what the game is about, but it is where it’s set: in the fabric of the lives and the ruins on which they’re lived. In our world, it’s urgent we take action towards net zero now. In the field of videogames larger organisations are beginning to track and target their annual impact, but the indie and mid-scale needs to be a part of that too. It’s tough when you have fewer resources, of course, but there are no videogames on a dead planet. If we want our work to be viable, we need our process to be so too. I hope this report offers means for smaller game organisations to find a hand-hold in how to begin to take action. Our survival depends on it.
Where multiple greenhouse gases with different global warming potential are emitted (as is often the case when burning fossil fuels) they can be standardised using the term ‘CO2e’ once their different impacts on the climate are accounted for. Kg = Measured in Kilograms
“This report represents an important first step in understanding and addressing the climate impacts of indie game making.” Dr Benjamin Abraham, the reports author and director of AfterClimate notes. “Die Gute Fabrik have stepped up and shown real leadership in taking on this crucial yet often overlooked aspect of modern game production. The report encourages indies to act, provides much-needed benchmarks against which to compare climate impacts, and shows gamers themselves what they should be expecting in terms of climate action from the makers of their favourite games. Indie and AA game making represents a growing segment of the games industry with real and tangible climate impacts – all of which have to go to zero in the years ahead.“
Read the full report on its findings and methodology here: bit.ly/Saltsea-Chronicles-Climate-Report and it will also be hosted on the Saltsea Chronicles minisite.
Saltsea Chronicles was made possible by the support of the Private Division Development Fund.
About Saltsea Chronicles
Saltsea Chronicles is a new story-driven adventure game from the award-winning indie studio Die Gute Fabrik (Mutazione, Sportsfriends).
Captain Maja’s misfit crew must heist their impounded ship and mount a rescue of their missing crew member. Guide the crew across islands of a post-flood world known as ‘Saltsea’. Explore strange and wonderful communities, uncover a deep conspiracy, choose where to go and which crew members to investigate with, and chart a journey through a story told across an entire archipelago.
A Post-Flood World
Visit different island communities as you investigate the mystery at the heart of the game. Each built on pre-flood ruins – in beautiful and beguiling ways. As you explore you will uncover different pathways through a rich and varied series of islands. This flooded world (betrayed by the so-called Hoarders) barely remembers a time before the Flood. They rebuilt on the ruins of what came before, and new talents and technologies took the place of the old. Many surprises await!
Choose Your Priorities
In Saltsea Chronicles you guide the entire crew through the story. As well as investigating the mystery of your captain’s disappearance, you will uncover secrets, create and resolve tensions between the crew as well as adding to your number as you meet others who ask to join you.
Each episode you will pick which island to visit and who to send on the expedition – your choices will unlock different content, develop relationships, and give you a chance to resolve (and create) tensions within the crew.
With a lightning-fast navigation system, you’re free to hop around the islands as you explore. Choose between short and snappy observations, or dig deep into conversations with your crewmate or the locals; explore the islands across different times of day.
Uncover A Conspiracy
Was your captain kidnapped? Or did she leave of her own free will? Keep track of the mystery in Murl’s Log and collect records of your encounters as stickers in the Almanac. Different playthroughs will take you to different islands, meet different characters and have dramatic consequences for your crew. You can replay from any chapter and branch your save file to meet new crew members, explore different communities and trace alternative pathways through the rich and gripping story.
Themes
>From an award-winning and diverse writersroom – with experience in Young Adult fiction, film, theatre, poetry and games – Saltsea Chronicles imagines a rich world. The game shows communities built from scratch and free of some of the baggage of our world. And yet is still complicated by universal questions of what it means to live together in the context of one another. A story which traces meaningful themes with humour, lightness of touch, and care.
Features
- Distinctive print-inspired art style – A unique art style inspired by risograph print techniques brings a story-book aesthetic to the fantasy-tinged world of Saltsea Chronicles. Brought to life with beautiful bespoke animation.
- Try your hand at Spoils – Spoils is a trick-taking card game from the world of Saltsea Chronicles. Play cards with each local community, but watch out – some islands have their own house rules!
- An original score by Eli Rainsberry – IGF-nominated composer and sound artist Eli Rainsberry (No Longer Home, A Monster’s Expedition) presents a musically hybrid score and soundscape guided by the spaces and characters of Saltsea Chronicles.
- Navigate the drama as well as the seas – Tensions between crew members are represented by Issues, small ‘relationships quests’ you can track, resolve, or sometimes, just have to be left unsolved.
For more information on Saltsea Chronicles, visit www.saltseachronicles.com. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube via @gutefabrik.
