News
Never Alone aka Kisima Ingitchuna Announced
May 8, in the year of our Lord 2014 -- Upper
One Games, the first indigenous video game company in the U.S.,
today unveiled additional details about its upcoming debut
title, Never Alone (also known as “Kisima Ingitchuna“ in
Iñupiaq, a language of the Alaska Native people in the Arctic).
Never Alone is expected to launch in the fall of this year as a
downloadable title for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, with a
SRP of $14.99.
In Never Alone, players take on the roles of Nuna, a young
Iñupiaq girl and an Arctic fox, in an atmospheric puzzle
platformer that combines traditional folklore, stories,
settings, and characters handed down over many generations by
Alaska Native people whose roots and heritage date back
millennia. Featuring imagery and themes drawn directly from
Iñupiat and other Alaska Native cultures, Never Alone features
striking visuals, emphasizes the sensibilities and perspective
of these indigenous Arctic people and requires players to work
cooperatively to succeed in challenging and harsh environments.
Upper One Games joined forces with E-Line Media, a leading
publisher of games that engage and empower, to assemble a unique
development team that partners Iñupiaq elders and storytellers
with game industry veterans who have served in key roles on
popular titles across console and PC.
“We’re extremely proud and excited to be building a truly unique
game,” said Gloria O’Neill, president and CEO of Upper One Games
and Cook Inlet Tribal Council. “We’d like to think we’re
creating one of the most authentic – and fun – games of the
year. Video games are powerful tools for making the history,
tradition and culture of indigenous peoples relevant to both the
next generation of Native people and the rest of the world.”
“This is the most personally rewarding project I’ve worked on in
twenty years of designing video games,” said Sean Vesce, chief
creative officer of E-Line Media. “Alaska Native mythology and
culture is incredibly rich and translates remarkably well to
making an amazingly fun experience for all audiences.”
Top Level Features of Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) include:
• 1- and 2-player modes, both involving cooperative play (in
single-player mode, the player can switch between the roles of
Nuna and Fox at any time);
• 8 sweeping chapters that take players across treacherous ice
floes, Arctic tundra, ice caves, boreal forests, cliff-built
coastal villages, and more;
• Game story, settings, characters and gameplay inspired by
traditional Iñupiaq folklore, including the story of
Kunuuksaayuka (Koo-nook-sah-yoo-ka) that has been handed down
for generations among the Iñupiaq people;
• Encounters with traditional Alaska Native folklore characters
such as Manslayer, Blizzard Man, Sky People, the Little People
and the Rolling Heads;
• Exclusive unlockable insights into the Iñupiaq way of life,
told by both Alaska Native elders and youth.
Upper One Games is an initiative launched by Cook Inlet Tribal
Council (CITC) in Anchorage, Alaska and its development and
publishing partner E-Line Media of New York. The goal of the
partnership is to create unique and innovate game experiences
that explore and extend global cultures in fresh, vibrant ways
by weaving timeless living stories into dynamic and fun games.