Unpacking 
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Leaked PlayStation Plus games for September include Civilization 6, NieR: Replicant, Star Ocean, moreSep 12, 2023 - VG247The September lineup of PlayStation Plus games for the Premium and Extra tiers has leaked. As reported by Dealabs, six titles are scheduled to arrive on the service, but it's worth noting Sony won't confirm the plan for September until sometime tomorrow. One of the games said to be coming in September is 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. This Vanillaware-developed 2D side-scrolling adventure features real-time strategy battles and follows 13 high-schoolers in an alternate version of 1980s Japan who are fighting in a futuristic war between mechs and giant monsters. Read more Unpacking is available now on mobile & tablets!Aug 24, 2023 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/45b0432d233d5099132f6c8b3733c0d5ecc38740.jpg Today’s the day! Unpacking is officially available on the App Store and Google Play! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/385e8b1eb8958e609bf329318cc24c7e8c2e76d3.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/8237d8ce39628d42b01b46fcffd5769fe56f70f4.png We’ll keep this post short and sweet because the important information is right there—Unpacking is now available on mobile and tablets, and you can purchase it at the links above. A few FAQs for those curious: You can play it on BOTH phones and tablets It is a premium title, but the price may vary based on what country you’re in. There are no ads or in-app purchases! It's the complete game – now designed to play great with touch screen controls right in the palm of your hand! We hope you enjoy it in its new form, and please tag us (@UnpackingALife on Twitter and @unpackinggame on TikTok) if you take any particularly good photos or videos of you playing it out in the world. We’d love to see them! Unpacking is coming to phones and tablets!Jun 10, 2023 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/d0846968e8eb841348e5ed42cafe3b5e8075cc87.gif We’re happy to announce that Unpacking is coming to phones and tablets! 🎉 This has been a long time coming, and we can’t wait for you all to experience it on iOS and Android phones and tablets later this year! We shared the trailer during Wholesome Direct, and you can check it out below (including a cute cameo from the plushies!): Cheers, Emily and the Witch Beam teamTune in this Saturday for a big announcement from Unpacking!Jun 7, 2023 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/26ca40b9945cf115306b7688efc44be903ad3dd8.jpg We’ve got news to share! We have an announcement coming up—we're coming to phones and tablets later this year! Wholesome Direct is a yearly celebration of exclusive footage and announcements from 70+ indie games, and this year, that includes Unpacking! As a heads up, it’s not a DLC announcement, but it’s still something that a lot of folks have been asking for! And a quick little post-Wholesome Direct edit to say—our news is that we're coming to mobile and tablets! We're so excited about this, and you can see the full announcement here! In other news... {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/43bac676386d9f1759e401f0043b4bdbaa26a594.jpg More beautiful fanart by alxxjms Disegno published a really lovely piece on Unpacking—hitting points about the expansiveness and limits of cozy and wholesome games as a genre, the sadness we can feel when comparing our life to that of a protagonist, and the stories that are told throughout Unpacking. It’s well worth a read! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/b34a55169de13941c852a91da7cfe4a57590b531.jpg Don’t forget, Unpacking merchandise and plushies are still available at Serenity Forge! We absolutely love seeing them come to life, and as shipments are arriving at folks’ homes, it’s brought us so much joy! See you all Saturday at Wholesome Direct! Cheers, Emily & the Unpacking teamUnpacking PLUSHIES officially for sale!Apr 27, 2023 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/2a88accf25fd7267a11a6b8b74257554be96ca54.jpg Wait, did you think we were done with merch? SURPRISE!!! We’ve got a second wave of Unpacking-related goodies for you, and yes, it includes PLUSHIES! Shop the collection {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/b8eb34cd92a5479e78cbb28d82fcb196fd7d2b0a.jpg Looking to cover your bed entirely with plushies? Look no further! We’ve got all our favorite plushies available, like Piggy, Tiger, Mama Hen & Chicks (as a set or as blind boxes!), Froggy, Kitty, Bluey the Dragon, Cool Duck, and Beetle. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/09b535b811d1c4183126ce3f1747cfabe50da4eb.png Next up, a lovely stationery set, complete with journal, pen, pencil, ruler, and washi tape! AND an Unpacking pouch, with some of our favorite items spilling out of a box. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/96aa55f0494452a178f1c3861ca4b77b2c2141d9.png We’ve got replicas of some of our favorite posters in-game to decorate your walls including 3 Miles Home, the Angel Puppy, AntiHero Season 2, and the Unpacking key art! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/67f91855dd8b7788c7b389451432962b6be27f29.png One more t-shirt, this one of our favorite BFFs sitting on their respective boxes. And finally, if you want to chronicle how many achievements you got, now’s your chance. We’ve got sticker versions of all of them! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/cd83661fd8c07eccbe790491371f05075d5d3581.png Shop the collection We’ve been waiting to share this news with all of you, and hope you’re as excited as we are! Cheers, Emily and the Witch Beam team How Unpacking handles sentimentality, level design, “stuff” and the idea of homeFeb 27, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsTwo great interviews, one with Edge Magazine and one with Gameshub, that we’re quite proud of! We talked to Edge about a huge range of things, from choosing which items came along from each level, sentimentality, level design of the post-boyfriend level, UI/interface, and of course: fan theories. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/5607fcc6aecb03c9c124588d5e3bfbccf432c0c2.png With Gameshub, the conversation began with our definitions of home, and then we discussed the idea of “stuff” in the game, what you can control (and what you can’t), and how the ways people play the game is still so, so varied. We’re headed to GDC! It’s a month out (how is that possible?) and we’re headed to GDC to give two talks. Please come join us if you’re attending the conference! Wren will be giving a talk about building a game in a way that defies many game design mechanics, and why they made these choices, called 'Unpacking' Zen: Designing a Game Without Fail States or Scores on Wednesday, March 22nd at 2-3:00 PM PT Emily (that’s me!) will be giving a talk on social media and marketing a game after its launch, and how to maintain momentum, called 'Unpacking' Fan Expectations and Driving Engagement Post-Launch on Tuesday, March 21 at 1:20-1:50 PM PT Don’t forget! Unpacking physical editions are still available at major retailers (Amazon, Target, and others!) and you can still pick up Unpacking merchandise from Serenity Forge’s online shop. We’ve been loving seeing people share their pictures of packages arriving! Also, we’ve been posting some looks behind the scenes—as well as some creative interpretations of what people think some of the items are—on TikTok, so join us there if you’re interested! Cheers, Emily & the Witch Beam teamUnpacking is one year old—and our merch is now available!Nov 2, 2022 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/671682b1d69946c9df0b53830604f7919dc2c203.png This past year has flown by so quickly, but it’s been an absolutely wonderful journey. To celebrate a full year of Unpacking, we thought it was the perfect time for the official release of our merch collaboration with our friends at Serenity Forge! SHOP NOW We’ve got a collection we’re so proud of, so get ready to unpack: Fabric storage cube (yes, the chickens are all there) Enamel pin set of different achievements in-game Two different keychains—one with Piggy & Tiger, one with all the chickies! Two different t-shirts—and the Piggy one has a POCKET Fruit coasters, just like in the later levels! And of course, since it’s our one year anniversary, ✨ Unpacking is officially on sale here on Steam for 30% off ✨ —so if you know of anyone that hasn’t played, now’s the perfect time to pick up the game! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/e5c279b5030d887b5c66114d8afc096cf93e23f8.png SHOP NOW Finally, we can’t help but look backwards at what a year it’s been. We’ve put together an infographic of our favorite stats—including that we’ve officially sold over a million copies of Unpacking! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/34178d4267c0dc20757c1bdd275301d8dbc3a6ea.png Cheers, Emily and the Witch Beam team Unpacking is now in a museum!Oct 18, 2022 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/438413f2fc093cd511f8dc10e43e070c002e2efc.gif We’ve been joking that Unpacking is built in a “secret third dimension” - this is what it looks like in-engine! The ACMI museum in Melbourne has put up a display about Unpacking! It has original notes, sketches, and a crocheted version of the Pig plush that ZebracornCreations made for the team). If you get a chance to go to Melbourne, make sure to check it out, but if not, it’s definitely worth pursuing online! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/32b49db38f3d92848c49654f35d7cb4be8aea328.png The Sydney Morning Herald wrote a piece on kinder, cosier video games, and Unpacking is featured alongside other Australian games. It’s well worth a read, especially if you’re looking for new games to add to your queue. Audio Director Jeff van Dyck was interviewed on the Sifter podcast, talking about using music to tell the story of Unpacking. Wren joined GLITCH to read reviews of Unpacking, and we find out who feels strongly about soy sauce placement: Cheers, Emily and the Witch Beam teamA peek at Unpacking merch, and a new way to play Dark Star ModeSep 3, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsHow on earth is it September already!? Time flies, especially when you’re headed to multiple events like we have. The team headed back to BitSummit for the first time in three years (!) and showed Unpacking, as well as Witch Beam’s newest game, Tempopo. Then, we bounced over to New Zealand for Wren to give the keynote at NZGDC. But we’re home now, thank goodness! We’re VERY excited to share that ✨ Unpacking merch is coming soon! ✨ We’re so excited to have partnered with Serenity Forge to create some things we’re so excited to have in our hands soon and do our own IRL unpacking of boxes! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/cdf34b965705df3965e37ced1aef36f750724506.jpg We’ve got two t-shirts, one with a rendition of the final scene that says “Unpacking a life with you,” and the other with Piggy peeking out of a cardboard box—and the box is a POCKET! Then some keychains of some of our favorite plushies (jk we can’t pick favorites, we love them all) AND an enamel pin set of some of the achievements in the game. They’ll be available at PAX West this weekend in Seattle (at Serenity Forge’s Booth: #757), and after that… well, you’ll just have to stay tuned! (and we just might have a few more things in store for you… 😉) Also at PAX West, we’ll also be a part of Pinny Arcade’s Pin Quest with these fantastic enamel pins that will be available at the Humble Games booth (#317). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/14de8f4716894601379dcd11182db99d725ceb28.png Jeff’s GDC talk is now officially on YouTube! Go listen to him talk through all the intricacies of foley in the game. A great piece on Jewish characters in video games featured Unpacking and it’s well worth the read! “We wanted to make the characters feel like real, three-dimensional people so that players could relate to them. One aspect of that is a religious and cultural identity. Our character happens to be an artist, and she happens to be queer, and happens to be Jewish. All of these are important parts of who she is.” Our Discord is finding new and exciting ways to play the game, play Dark Star mode, and speedrun (yes, we have a speedrunning community!). Our current favorite is “Floor is Lava” mode for Dark Star, where you still have to put everything in the wrong place, but the floor is off-limits! Let us know if you give it a try. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/46a0603927051e729071da03760f5db35c0928e7.jpg Finally, do you know anyone that hasn’t grabbed the game on PC yet? If so, Humble is having a sale through September 6th, and Unpacking is 20% off in their store. That’s all for now! Cheers, Emily & the Witch Beam team Unpacking is 20% off as part of the Tiny Teams Festival!Aug 1, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsWe're so excited to be a part of the Tiny Teams Festival here on Steam! As part of it, Unpacking is 20% off through next Monday, August 8th. Be sure to check out all the great games that are taking part in it! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/90d297f8681cdc0f61b82a2f66c7b8ac6ccf1b3a.pngTaking a deep dive into Unpacking’s sound & designJul 27, 2022 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/e77531ae7f782164cc00579e7210cfbeb018d2a3.png Above: @beezelbee_ is building the 1997 room in miniature, and we’re loving following the process Hello Unpacking fans! It’s been a busy month, but at this point, maybe there’s no such thing as a slow month! ABC Australia Mini Doco We’re very excited that this mini-doco has come out—ABC Australia came to Wren and Tim’s apartment on the day of the game launch, and it’s crazy to think about how far we’ve come since this day in November. We also got reminded that we made our Twitter account four years ago, and it’s resulted in some nostalgia as we think about where we were at that time—at Stugan, in Sweden, building out ovens and taking the first pass at the 1997 level! Wild to see all that progress. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/ec92030528b30cbb3f11a08d7676b2232009fd16.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/d772b2006c1855ce77e44774dfdfdf8cf15e9ed4.jpg Listen & Learn Jeff & Ange have been giving some great behind-the-scenes looks at the sound design behind Unpacking. First up, they were on Level with Emily Reese to talk about sound, music and the complications of recording foley for the game, and then followed that up with a video as part of Save & Sound, which dives into the environmental ambiance of the levels (listen for a school letting out at around 3PM in the first level!), how they tracked the sounds of objects across different surfaces. And keep in mind there’s variations on each sound as well! We put together a TikTok of some of our favorite sounds—what’s yours? Another peek On the other end of things (narrative and game design, that is!) Wren & Tim have had a few chances to take some deep dives as well. The PlayStation podcast had them on to talk about different playstyles, hidden details (if you shake the PS5 controller, it shakes the item!), and telling narratives in unique ways. Then, on an episode of Noclip, they talked about all the systems behind the game, and the video is a great look at the game being built in Unity as well as the grids on each level for item placement! We’re headed to BitSummit! So excited to announce that we’re headed to BitSummit X-Roads this year! We showed Unpacking at BitSummit in 2019, and we’re so glad to be headed back. If you’ll be there—let us know! Easter Egg found! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/cebcaa179127dedf48d567bb7a3b60172876f1cb.jpg We’re delighted to say that the easter egg from last month’s newsletter has been found! It’s found by interacting with the game console in the 2015 level—and is Witch Beam’s next game, TemPoPo! That’s all for this month! Next month brings BitSummit and Wren’s keynote at NZGDC, and we can’t wait to share both with you! Cheers, Emily & the Witch Beam Team Save & Sound - A celebration of music in games!Jul 12, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsGet ready! The Unpacking audio crew are part of this year’s Save & Sound on Steam! Angela & Jeff Van Dyck have produced a video that goes into some of the gory details of how they created Unpacking’s award winning soundscape. Join us on July 14th at 1PM PDT to watch on Save & Sound's site: saveandsound.io Also, the Unpacking Soundtrack will be 20% off during the event—so now's the time to pick up the perfect accompaniment to a future move! More info about the event: Save & Sound runs from July 14 - 18 right here on Steam, and is one of the largest digital expos about audio and music in games. Featuring concerts, deep-dives, and mashups from 70+ developers from around the world, prepare your eyes & ears for a unique event! Starting at 10am PDT / 7pm CEST, a 4-day live show from July 14 to 17 will stream showcasing all the wonderful content made just for Save & Sound. Check out all the games part of the event on saveandsound.io Unpacking is 20% off for the Steam Summer Sale!Jun 23, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsAh, June, that time when the weather’s been cooling down, the shortest day of the year has just passed us by—wait a minute, what’s this about a Summer Sale? Well look, we’re Australians, you can’t blame us! Regardless of the season you’re in, we’re excited to announce that Unpacking is 20% off for the Steam Summer Sale! Have a happy… well, whatever season you might be experiencing now! And most importantly: enjoy the game :) Cheers, Emily & the Witch Beam team Five great reads, two deep dive videos, and one easter eggJun 14, 2022 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/040155cb64e9a160ab5c04fc86c546e568fc2988.jpg top row and bottom left: Karoliina Korhonen / bottom right: María Ambrosoni We are loving these Sims 4 builds that have recreated some of the apartments from Unpacking! If you are so inspired, please share with us on our Discord or on Twitter! Game maker’s notebook ICYMI, we’ve had two different sessions with the Game Maker’s Notebook, one with Jeff about sound and music, and one with Tim and Wren about narrative, how the game came about, and more. Check ‘em out! Some great reads There have been some great articles recently about Unpacking, and we wanted to share them: How a video game about unpacking gets the bisexual experience spot on | i-D magazine dives into streamers’ reactions to the final levels of the game and how important that representation feels to experience in a game. How Unpacking's art combines beauty with clarity | Eurogamer talked with our artist, Angus Doolan about creating isometric designs that can be readable, tell a story, and fit within the mechanics of the game The creators of Unpacking on developing a "weird", queer, BAFTA-winning game | Wren and Tim sat down with Eurogamer to discuss mechanics, level design combined with storytelling, showing the many facets of the protagonist, the surprise reach of the game, and more. Objects tell stories in Unpacking | Tim wrote a piece for the PlayStation blog about the real-life inspiration for items in the game Meet the Brisbane couple who claimed two major prizes at the BAFTA Game Awards | It’s been very surreal to have our local news come and interview us! The G.A.N.G. Awards Making room on our shelf for two more awards—this time from the Game Audio Network Guild! We won Best Sound Design for an Indie Game and Best Audio for an Indie Game, and we’re really proud to be recognized among an incredible slate. You can see the full list of winners here. A little easter egg to find… A pixel art rendition of the key art for our next game exists somewhere inside Unpacking, and no one has found it yet! Let us know if you find it! Cheers, Emily & the Witch Beam team Humble Games Birthday SaleMay 16, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsWe're so excited to wish our publisher, Humble Games, a very happy birthday, and because of that, ✨ Unpacking is 20% off this week ✨ - from now through Friday, May 20th at 10AM PDT! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/4d2ed7d0404f0d0fd1f15efc4516df6108e3f509.pngPopular indie game Unpacking is coming to PS4 and PS5 next weekMay 6, 2022 - VG247PlayStation users who have been itching to get their hands on Unpacking will only have to wait until next week. That's because the game about the experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home will be released for PS4 and PS5 on May 10. If you are unfamiliar with the title, it's a game about taking someone’s items out of boxes and learning about that person’s life in the process. Read more Vote for us in the Webbys & check out our GDC talks!Apr 20, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsHello all and happy April! It’s been a very busy month for us, and it’s not over yet! First up, we’re nominated for FOUR Webby Awards, and would greatly appreciate if you could send a few votes our way. We’re right on the cusp of winning for two in particular, so click here to vote: Family & Kids, and Best User Experience. Voting closes TOMORROW, so don't delay! Still time to pre-order Also you still have time to get your pre-orders in for Physical Editions of Unpacking as well as the soundtrack on vinyl! Pre-orders end May 1st, so don’t hesitate! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/e3462d32371c303e7dc1f56a96e9797ed046ca16.jpg Have you played Dark Star Mode yet? Our favorite part of this month, though, was announcing our favorite secret about the game: Dark Star Mode. We announced it on April 1st, and somehow people thought we were joking! Imagine that… 😉 Dark Star Mode is real, and the only tips we’ll give you are these: make sure to start a new album, and remember that everything has to be in the wrong place: including things you haven’t unpacked! If you can move it, it must be moved! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/eb11edb721fa3f876ec09cf92790248e667a804c.jpg GDC talks online GDC has passed behind us, and you can now watch and read our talks! Jeff’s full talk on all things foley is here—and available for everyone!—and you can also read a summary on Game Developer. For a look at Wren and Tim’s talk about narrative, you can also check it out on Game Developer. We’re on cloud nine… In the space of a few weeks, we won two GDCA Awards, Best Audio and the Innovation Award, and then at the BAFTA Game Awards, we won Best Narrative and EE Game of the Year (thank you to everyone who voted to help make that happen!) At the BAFTAs, you might have seen that we were so surprised, we didn’t have a speech planned 😬 but we realized after it was a great chance to thank everyone involved once we’d caught our breath a little. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35621891/90d26b4129c00242874617943870d1b49304b691.jpg That’s all for now, and as always, follow us on Twitter for even more news, join our Discord to chat with other fans, and follow us on TikTok for fun videos. Cheers, Emily & the Witch Beam team Unpacking and It Takes Two win big at BAFTA Game Awards 2022Apr 9, 2022 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunThis year's BAFTA Game Awards winners were announced earlier this week, and just as It Takes Two and Unpacking received a lot of nominations, so did It Takes Two and Unpacking win a lot of awards. The co-op divorce sim picked up the big weird face for Best Multiplayer and Best Original Property while Unpacking won Best Narrative and the publicly voted EE Game Of The Year award. Nice. Read more DARK STAR MODE: A new way to play!Apr 1, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsThat's it, we're done with organization! Today, we're letting you in on a little secret: a mode where you can put things wherever you want—but the trick is, nothing can go where it is supposed to go. It's called... Dark Star Mode. 20% off Unpacking for the Women's Day Steam Event!Mar 9, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsHello Unpackers! Wings Interactive has put together the Women's Day Steam Event, a great showcase of games from women-led studios, and we're happy to be a part of it. You can check out the full list of games here, and as a part of it, ✨Unpacking is on sale for 20% off! ✨ This event & discount will only last until 10AM PT Friday, so don't wait! Happy Unpacking!
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