Fez, Canabalt creators announce new partnership

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Polytron and Finji reveal support for musical indie game Panoramical

A unique partnership was unveiled todayat the Los Angeles-based Horizon conference, an E3 alternative event hosted by Venus Patrol and the LA Museum of Contemporary Art.

Panoramical is described as “anthology of interactive musical landscapes coming soon to home computers,” that allows players to experience “a series of synaesthetic alien vistas like an ambient disco-god controlling your own tiny universe.”

The project comes from indie developerFernando RamalloandDavid Kanaga, the composer behind Proteusand Dyad, in collaboration with Fez team Polytron and Finji, Canabalt creator Adam Saltsman’s new studio.

Kanaga was on hand at the event at MOCA, where he playedPanoramicalwith a MIDI controller, manipulating the experience sliders during the presentation, rather than traditional inputs.

Following the presentation, Phil Fish broke his silence to discuss Panoramical, saying he’s been “fascinated by it ever since experiencing it for the first time at Fantastic Arcade two years ago.”

Polytron is starting a new partnership program, where the studio hopes to pay it forward for all the support it received while creating and distributing Fez. Panoramical is the first such title to receive Polytron’s aid, which will mostly be in a production and promotional capacity.

Prior to Polytron’s involvement, the developers already inked a deal with Adam Saltsman’s Finji, which Fish says will handle logistics and “the kinddetails independent developers often need help with when they’re busy trying to ship the damn thing.”

Fish made clear Polytron is steering clear of acting as a publisher, though.

“One word we’re trying real hard to avoid is ‘publishing,’” Fish wrote. “Because what does that even mean in 2014, really?Even saying it out loud feels wrong.”

Panoramical is targeting an early 2015 release via Steam.