Frictional Games has brought nightmares to life since its founding in 2006. The creators of multiple horror-laden titles, such asSOMA,Frictional Games is an independent studiobased in Sweden. The studio is well-known and beloved for its ability to strike fear into those who play its titles.
The studio notably doubted itself after the commercial release and success ofAmnesia: The Dark Descent. They enlisted the help of development studio The Chinese Room to developAmnesia: A Machine For Pigs,which struggled to achieve the same level of abject horror from the original title. SinceAmnesia: A Machine For Pigsstruggled critically,Frictional Gamesplaced itself back in the driver’s seat forSOMAandAmnesia: Rebirth.
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Today, Frictional Games announced thatSOMAhas officially sold a million copies solely on PC; not including sales on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The studio accredits the long tail of its titles, inferring to the shelf-life of Frictional Games titles lasting well beyond average.SOMAwas originally released in 2015, plunging gamers into thedepths of the Atlantic Oceanin a derelict science vessel. Machines have begun to believe that they are humans, food is scarce, and danger threatens at every dark corner of the facility.
Yet the horror of the title is merely a surface-level offering of the title that Frictional Games offers up. Beyond the levels of terror,SOMAholds a narrativethat encourages gamers to understand precisely what life and consciousness are. The plot offers the oft-forgotten “why” of a horror title, encouraging players to plumb beyond whatever terror lies ahead to experience the rest of the title. This is a notion quickly forgotten in many horror experiences, where continuation revolves around offering more scares, with a tepid narrative offering little more than the “how” of a story.
The crafting of narratives is something that Frictional Games has consistently completed with gusto, from the in-house development of theAmnesiafranchise toSOMA, and something that is expected to continue from the studio. DespiteSOMAreaching one million sales on PC alone, the more recentAmnesia: Rebirthis noted as not yet profitable for the studio. The most recent title from Frictional Games sold 100,000 copies in the first five months. Still, the immersive horror experience will likely have a long tail.
Frictional Games closes the announcement by stating that two additional titles are under works at the Swedish studio. Whether it is a new IP entirely, or a stemming of the popularSOMA, horror fans have plenty top look forward to in the future.
SOMAis out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
