The Game Bakers’ Thoa jokes next game could be an MMO match-3 about friendship as Cairn DLC nears
Emeric Thoa says The Game Bakers prioritizes memorable, risk-taking games, as Cairn earns praise and prepares its first DLC.
Thoa told TechRadar that The Game Bakers always makes games with the goal of creating a very memorable experience. “All our efforts, our ideas, our choices are made so that people will remember our games forever,” he said. The studio’s catalog includes the frenetic boss rush Furi, the co-op RPG Haven and Cairn.
Cairn, described by TechRadar as a captivating climbing adventure, follows professional climber Aava on a gruelling and demanding ascent up the enormous Mt. Kami. It mixes quiet moments of exploration and an engaging story, but is almost exclusively about climbing a big mountain.
Thoa said following and exploring a single idea to its fullest can be a big risk. “This sometimes leads to polarizing design choices, but we’d rather be loved passionately by 10 people than be just appreciated by a hundred,” he told TechRadar.
The approach has paid off with Cairn, TechRadar reported. The game received high scores and award recognition, and TechRadar’s James Pickard gave it four stars. Thoa said he was pleased critics and players responded well. “I should feel extremely happy and grateful, but the truth is that if the response had not been very positive, I would be broken right now. So, I feel not-so-broken, and that’s pretty good. I’m especially proud that people eventually appreciated the innovation and risk-taking in Cairn.”
The first part of the On the Trail DLC for Cairn is scheduled for Oct. 29. TechRadar’s James Pickard went hands-on with it at Gamescom. After that, Thoa did not reveal what The Game Bakers will make next. “It’s too soon to tell, and I’m not even sure myself,” he said.