A Conversation with… Jeff Giasson, Executive Producer, Meridian4

We’re excited to be working on the PC version of the award-winning and hugely popular mobile game, The Silent Age, which publisher, Meridian4, and developer, House on Fire, are bringing to Steam on May 29, 2015. The Silent Age is an atmospheric point-and-click adventure that has been critically acclaimed for its immersive visuals, soundtrack, intriguing story and even the “epic moustaches!” Meridian4’s Jeff Giasson shares with us his perspective behind the captivating story of The Silent Age.

STI: As a well-established independent game publisher, what’s your perspective on the role that audio plays in the overall gameplay experience?

JG: Audio plays a huge role. Depending on the game it can add a new layer of atmosphere, tension, excitement, etc…or all of these! Audio, particularly music, if done right, has a way of transporting players to a familiar place that instantly emerges them in the experience. On the flip side, audio can take a player to a place he or she has never been to before, like a fantasy or sci-fi setting.

STI: What do you see as the most important trends emerging in game development, particularly with regard to the Steam community?

JG: It’s not so much an emerging trend as a continually evolving one, but for us community involvement is something we take very seriously. We are a small team but act like the big dog on the block when it comes to community management. Until recently, this has mostly been in the form of post-release feedback. Moving forward, we want a more collaborative relationship pre-launch of our games. This may be through Steam Early Access or something else.

STI: Please tell us about some noteworthy features of this game.

JG: The Silent Age is a very successful mobile game that’s been download more than 7 million times. When we met the developer, House On Fire, we both knew The Silent Age would be a great game on Steam. This isn’t just a port to PC though, the developer has created a single gaming experience instead of episodes, it’s upped the graphics to Ultra HD and, most importantly in our opinion, has voiced all character dialogue.

STI: It’s great to work with your team on TSA. How has your team enjoyed working with Somatone on this project?

JG: We have worked with Somatone for many years and there are two reasons: quality and professionalism. Both are very important to us. Because of our size, we can be nimble and adjust to changes in development, but the less you have to change due to deadline slips, the better. This is something we never worry about with Somatone.

STI: Anything else you would like to share?

JG: As an independent publisher who prides itself on being in tune with our fan base (the Steam community), our top priority is always finding indie titles that our fans are not only asking for, but we know would love to play. In these titles we also look for quality and something that makes them stand apart from other titles in their genre. We’re currently working on two games that we believe embody all of these traits–a platformer and 3D rogue like game–that we’ll be releasing in the coming months. We’re really excited about both and think Steam users will be too!

Somatone In the News
Somatone and Dolby Audio: Offering a New Sound Experience for Mobile Games

Somatone Interactive Chief Operating Officer Adam Levenson is featured in this month’s Post Magazine with an in-depth look at enhancing mobile audio quality with Dolby Audio. Read about it here.