Thomas Was Alone, John Wick Hex Developer Reveals A Very Different Project

Bithell Games, developer of hits such as Thomas Was Alone, Volume, and, more recently, John Wick Hex, is experimenting with a serialized audiobook series while it continues work on upcoming titles.

North Star Rising is a six-episode serialized audiobook that will launch a new episode weekly, starting with the first today. It's live on the project's official website and across most podcast services for free. The audiobook tells the story of two humans on a space adventure in the year 2020, with voice acting from the likes of Rahul Kohli (iZombie, Gears 5), Samantha Béart (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Jayce Diaz (Senior Gameplay Designer, 343 Industries), and Scroobius Pip (BBC's Taboo). Journey composer Austin Wintory is composing music for the series.

Writer and director, Mike Bithell, describes the series as a tale of humanity and friendship, saying, "We're doing something a bit different, given where the world is right now. We wanted to make optimistic ongoing entertainment, so we're making a serialized free audiobook about space," in an announcement on Twitter.

This doesn't mean Bithell Games is moving away from video game production. In the thread of tweets announcing North Star Rising, Bithell states that, "Our next games are a ways out, I wanted to write something about humanity and friendship and get it out now."

Bithell Games' last project, John Wick Hex, launched exclusively on PC last year, and is launching on PS4 this May. In our 8/10 John Wick Hex review, we praised the turn-based strategy for nailing the feeling of the films, saying, "It's a slick and well-oiled game that succeeds in giving you a new, engrossing way to experience John Wick and its signature brand of chaotic action."