Humans Who Make Games with Adam Conover Alex Beachum (Outer Wilds)
Apr 8, 2020
Alex Beachum, Creative Director for the groundbreaking game Outer Wilds, discusses his unique journey from a student project to an award-winning title. He shares insights on the innovative design of environmental storytelling, the challenges of player engagement, and the balance between exploration and objectives in gameplay. Reflecting on his childhood memories and game mechanics evolution, Beachum reveals his emotional rollercoaster during game release and hints at future projects, including a horror game and a quirky film about llamas.
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Episode notes
Thesis Project Became a Game
- Outer Wilds began as Alex's USC thesis and reached alpha by the end of the program.
- Early team included Loan, Kelsey (writer), and Andrew (composer) plus students from other departments.
Mini Solar System Amplifies Space Phenomena
- Scaling down a solar system amplifies spatial dynamics while keeping realistic gravity.
- Tiny planets let gameplay show orbital motion and catastrophic events within a playable timescale.
IGF Win Kickstarted Production
- After submitting a student build to IGF, Outer Wilds won the grand prize in 2015.
- That award convinced the team and publisher to finish the game professionally under Mobius.
