Deadly Premonition creator Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro is back after previously announcing his retirement due to health issues. He now has a new studio based out of Osaka, Japan called White Owls. He has also announced a plan and drive to create more horror games.
In an interview with Gamasutra, Swery details his new venture, stating that his previous work with Access Games was leaving him unfulfilled. In starting an independent studio, Swery is now able to make more creative choices than ever before, making the games he’s most passionate about.
He says. “We want to create games for YOU, the people who like us. Games that are bizarre, scary, grotesque, and dreamlike, yet also have a strange realism. Games that remind you of the past, that are comical, and sad yet lovable. Those are the kind of games we’ll be making.”
Swerty says that he has hired developers with years of experience, “brimming with motivation and creativity” in order to fill out the studio’s talent pool. He did not name any specific developers that have joined his White Owls team, but he notes that those working for him are a “team of elites.”
Even though Swery’s announcement of White Owls to the world is fairly recent, the team is already working on its first gaming project. There are little to no details yet as to what this project will be, but it is likely to be a horror game, much like previous titles Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die.
Swery closes with a confident statement. “In order to make my ideas into realities, I’ve signed a contract with Blake Rochkind, an agent from UTA. In the near future, I’m pretty sure this white owl will be soaring out over the entire world!”
