The Undying is set to terrify & immerse you

New studios seem to be popping up every other day with supposedly some ground breaking concept or in many cases, simply a rehash of an older design. It can be really easy to miss that some of these studios even exist.

One studio that has really caught my attention though, through the scope of their current project and community engagement is Cold Furnace.The team

Cold Furnace is a Canadian based studio comprising mainly of ex-military officers and AAA game developers – quite the mix!

They don’t have anything that they can show us just yet, but they certainly have plenty that they can tell us about the direction this game is headed in and why this is a studio that you need to keep your eye on over the coming months.

Cold Furnace have also recently become a member of the ID@Xbox family which has proven time and time again to be sourcing and showcasing amazing talent. E3 2015 showed us over 20 different independent development studios that are currently developing games for consoles, and that was just a handful of what this program has in the works. ID@Xbox is really proving itself to be the bar setter as far as quality and talent goes.

The team at Cold Furnace, which you can see above, host a local community function each month and also sponsor a gaming convention called Jalloo. They are very focused on developing the community and keeping the students and hard-core gamers connected. It’s great to see that even during the early stage of conception this studio is already looking outside of their box to how they can better influence the gaming community as a whole.

Earlier today I had a chance to speak with the head of public relations for Cold Furnace, Max Rampage, who advises:

“We have a highly skilled and dedicated team of ex-AAA game devs, ex-military, and students all with one vision: to produce a game that you can’t put down.

It’s going to be a military themed FPS/RPG with a level of situational realism, not only whose graphic nature but whose ethical nature, will turn any gamer’s stomach and heart.”

The studio recently published a press release regarding their debut title The Undying, which gives you are really good feel for what the team is trying to achieve here:

New Brunswick Game Developer “Cold Furnace Studios” Working on First Game, The Undying 

“Welcome, to a ruthless and brutal military combat experience, The Undying. Players will participate in immersive story driven gameplay. Mixing elements of realism, horrific events, and fast paced first person shooter combat, the player is presented with moral dilemma and ethical challenges which effects the story driven gameplay and the player’s experience.”

The Undying is the working title for a military themed first person shooter and role playing video game currently in development at the Fredericton-based company Cold Furnace Studios. It is being developed in the Unreal engine with releases planned for both PC and console systems.

CEOIn a recent interview Cold Furnace executives Mark Wheeler and Lori Shepherd promised that their game would be intense, realistic and immersive.

“It’s been around the game industry for quite a few years that the ‘next best thing’ in gaming is immersion. This is really what we’re doing. The player will be owning their choices and it will affect the outcome of the game. Some of the results will be very unpleasant,” said Chief Creative Officer Lori Shepherd.

Before coming to the independent games industry Shepherd worked in the AAA game industry, and the Canadian federal government where she conducted research on criminal activity in online games. Cold Furnace Studios CEO & Military Advisor Mark Wheeler also discussed how The Undying relates to his extensive military career spanning over twenty years.

“As the military advisor I’m drawing heavily on my experiences to get this title out. The storyline is influenced by my career. It’s not fantastical, not even close … I think it would lose credibility if it strayed too far from realistic. No wizards, no dragons.”

Wheeler and Shepherd believe that the untested nature of Cold Furnace is what gives their studio potential.

“Part of the reason {the name) ‘Cold Furnace’ works is because we’re building and we’re creating. A Cold Furnace is one that has the potential to create, the potential to make something comfortable and livable. It doesn’t look shiny and new. You’d think a Cold Furnace is dead or fallen out of use, but it still has the potential to do something.”

Though new to the Fredericton area, Shepherd and Wheeler have been quick to become active members in the game development community. They recently founded the “Fredericton Game Devs” society and have also been vocal in their concerns about the lack of New Brunswick provincial support that exists for game developers.

*There’s a talent drain; being a studio opens a lot of opportunities here. We’re continuing to work with Economic Development and our MP, using Nova Scotia as an example to say ‘hey NB, let’s do it here:” said Shepherd.

Shepherd and Wheeler gave one last hint for what Cold Furnace has planned. “The Undying is not the name of the game. It’s the name of the franchise,” said Wheeler.

Media and press inquiries / [email protected]

Sounds pretty interesting right? They certainly have my attention.logo

Be sure to go check out the Cold Furnace Website and facebook page for a few more hints and clues, or if you prefer Twitter you can follow Cold Furnace at: @cfurnacestudios

EXL Gaming will be bringing you regular updates when they are available regarding the development process of The Undying. We too look forward to seeing and learning more as the story unfolds.