How Astrid Entertainment is blurring the lines between linear entertainment and gaming

gamesindustry.biz:

Three years ago, former Amazon and Fox executive Sharon Tal Yguado announced the creation of her games studio, Astrid Entertainment.

Since then, the developer has been working on an untitled project described as a "social experience" focusing on the teenage demographic.

Yguado tells GamesIndustry.biz that she and the team saw an opportunity in a market dominated by violent genres in AAA games and cosy games in the indie space to craft a new experience for teens.

"We believe it's time for experiences that are positive but at the same time dynamic, exciting and can deliver an adrenaline rush," she explains.

"We made an early decision to take the best elements of RPGs – rich worldbuilding and story, exploration and discovery – and layer in a sandbox approach, giving players the creative tools to shape the world as their own."

Yguado lays out the development cycle since the studio's founding in 2022, with the first year spent prototyping and building the IP. She explains that the last ten months have involved the team putting together a proof of concept and demo, which has just been completed.

Astrid is currently undergoing friends and family sessions to test out the nature of the game's use of multiplayer stories.

"It's an adventure game, but not a survival game," Yguado says. "Players will face challenges and obstacles, but it's not a game about killing and destroying; it's a game about powers that will allow them to shape the future of their land.

"Players play in worlds that they own and get to invite family and friends to join. This game isn't your typical MMO where you meet strangers on a server. You can curate your community. Ultimately, we would love to connect players with shared interests in worlds and social hubs, but they will probably come later."

Yguado emphasises that this project encourages "multiplayer stories" rather than individual ones, which in turn "evolve the world in unique ways, making [it] feel personal."

Having worked at Fox and Amazon for over a