A Unique Game Sparks Reflections on Life: “It’s the Story That Matters”
The team at Transcenders Media consists of founders Bobbi Sand and Pixie Anderson.
Photo: Clara Weihua Shao.
With a strong focus on storytelling and characters, Transcenders Media aims to carve out a new niche in the games industry. Their latest release, Truer Than You, draws inspiration from Japan, where people can be hired for social situations.
“We know this is a very specific niche, but this is what we’re passionate about,” says Bobbi Sand.
Based in the idyllic town of Tomelilla in southern Sweden, Bobbi Sand and Pixie Anderson create games inspired by Japanese culture, rooted in existential questions and human behavior.
Their second title, Truer Than You, was sparked by a newspaper article.
“I read about a company in Japan that rented out actors for social situations, where they acted as real people. That caught my interest and eventually became the seed for the game,” explains Bobbi Sand.
In Truer Than You, players take on the role of Rin, who starts working at a company offering exactly the kind of services described in the article. Players are faced with social dilemmas and challenges in everyday encounters, and the story unfolds based on the choices they make.
“The focus is on the narrative. Through stories, we can explore ourselves and search for answers to bigger, existential questions.”
In Truer Than You, players explore themselves through stories and search for answers to greater existential questions.
From Skåne to Skövde
The journey leading up to the release has been somewhat unconventional for Transcenders Media. In the beginning, they applied for cultural funding and received support from Kulturbryggan. Back then, they didn’t even have a limited company—Truer Than You started out as an art project.
Now, with the release of the game, the studio hopes to take the next step.
“With this game, we want to start building a community and reach our audience.”
The duo, together with two freelancers, still work from Tomelilla, but they also have a strong connection to Skövde. They applied to Science Park Skövde’s startup program for games, Sweden Game Startup, and were accepted.
“The program has opened doors to events and pitch opportunities where publishers and investors are present. The coaching sessions have also provided clarity and momentum. Between each session and stage in the program, there are concrete checkpoints and goals that push us forward,” says Bobbi Sand.
So, what’s the goal for Transcenders Media in the coming years?
“We’ve already started on our next project, and this time we want to involve our audience earlier in the process to shape the game more closely to their needs. Building our community, we want to continue exploring strong storytelling with role-playing elements.”
Get Truer Than You on Steam.
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