Midnightis about bringing people together, Sears said.
Its about learning empathy for people who arent like you.
Its about finding hidden strength.
Hazel in South of MidnightCompulsion Games/XBOX
DEADLINE:Talk about bringing this diverse profile to the Microsoft/Xbox slate.
What did the conversations to bring this game to life look like?
GUILLAUME PROVOST:David [Sears] and I have worked together for 30 years.
South of MidnightDocumentary by Compulsion Games
The title had always been decided here at the studio.
But we do pay attention to all the other games on their slate.
I get to see what all the other studios are building and theres a natural organic space to fill.
I felt the South was interesting because I felt it was not something covered extensively inside video games.
DEADLINE:What does the titleSouth of Midnightentail?
PROVOST:[William] Faulkner was a big inspiration.
Some elements of the game have to do with the title directly when you play it.
DEADLINE:What are you excited for gamers to experience?
JASMIN ROY:Im excited for them to play the folklore aspect.
PROVOST:Personally,I like all the facets of Hazel.
Shes spunky, shes feisty and thats pure joy for me.
But I also think our environment and the folklore weve created is exciting.
We also wanted to celebrate the South and its mythology.
We dont shy away from what is endemic to the history of that part of the South.
Thats definitely something we had to learn how to navigate.
You cant ignore that history; thats just as much of a statement as if we did.
It would feel like white Canadian imposter syndrome.
So, we made sure that we had the right people on the team to navigate those topics properly.
We were well supported on the team and also at Microsoft.
That was great for us to see.
DEADLINE:What were some themes you kept in mind while mo-capping?
ADRIYAN RAE:I was blessed to have a lot of meetings about tone and background.
But no matter what, she attacks it head-on.
Whereas some personalities would be scared of that or run away, she doesnt even hesitate.
Its very much like, Oh, Ive got to do this, and thats just that.
Its very hard to teach someone how to do that.
We looked at performance, how they moved and walked, and the thought process and intention behind it.
Those things make [the game] authentic.
PARKER:I felt excitement.
I didnt have time to question it.
I jumped on a plane and said, Lets go.
The writing was incredible and thoughtful without cutting corners with really serious material.
The game opens with the aftermath from the devastation of a hurricane.
But what was wonderful about that is that they didnt know.
They were open to learning.
There were some conversations in the beginning about us knowing Compulsion was going to make a good game.
We had no doubts about that.
The game isnt just about killing Haints and healing monsters.
Theyre going to be like, is that authentic?
And thats who you want this game to be real for.
In the game, we do that with our [animation] style, folk tales and magic.
The personal part for me was nailing down those details that people will hopefully relate to.
[Im hoping] theyll be like, my grandma had that orange couch.
That mix was so important to me.
South of Midnightwill be released in 2025 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam.
