Year Unknown - Announcement and Steam Next Fest Demo Press Release

Julian Heuser :

Year Unknown, a narrative-driven game about the very far future. Coming to Steam later this year.

Imagine a future where humanity thrives. We spread across the stars, achieve peace, and find a way to preserve the universe forever. Now what?

Solo developer Julian Heuser announces Year Unknown, a narrative-driven game about the very far future. A demo will be available during Steam Next Fest, with the full game releasing on Steam and Itch.io later this year.

About Year Unknown

Explore an abandoned universe filled with expansive brutalist structures. You’ll find terminals connected to a vast data store. However, the data is far too dense to understand on your own. You’ll need the help of two Artificial Intelligences, each with their own ideas and biases. They might disagree, give conflicting information, or interpret the same information differently. It’s up to you to hear them both out and decide where you stand.

Story

The universe has been turned into a database of humanity's knowledge, art, and ideas. You wake up in this universe, with your only companions being two Artificial Intelligences who help you understand the data in it.

But something else is calling you: a distress call from the center of the universe. The stagnant universe is breaking down, and there may be no way to save it.

About the Developer

Julian Heuser is a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and is developing Year Unknown in their free time. They got started in game development from making Half-Life and Portal mods, before developing games with Unity. Now, they primarily use the Godot engine, which they’ve used to create Year Unknown.

Awards

Best in Show winner of the 2024 RIT Experiential Development & Games Expo: https://www.rit.edu/computing/school-interactive-games-and-media/edge#student-game-showcase

Links

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2565520/Year_Unknown/

Itch.io: https://sockman.itch.io/year-unknown

Website: https://julianh.dev/games/yearunknown/

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9C1TYQUX6Y