We're so delighted to announce that items from Unpacking will now be included in Paralives! You'll be able to: Collect plushies Decorate with boxes Add Unpacking posters to your wall Wear Unpacking t-shirts Play Unpacking on the computer ...and more! Check out the trailer here, a
We're so delighted to announce that items from Unpacking will now be included in Paralives!
You'll be able to:
Collect plushies
Decorate with boxes
Add Unpacking posters to your wall
Wear Unpacking t-shirts
Play Unpacking on the computer
...and more!
Check out the trailer here, and you may recognize a familiar house layout!
What's that Piggy has pulled up on the computer? It's Unpacking with a 60% discount ! ːpiggyplushː Right now we're also included in one of our favorite festivals, Cozy Quest , with quite a few fun and cozy games on sale—definitely check it out! ːunpackingboxː cheers, Emily and th
What's that Piggy has pulled up on the computer? It's Unpacking with a 60% discount! ːpiggyplushː
Right now we're also included in one of our favorite festivals, Cozy Quest, with quite a few fun and cozy games on sale—definitely check it out! ːunpackingboxː
This update addresses the recently announced Unity engine vulnerability as well as rolling in small fixes and improvements improvements to input rebinding behaviour fixed an issue related to Album naming and improved handling of Asian characters updated a couple of entries in the
This update addresses the recently announced Unity engine vulnerability as well as rolling in small fixes and improvements
improvements to input rebinding behaviour
fixed an issue related to Album naming and improved handling of Asian characters
Unpacking and A Little to the Left share a lot of the same traits: the satisfaction of organizing, puzzle elements, and a beautiful aestethic. So with that in mind, we're excited to team up with the folks at Max Inferno Games and Secret Mode to bundle the two games together with
Unpacking and A Little to the Left share a lot of the same traits: the satisfaction of organizing, puzzle elements, and a beautiful aestethic. So with that in mind, we're excited to team up with the folks at Max Inferno Games and Secret Mode to bundle the two games together with a 10% discount.
If you haven't picked up A Little to the Left up yet, you're in a for a real treat. Lots of satisfying puzzles with often multiple ways to solve them, and one very cute cat.
Check out the bundle below and complete your collection of cozy organizational games (or convert a friend to the genre!)
We are so excited to share that our studio’s next game, Tempopo, is available now! Tempopo is a delightful and chaotic puzzle game, where you’ll instruct the Tempopo in how best to collect musical flowers to rebuild Hana’s lost garden. Check it out here: Tempopo is a real labor o
We are so excited to share that our studio’s next game, Tempopo, is available now!
Tempopo is a delightful and chaotic puzzle game, where you’ll instruct the Tempopo in how best to collect musical flowers to rebuild Hana’s lost garden. Check it out here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/318840/Tempopo
Tempopo is a real labor of love for the Witch Beam team, and we’ve been working at it for quite some time (after all, that’s how it ended up as a cameo in Unpacking!)
We’re so glad that it’s out in the world now, and you can experience everything it has to offer.
It's time, it's time, for the Winter Sale, and we're very excited that Unpacking is 50% off for the duration. If you haven't picked up the game yet, it's the perfect time to dive in and start unpacking. Plushies need to be sorted, kitchen items put away, a tabletop game needs to
It's time, it's time, for the Winter Sale, and we're very excited that Unpacking is 50% off for the duration. If you haven't picked up the game yet, it's the perfect time to dive in and start unpacking. Plushies need to be sorted, kitchen items put away, a tabletop game needs to be set up.
From all of us at Witch Beam Games, have a lovely and restful holiday season!
The September lineup of PlayStation Plus games for the Premium and Extra tiers has leaked. As reported by Dealabs , six titles are scheduled to arrive on the service, but it's worth noting Sony won't confirm the plan for September until sometime tomorrow. One of the games said to
The September lineup of PlayStation Plus games for the Premium and Extra tiers has leaked.
As reported by Dealabs, six titles are scheduled to arrive on the service, but it's worth noting Sony won't confirm the plan for September until sometime tomorrow.
One of the games said to be coming in September is 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. This Vanillaware-developed 2D side-scrolling adventure features real-time strategy battles and follows 13 high-schoolers in an alternate version of 1980s Japan who are fighting in a futuristic war between mechs and giant monsters.
Today’s the day! Unpacking is officially available on the App Store and Google Play! We’ll keep this post short and sweet because the important information is right there—Unpacking is now available on mobile and tablets, and you can purchase it at the links above. A few FAQs for
Today’s the day! Unpacking is officially available on the App Store and Google Play!
We’ll keep this post short and sweet because the important information is right there—Unpacking is now available on mobile and tablets, and you can purchase it at the links above.
A few FAQs for those curious:
You can play it on BOTH phones and tablets
It is a premium title, but the price may vary based on what country you’re in.
There are no ads or in-app purchases!
It's the complete game – now designed to play great with touch screen controls right in the palm of your hand!
We hope you enjoy it in its new form, and please tag us (@UnpackingALife on Twitter and @unpackinggame on TikTok) if you take any particularly good photos or videos of you playing it out in the world. We’d love to see them!
We’re happy to announce that Unpacking is coming to phones and tablets! 🎉 This has been a long time coming, and we can’t wait for you all to experience it on iOS and Android phones and tablets later this year! We shared the trailer during Wholesome Direct, and you can check it o
We’re happy to announce that Unpacking is coming to phones and tablets! 🎉
This has been a long time coming, and we can’t wait for you all to experience it on iOS and Android phones and tablets later this year!
We shared the trailer during Wholesome Direct, and you can check it out below (including a cute cameo from the plushies!):
We’ve got news to share! We have an announcement coming up —we're coming to phones and tablets later this year! Wholesome Direct is a yearly celebration of exclusive footage and announcements from 70+ indie games, and this year, that includes Unpacking! As a heads up, it’s not a
We’ve got news to share!
We have an announcement coming up—we're coming to phones and tablets later this year!
Wholesome Direct is a yearly celebration of exclusive footage and announcements from 70+ indie games, and this year, that includes Unpacking! As a heads up, it’s not a DLC announcement, but it’s still something that a lot of folks have been asking for!
And a quick little post-Wholesome Direct edit to say—our news is that we're coming to mobile and tablets! We're so excited about this, and you can see the full announcement here!
Disegno published a really lovely piece on Unpacking—hitting points about the expansiveness and limits of cozy and wholesome games as a genre, the sadness we can feel when comparing our life to that of a protagonist, and the stories that are told throughout Unpacking. It’s well worth a read!
Don’t forget, Unpacking merchandise and plushies are still available at Serenity Forge! We absolutely love seeing them come to life, and as shipments are arriving at folks’ homes, it’s brought us so much joy!
Wait, did you think we were done with merch? SURPRISE!!! We’ve got a second wave of Unpacking-related goodies for you, and yes, it includes PLUSHIES! Shop the collection Looking to cover your bed entirely with plushies? Look no further! We’ve got all our favorite plushies availab
Wait, did you think we were done with merch? SURPRISE!!! We’ve got a second wave of Unpacking-related goodies for you, and yes, it includes PLUSHIES!
Next up, a lovely stationery set, complete with journal, pen, pencil, ruler, and washi tape! AND an Unpacking pouch, with some of our favorite items spilling out of a box.
Two great interviews, one with Edge Magazine and one with Gameshub, that we’re quite proud of! We talked to Edge about a huge range of things , from choosing which items came along from each level, sentimentality, level design of the post-boyfriend level, UI/interface, and of cou
Two great interviews, one with Edge Magazine and one with Gameshub, that we’re quite proud of!
We talked to Edge about a huge range of things, from choosing which items came along from each level, sentimentality, level design of the post-boyfriend level, UI/interface, and of course: fan theories.
With Gameshub, the conversation began with our definitions of home, and then we discussed the idea of “stuff” in the game, what you can control (and what you can’t), and how the ways people play the game is still so, so varied.
We’re headed to GDC!
It’s a month out (how is that possible?) and we’re headed to GDC to give two talks. Please come join us if you’re attending the conference!
Unpacking physical editions are still available at major retailers (Amazon, Target, and others!) and you can still pick up Unpacking merchandise from Serenity Forge’s online shop. We’ve been loving seeing people share their pictures of packages arriving!
This past year has flown by so quickly, but it’s been an absolutely wonderful journey. To celebrate a full year of Unpacking, we thought it was the perfect time for the official release of our merch collaboration with our friends at Serenity Forge ! SHOP NOW We’ve got a collectio
This past year has flown by so quickly, but it’s been an absolutely wonderful journey. To celebrate a full year of Unpacking, we thought it was the perfect time for the official release of our merch collaboration with our friends at Serenity Forge!
And of course, since it’s our one year anniversary, ✨ Unpacking is officially on sale here on Steam for 30% off ✨ —so if you know of anyone that hasn’t played, now’s the perfect time to pick up the game!
Finally, we can’t help but look backwards at what a year it’s been. We’ve put together an infographic of our favorite stats—including that we’ve officially sold over a million copies of Unpacking!
We’ve been joking that Unpacking is built in a “secret third dimension” - this is what it looks like in-engine! The ACMI museum in Melbourne has put up a display about Unpacking ! It has original notes, sketches, and a crocheted version of the Pig plush that ZebracornCreations ma
We’ve been joking that Unpacking is built in a “secret third dimension” - this is what it looks like in-engine!
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote a piece on kinder, cosier video games, and Unpacking is featured alongside other Australian games. It’s well worth a read, especially if you’re looking for new games to add to your queue.
Audio Director Jeff van Dyck was interviewed on the Sifter podcast, talking about using music to tell the story of Unpacking.
Wren joined GLITCH to read reviews of Unpacking, and we find out who feels strongly about soy sauce placement:
How on earth is it September already!? Time flies, especially when you’re headed to multiple events like we have. The team headed back to BitSummit for the first time in three years (!) and showed Unpacking, as well as Witch Beam’s newest game, Tempopo . Then, we bounced over to
How on earth is it September already!? Time flies, especially when you’re headed to multiple events like we have. The team headed back to BitSummit for the first time in three years (!) and showed Unpacking, as well as Witch Beam’s newest game, Tempopo. Then, we bounced over to New Zealand for Wren to give the keynote at NZGDC. But we’re home now, thank goodness!
We’re VERY excited to share that ✨ Unpacking merch is coming soon! ✨ We’re so excited to have partnered with Serenity Forge to create some things we’re so excited to have in our hands soon and do our own IRL unpacking of boxes!
We’ve got two t-shirts, one with a rendition of the final scene that says “Unpacking a life with you,” and the other with Piggy peeking out of a cardboard box—and the box is a POCKET!
Then some keychains of some of our favorite plushies (jk we can’t pick favorites, we love them all) AND an enamel pin set of some of the achievements in the game.
They’ll be available at PAX West this weekend in Seattle (at Serenity Forge’s Booth: #757), and after that… well, you’ll just have to stay tuned! (and we just might have a few more things in store for you… 😉)
Also at PAX West, we’ll also be a part of Pinny Arcade’s Pin Quest with these fantastic enamel pins that will be available at the Humble Games booth (#317).
“We wanted to make the characters feel like real, three-dimensional people so that players could relate to them. One aspect of that is a religious and cultural identity. Our character happens to be an artist, and she happens to be queer, and happens to be Jewish. All of these are important parts of who she is.”
Our Discord is finding new and exciting ways to play the game, play Dark Star mode, and speedrun (yes, we have a speedrunning community!). Our current favorite is “Floor is Lava” mode for Dark Star, where you still have to put everything in the wrong place, but the floor is off-limits! Let us know if you give it a try.
Finally, do you know anyone that hasn’t grabbed the game on PC yet? If so, Humble is having a sale through September 6th, and Unpacking is 20% off in their store.
We're so excited to be a part of the Tiny Teams Festival here on Steam! As part of it, Unpacking is 20% off through next Monday, August 8th. Be sure to check out all the great games that are taking part in it!
We're so excited to be a part of the Tiny Teams Festival here on Steam! As part of it, Unpacking is 20% off through next Monday, August 8th. Be sure to check out all the great games that are taking part in it!
Above : @beezelbee_ is building the 1997 room in miniature, and we’re loving following the process Hello Unpacking fans! It’s been a busy month, but at this point, maybe there’s no such thing as a slow month! ABC Australia Mini Doco We’re very excited that this mini-doco has come
Above: @beezelbee_ is building the 1997 room in miniature, and we’re loving following the process
Hello Unpacking fans! It’s been a busy month, but at this point, maybe there’s no such thing as a slow month!
ABC Australia Mini Doco
We’re very excited that this mini-doco has come out—ABC Australia came to Wren and Tim’s apartment on the day of the game launch, and it’s crazy to think about how far we’ve come since this day in November.
We also got reminded that we made our Twitter account four years ago, and it’s resulted in some nostalgia as we think about where we were at that time—at Stugan, in Sweden, building out ovens and taking the first pass at the 1997 level! Wild to see all that progress.
Listen & Learn
Jeff & Ange have been giving some great behind-the-scenes looks at the sound design behind Unpacking. First up, they were on Level with Emily Reese to talk about sound, music and the complications of recording foley for the game, and then followed that up with a video as part of Save & Sound, which dives into the environmental ambiance of the levels (listen for a school letting out at around 3PM in the first level!), how they tracked the sounds of objects across different surfaces. And keep in mind there’s variations on each sound as well!
On the other end of things (narrative and game design, that is!) Wren & Tim have had a few chances to take some deep dives as well. The PlayStation podcast had them on to talk about different playstyles, hidden details (if you shake the PS5 controller, it shakes the item!), and telling narratives in unique ways. Then, on an episode of Noclip, they talked about all the systems behind the game, and the video is a great look at the game being built in Unity as well as the grids on each level for item placement!
So excited to announce that we’re headed to BitSummit X-Roads this year! We showed Unpacking at BitSummit in 2019, and we’re so glad to be headed back. If you’ll be there—let us know!
Easter Egg found!
We’re delighted to say that the easter egg from last month’s newsletter has been found! It’s found by interacting with the game console in the 2015 level—and is Witch Beam’s next game, TemPoPo!
That’s all for this month! Next month brings BitSummit and Wren’s keynote at NZGDC, and we can’t wait to share both with you!
Get ready! The Unpacking audio crew are part of this year’s Save & Sound on Steam! Angela & Jeff Van Dyck have produced a video that goes into some of the gory details of how they created Unpacking’s award winning soundscape. Join us on July 14th at 1PM PDT to watch on Sa
Get ready!
The Unpacking audio crew are part of this year’s Save & Sound on Steam! Angela & Jeff Van Dyck have produced a video that goes into some of the gory details of how they created Unpacking’s award winning soundscape.
Join us on July 14th at 1PM PDT to watch on Save & Sound's site: saveandsound.io
Save & Sound runs from July 14 - 18 right here on Steam, and is one of the largest digital expos about audio and music in games. Featuring concerts, deep-dives, and mashups from 70+ developers from around the world, prepare your eyes & ears for a unique event!
Starting at 10am PDT / 7pm CEST, a 4-day live show from July 14 to 17 will stream showcasing all the wonderful content made just for Save & Sound. Check out all the games part of the event on saveandsound.io
Ah, June, that time when the weather’s been cooling down, the shortest day of the year has just passed us by—wait a minute, what’s this about a Summer Sale? Well look, we’re Australians, you can’t blame us! Regardless of the season you’re in, we’re excited to announce that Unpack
Ah, June, that time when the weather’s been cooling down, the shortest day of the year has just passed us by—wait a minute, what’s this about a Summer Sale? Well look, we’re Australians, you can’t blame us!
Regardless of the season you’re in, we’re excited to announce that Unpacking is 20% off for the Steam Summer Sale!
Have a happy… well, whatever season you might be experiencing now! And most importantly: enjoy the game :)
top row and bottom left: Karoliina Korhonen / bottom right: María Ambrosoni We are loving these Sims 4 builds that have recreated some of the apartments from Unpacking! If you are so inspired, please share with us on our Discord or on Twitter ! Game maker’s notebook ICYMI, we’ve
top row and bottom left: Karoliina Korhonen / bottom right: María Ambrosoni
We are loving these Sims 4 builds that have recreated some of the apartments from Unpacking! If you are so inspired, please share with us on our Discord or on Twitter!
Game maker’s notebook
ICYMI, we’ve had two different sessions with the Game Maker’s Notebook, one with Jeff about sound and music, and one with Tim and Wren about narrative, how the game came about, and more. Check ‘em out!
Some great reads
There have been some great articles recently about Unpacking, and we wanted to share them:
How Unpacking's art combines beauty with clarity | Eurogamer talked with our artist, Angus Doolan about creating isometric designs that can be readable, tell a story, and fit within the mechanics of the game
Making room on our shelf for two more awards—this time from the Game Audio Network Guild! We won Best Sound Design for an Indie Game and Best Audio for an Indie Game, and we’re really proud to be recognized among an incredible slate. You can see the full list of winners here.
A little easter egg to find…
A pixel art rendition of the key art for our next game exists somewhere inside Unpacking, and no one has found it yet! Let us know if you find it!
