Acclaimed indie developer Edmund McMillen has more than a few big plans for 2018, according to a recent Q&A.
Posted to his official Twitter on January 9, the Q&A covers some frequently asked questions McMillen has received recently. While some pertained to simple issues like new contact information, others were related to McMillen’s past and future works.
New Year, New Ambitions
On his current projects, McMillen says his priority for the year is to complete The Legend of Bum-bo, a puzzle RPG spin off from the Binding of Isaac series. Recently delayed into the broader release window of early the first half of 2018, McMillen promised a trailer for the title would be released in February. The game is currently slated for release on PC and Nintendo Switch.
In Addition, however, he plans to resume work on Mewgenics. A title he had worked on in the past but never came to fruition, McMillen has renewed hope that the project could finally be completed, due to both he and developer Tyler Glaiel wanting to step away from platforming titles to recharge after the on and off development of Ouroboros, a platforming shooter. McMillen believes Mewgenics offers the perfect chance to do something new.
“Tyler and I are currently prototyping some stuff for it and if all goes well I’m 99% sure that little monster will once again become my obsession,” he says. “Mewgenics is being remade from the ground up, so don’t expect to see much for a year or two.”
McMillen also elaborated on the rather sudden release of The End is Nigh, which was made available with little build up or advertising. While the game went on to receive general praise for its design and challenge, McMillen reveals it was made more for his own benefit.
“It spawned from a very difficult time in my life where I questioned the point of continuing to make games, and if my heart was really in it anymore,” he says. “It was simply something I really needed to do in order to find myself again, and in the end its the one thing that kept me from retiring.”
While the game is currently only available on PC and Nintendo Switch, McMillen confirms a port for the PlayStation 4 is in development for release in 2018.
Rebirth and Return
McMillen closes with updates on The Binding of Isaac series. In addition to the final batch of free content for for the game’s latest version, Afterbirth+, on PC, he says a port of the game for Xbox One is in development. In addition, he teased the prospects of more DLC for the game in the near future.
“I did say many times this was going to be the last isaac DLC, and at the time I strongly believed it,” he says. “But there seems to be something pretty cool on the horizon. Its creeping up slowly. Its familiar, but a bit different.”
