Load the Game

An attractive bicycle adventure Following some studio-related internal issues, the season ends in January.

• Jacob Chambers
• December 8th, 2022

Season: A Letter To The Future is an upcoming cycling road trip adventure game with a very eye-catching design. The 31st of January 2023 has been set as the release date by the game’s creators, Scavengers Studio. In Season, you take on the role of a young woman from a tiny village who is touring the world on a bike. You meet people, document your travels, and find remnants of people’s pasts as you go. It appears lovely. And I’m certain Scavengers Studio would prefer that we leave the conversation there.

At least, that’s what the news release’s brief “About Scavengers Studio” section suggests. However, a lot of people invested a lot of effort into making this game, and Season definitely seems like my jam. You travel the world on two wheels in an effort to remember it before a catastrophe destroys much of it. You can get off your bike at any time to record sounds, such as audio of locals conversing or films of birds or structures. That idea is fantastic, and the visuals are gorgeous.

Unfortunately, the studio has a little bit more context. We all exclaimed “Oooh!” when Season was announced at the 2020 Game Awards almost precisely two years ago. A few months later, GI.biz uncovered charges of harassment made against Simon Darveau, a former CEO and studio co-founder. While an inquiry was conducted, Darveau was placed on administrative leave, and Amélie Lamarche, the company’s CEO, resigned. Despite the fact that the investigation’s findings criticized the business’s poor communication, Lamarche was ultimately reinstated as CEO and Darveau was given “a smaller, non-managerial role, prototyping a research and development project.”

Though it appears that Darveau hasn’t been involved in the development of Season since the big news broke, that’s a difficult year to create a game in. A few stories over the years have suggested that, while working at a major studio can have its challenges, indie darlings aren’t exempt from problems. Not to be confused with the other lovely road trip game Open Roads is Season.

In any case, season will be available for $25 on Steam and the Epic Games Store on January 31st, 2023. On PlayStation, it costs $30, but to be fair, you get to use those fancy controller triggers to pedal the bike, which is undoubtedly worth five dollars.