Dear Esther Devs Making Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs

As it was rumoured, so it shall be. Dear Esther's lead writer, Dan Pinchbeck, has revealed to Joystiq that thechineseroom are working on A Machine For Pigs, set in Amnesia's world, although it won't be a direct sequel to the dimly lit descent. It will, however, star a wealthy industrialist called Daniel Plainview Oswald Mandus, who returns from an ill-fated trip to Mexico in 1899 and finds that his body is plagued with fever and his mind is plagued with nightmares that revolve around an ominous machine. Possibly for pigs. Probably not some sort of mechanical pig disco and daycare centre.

Frictional will be producing the game, with thechineseroom seemingly taking on full development duties, which means their other unannounced project may involve a less horrific adventure, as had previously been hinted.

The first part of the title isn't just a reminder of unremembrances past either; Oswald's illness sends him into a month long slumber, from which he awakes to hear the engine of the machine grumbling into action. Oh dear. We've only seen three pieces of concept art and I'm already of the opinion that Oswald has a supernatural meat processing plant in his basement, churning everyone he knows and loves into piles of spam.

Frictional are hoping to release the game before Halloween and I'm hoping that it has the elegance of Amnesia's interactions (the elegance of repeatedly slamming a door into my own face while screaming in the dark) combined with Pinchbeck's more gentle coaxing of narrative. It could be a great meating of minds.