Backlight to Debut its Narrative Design Solution at GDC

Telltale Games will reveal how it built its modern writing pipeline with Backlight Gem

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#WeAreBacklight–Backlight, a global media technology company that dramatically improves every stage of the video and entertainment content lifecycle, will debut its narrative design game development solution, Backlight Gem, to attendees of the 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC). Developed in collaboration with client Telltale Games, Backlight Gem helps video game and interactive media studios, design, plan and produce complex story driven experiences to shorten production timelines.

Gem is powered by a purpose-built technology stack that offers interactive media developers the ability to build expansive node-based narrative structures that keep pace with consumers’ demand for more immersive storytelling and engaging experiences. The solution is the world’s first true pre-production system for interactive media that combines classical, tried-and-tested elements of film production and game design into a collaborative platform designed for creatives. Gem houses not only design & writing but functionality for Asset, Audio, Cinematic and Localization pipelines so that every member of a studio can Create, Plan & Produce Together.

“Complex narratives, immersive experiences, and greater player agency are increasingly common in modern gaming. This drives demand for tools like Gem that can help developers ideate and manage large-scale narrative design efforts,” said Backlight Gem product manager Stephen Stanford. “While similar tools exist behind closed doors in larger studios, they are typically not made available to the wider development community. We are the only company delivering comparable technical lift in an off-the-shelf solution.”

Presentation with Telltale

On day four of GDC, Telltale CTO Zac Litton will illuminate his approach to narrative tool implementation in the session, How Telltale Games Developed Their Modern Writing Pipeline. Telltale has used the Gem solution in the development of several games, most recently The Wolf Among Us 2, a highly narrative-driven player experience. In addition, Backlight’s Stephen Stanford will cover how his team integrated Backlight Gem, Unreal Engine, and custom intermediaries to successfully deliver Telltale’s current writing and design pipeline. Litton will also illustrate how good planning, evaluation, and feature rollout can alleviate practical issues in narrative tool development. The session will take place on Thursday March 23 at 10:00 AM PT Room 3009, at the West Hall of the Moscone Center.

Backlight will be located at booth #S1237 throughout the conference. Click here to schedule a demo of Backlight Gem.

About Backlight

Backlight is a global media technology company that dramatically improves every stage of the video and entertainment content lifecycle – from creation through monetization. Backed by $200M in funding from PSG, Backlight has acquired six leading media software companies since launching in 2021. Video-forward organizations solve their mission-critical business and operational challenges by partnering with Backlight’s two divisions: Backlight Creative and Backlight Streaming. Backlight Creative provides award-winning software solutions for secure and efficient media management, production tracking and creative collaboration including iconik, ftrack and Celtx. Backlight Streaming provides cloud-based OTT video streaming, content management, media production, hyperdistribution, and monetization software, including Zype and Wildmoka, to world’s most innovative publishers and broadcasters. For more information visit backlight.co.

Contacts

Kiní Schoop

Backlight

media@backlight.co