The Library Behind the Burning Sun
Dreaming Methods is a Wakefield-based studio led by Judi Alston and Andy Campbell. Established in 2021, building on decades of experience across games, digital fiction, film and immersive storytelling, Dreaming Methods creates emotionally resonant, audience-centred stories that combine writing, art and emerging technologies. The Starter Fund gives the studio focused time to transition from commissioned and immersive work towards sustainable commercial game development. It will support paid development roles, and strengthen audience validation and market positioning for The Library Behind the Burning Sun. Dreaming Methods will build the team and use this time to progress towards a future UK Games Prototype Fund application.
Key features
- A third-person narrative exploration game set across a flooded, storm-battered speculative Yorkshire coastline.
- Players take the role of CJ, a young environmental worker and poet displaced by climate change, as she searches for her identity and a sense of belonging.
- Eroding beaches, marshlands and submerged settlements form an atmospheric landscape of discovery, danger and environmental storytelling.
- Light survival systems challenge CJ to manage energy, exposure and limited resources against hostile weather and unstable terrain.
- Fragments of spoken word, archive film, text and environmental clues gradually reveal a trail towards a mysterious hidden Library.
- At its heart is The Librarian, an evolving AI presence that interprets CJ’s discoveries, remembers her encounters and responds to her actions.
- The game grows from the award-winning world of Dreaming Methods VR experience The Abandoned Library, reimagined as a narrative-driven PC experience.
- Designed for players who enjoy atmospheric, story-rich indie games.
Quote
The Starter Fund gives Dreaming Methods something extremely valuable at this stage of our growth: focused time to build the studio around our own IP. It allows us to create paid opportunities within the team, deepen our understanding of the commercial games market and strengthen the way we work as a games company. We see it as an important bridge between our long experience in immersive storytelling and our ambition to become a sustainable independent games studio. Developing our team, validating our direction and moving towards the Prototype Fund with greater confidence is a significant opportunity for us.
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