Chris Remo is an American
video game designer,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
, writer, podcaster, and former
journalist.
As a journalist, he cofounded the original
Idle Thumbs
Idle Thumbs is a video game culture website and podcast network founded in 2004.
It features a weekly video game podcast of the same name hosted by former and current video game journalists and developers Chris Remo ( Campo Santo, formerly Dou ...
website as well as its flagship podcast, and served as Editor-in-Chief of
Shacknews
''Shacknews'' (originally Quakeholio, then ShugaShack) is a website that hosts news, features, editorial content and forums relating to computer games and Video game console, console games. It is currently owned by a company called Gamerhub Cont ...
and Editor at Large for
Gamasutra.
He composed the music for ''
Thirty Flights of Loving
''Thirty Flights of Loving'' is a first-person adventure video game developed by Brendon Chung under the name Blendo Games. It was published in August 2012 for Microsoft Windows, in November 2012 for OS X, and in December 2021 for Linux. The ga ...
'', ''
Gone Home'', ''
Spacebase DF-9
''Spacebase DF-9'' is a space simulator video game developed by Double Fine Productions. It was prototyped during Double Fine's open Amnesia Fortnight 2012, directed by JP Lebreton. After being released as an open beta on October 15, 2013, it ...
'' and ''
Firewatch''. He co-wrote ''
The Cave'' with
Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably bes ...
at
Double Fine Productions
Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American First-party developer, first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double ...
. In early 2014, he left Double Fine to join his Idle Thumbs co-hosts
Jake Rodkin and
Sean Vanaman
Sean Vanaman (born June 16, 1984) is an IrishAmerican video game designer, writer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader and lead writer of '' The Walking Dead'', and ''Puzzle Agent 2''. He also wrote the third episode of '' Tales of Mon ...
at
Campo Santo, where he contributed to the studio's acclaimed narrative adventure game
Firewatch as a game and story designer, composer, and audio director.
Career
Chris Remo began his career as a video game journalist, writing for
Adventure Gamers. He co-founded
Idle Thumbs
Idle Thumbs is a video game culture website and podcast network founded in 2004.
It features a weekly video game podcast of the same name hosted by former and current video game journalists and developers Chris Remo ( Campo Santo, formerly Dou ...
, a
video game culture website, with colleagues from Adventure Gamers and
The International House of Mojo in 2004.
As a professional journalist, he was Editor-in-Chief of Shacknews and later Gamasutra, becoming Editor at Large.
After Idle Thumbs went dark in 2007, Remo revived it as a podcast in late 2008 with other Thumbs writers Nick Breckon (then of
Shacknews
''Shacknews'' (originally Quakeholio, then ShugaShack) is a website that hosts news, features, editorial content and forums relating to computer games and Video game console, console games. It is currently owned by a company called Gamerhub Cont ...
) and
Jake Rodkin (then of
Telltale Games).
While podcasting for Idle Thumbs, he composed and performed "Space Asshole", a satirical song about the protagonist of ''
Red Faction: Guerrilla'', which
went viral.
He left his position at Gamasutra in 2010 to work as a community manager and producer for
Boston-based
Irrational Games, ending the first run of the Idle Thumbs podcast at the same time. The show's then-final episode was recorded live at the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo.
In early 2012, Remo returned to San Francisco to start a
crowdfunded campaign on
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
to revive the Idle Thumbs podcast with then-co-hosts Rodkin and
Sean Vanaman
Sean Vanaman (born June 16, 1984) is an IrishAmerican video game designer, writer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader and lead writer of '' The Walking Dead'', and ''Puzzle Agent 2''. He also wrote the third episode of '' Tales of Mon ...
.
As part of the Kickstarter campaign, Remo composed the soundtrack for
Blendo Games
Blendo Games is an American independent video game development company based in Culver City, California. It was founded by Brendon Chung in 2010 and is primarily a one-person effort. Blendo Games gained more widespread exposure with the short f ...
' ''
Thirty Flights of Loving
''Thirty Flights of Loving'' is a first-person adventure video game developed by Brendon Chung under the name Blendo Games. It was published in August 2012 for Microsoft Windows, in November 2012 for OS X, and in December 2021 for Linux. The ga ...
'', a video game that would be released to backers of the campaign.
He also took a job in a multi-faceted role at
Double Fine Productions
Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American First-party developer, first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double ...
, where he contributed to various games, including as a composer and game designer for ''Spacebase DF-9'', an
Amnesia Fortnight project, and as co-writer of ''
The Cave'' alongside
Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably bes ...
.
Remo composed the soundtrack to ''
Gone Home'', a game written by former Idle Thumbs co-host Steve Gaynor, and co-wrote ''Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission'' for ''
Star Wars Battlefront
''Star Wars: Battlefront'' is a series of first- and third-person shooter video games based on the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Players take the role of characters from the franchise in either of two opposing factions in different time periods of ...
'', developed by Criterion Games.
As a member of independent game studio
Campo Santo, Remo was a game and story designer, composer, and audio director of the
BAFTA-winning narrative adventure
Firewatch, and has spoken about the game’s design at numerous game development conferences around the world.
In 2018, Campo Santo was acquired by Seattle-area game developer
Valve.
In 2021, Remo started uploading daily vlogs of himself solving
The New York Times crossword on his personal YouTube channel, in a series titled The Daily Solve.
Works
*2005 ''
Psychonauts'', tester (
Double Fine Productions
Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American First-party developer, first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double ...
)
*2009 ''
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter'' Wii, composer (
Planet Moon Studios)
*2012 ''Unbearable: Or How They Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bear'', composer, writer (
What Would Molydeux?)
*2012 ''
Thirty Flights of Loving
''Thirty Flights of Loving'' is a first-person adventure video game developed by Brendon Chung under the name Blendo Games. It was published in August 2012 for Microsoft Windows, in November 2012 for OS X, and in December 2021 for Linux. The ga ...
'', composer (
Blendo Games
Blendo Games is an American independent video game development company based in Culver City, California. It was founded by Brendon Chung in 2010 and is primarily a one-person effort. Blendo Games gained more widespread exposure with the short f ...
)
*2012 ''
Spacebase DF-9
''Spacebase DF-9'' is a space simulator video game developed by Double Fine Productions. It was prototyped during Double Fine's open Amnesia Fortnight 2012, directed by JP Lebreton. After being released as an open beta on October 15, 2013, it ...
'' composer, designer (
Double Fine Productions
Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American First-party developer, first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double ...
)
*2013 ''
The Cave'', co-writer (
Double Fine Productions
Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American First-party developer, first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double ...
)
*2013 ''
Gone Home'', composer (
The Fullbright Company)
*2013 ''Captain Bubblenaut'', composer (Pixelsaurus Games)
*2014 ''
Spacebase DF-9
''Spacebase DF-9'' is a space simulator video game developed by Double Fine Productions. It was prototyped during Double Fine's open Amnesia Fortnight 2012, directed by JP Lebreton. After being released as an open beta on October 15, 2013, it ...
'', composer (
Double Fine Productions
Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American First-party developer, first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double ...
)
*2015 ''
Wheels of Aurelia'', dialogue support (Santa Ragione)
*2016 ''
Firewatch'', game and story designer, composer, audio director (
Campo Santo)
*2016 ''
Star Wars Battlefront
''Star Wars: Battlefront'' is a series of first- and third-person shooter video games based on the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Players take the role of characters from the franchise in either of two opposing factions in different time periods of ...
– Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission'', writer (
Criterion Games)
*2020 ''
Half-Life: Alyx'' (
Valve)
*2022 ''Saturnalia'', writer (Santa Ragione)
*TBA ''
In the Valley of Gods'', game and story designer, composer (
Valve)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remo, Chris
1984 births
Living people
American critics
American video game designers
Double Fine people
Valve Corporation people
Video game composers
Video game critics
Video game writers