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Philippe Poisson (born 1984), better known as Phil Fish, is a
French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...
former
indie game An indie video game or indie game (short for independent video game) is a video game created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A ...
designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...
best known for the 2012
platformer A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...
'' Fez''. He was born and raised in Quebec, where his experiences with
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
games in his youth would later influence his game design. He studied game design at the Montreal National Animation and Design Centre, and worked at
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
and
Artificial Mind and Movement Behaviour Interactive Inc. (stylized as "bEHAVIOUR", sometimes shortened to "BHVR") is a Canadian video game developer and publisher based in Montreal. The studio is best known for the multiplayer horror game '' Dead by Daylight''. History The co ...
before starting Polytron in 2008. Fish was a founding member of
Kokoromi ''Kokoromi'' is a group with the intent of promoting video games as an art form, and experimental gameplay worldwide. The collective consists of independent videogame creators and curators Damien Quartz, Phil Fish, Heather Kelley, and Cindy Poremb ...
, a collective that explores experimental gameplay ideas, and organized Montreal's annual GAMMA games events. While ''Fez'' was in development, Fish worked on other unreleased games at Polytron including '' SuperHyperCube'' and ''Power Pill''. ''Fez'' was released in April 2012 to widespread acclaim after a protracted five-year development cycle. Its final phases of development were shown in the 2012 documentary '' Indie Game: The Movie'', which brought Fish fame unusual for game developers. Following an online argument and
doxxing Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent. Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregati ...
, Fish publicly announced his exit from game development twice over the next two years, citing long-term mistreatment by the industry. Polytron later published the 2015 '' Panoramical'', and Fish returned with Kokoromi to release ''SuperHyperCube'' in 2016.


Early life and career

Phil Fish was born Philippe Poisson in Montreal in 1984. He was raised in Quebec, where his parents shared their interest in art and gaming with him. Fish's father translated ''
The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...
'' into French so the two could play together. Fish credits these memories as formative, and later cited their influence on ''Fez''. He graduated from the 2004 Design and Digital Art for Video Games program at the Montreal NAD ( National Animation and Design Centre). Fish began his career at the video game publisher
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
, where he worked on ''
Open Season Open Season may refer to: Time periods * Open season (hunting), when hunting a particular species is legal * Annual enrollment or open season, when employees may make changes to benefit programs Film and television * ''Open Season'' (1974 film ...
'' as a
level designer In video games, a level (also referred to as a map, mission, stage, course, or round in some older games) is any space available to the player during the course of completion of an objective. Video game levels generally have progressively incre ...
. He was initially excited for the job but grew disenchanted with their large development teams and working conditions. Fish later described it as "the worst experience of islife". He was later fired from the company. On May 24, 2006, Fish won the
Artificial Mind and Movement Behaviour Interactive Inc. (stylized as "bEHAVIOUR", sometimes shortened to "BHVR") is a Canadian video game developer and publisher based in Montreal. The studio is best known for the multiplayer horror game '' Dead by Daylight''. History The co ...
Award for Best Cut-Scene at the annual NAD Center Awards of Excellence Gala. Later that year, Fish began work as a level designer at Artificial Mind and Movement, where he designed for film tie-in games including '' The Golden Compass''. Fish is a founding member of
Kokoromi ''Kokoromi'' is a group with the intent of promoting video games as an art form, and experimental gameplay worldwide. The collective consists of independent videogame creators and curators Damien Quartz, Phil Fish, Heather Kelley, and Cindy Poremb ...
, a group that designs and promotes experimental video games. His November 2006 Arcadia Festival event, GAMMA 01 Audio Feed, featured games that incorporated live sound. Fish planned a similar event, GAMMA 256, for 2007, and a third event, GAMMA 3D, for November 2008 in Montreal. Fish was invited to present a lecture on GAMMA 01 at the 2007
Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Award for Game of the Year, Game Developers Choice Awards and ...
. He also wrote a review of the 1999 '' Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver'' in the 2007 book ''Space Time Play: Synergies Between Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism: the Next Level''. Fish has been characterized by Sean Hollister of ''
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'' as "notorious for voicing angry, controversial opinions about the state of video games". In a notable incident at the
Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Award for Game of the Year, Game Developers Choice Awards and ...
in March 2012, a Japanese developer asked Fish for his opinion on modern Japanese games, to which Fish replied, "your games just suck". Many condemned Fish's comment as racist; Alex Donaldson of ''
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'' wrote in 2023 that it "became the banner-bearer" for racist Western attitudes towards Japanese-developed games. Conversely, ''
Mega Man ''Mega Man'' (known as in Japan) is a video game franchise developed and published by Capcom, featuring the Mega Man (character), protagonist of the same name. The Mega Man (1987 video game), original game was released for the Nintendo Enter ...
'' co-creator
Keiji Inafune is a Japanese video game producer, character designer, game designer, and businessman. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time. Starting his career at Capcom in the late 1980s, his job was as an artist and ...
defended Fish's remark as necessary criticism. Fish initially defended the comments, but later acknowledged that he had been rude and apologized.


Polytron

Fish began to work with Toronto-based indie developer Shawn McGrath on McGrath's idea for a puzzle game that showed 2D views of a 3D space. Fish provided the project's art until the partnership crumbled due to creative differences: Fish wanted their product to be more of a
platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...
. Fish continued to work on the game in his spare time, and incorporated the idea of
voxel In computing, a voxel is a representation of a value on a three-dimensional regular grid, akin to the two-dimensional pixel. Voxels are frequently used in the Data visualization, visualization and analysis of medical imaging, medical and scient ...
s (3D pixels), where a 2D pixel could be seen from four sides. The game would become '' Fez'' and the game's design, lore, and art derived from this
game mechanic In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics define how a game works for players. Game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide player actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, wh ...
. Fish searched for a programmer on
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and Renaud Bédard, the first person to apply, became the game's programmer. ''Fez'' was first announced in July 2007 and was nominated for two awards at the 2008
Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Award for Game of the Year, Game Developers Choice Awards and ...
Independent Games Festival The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, ...
. Fish's employer, Artificial Mind and Movement, would not let him take leave from work to attend, so Fish quit. He marked this January 2008 moment as "when I became indie". The game received widespread attention upon its showing at the festival, leading Fish to open Polytron Corporation as a
startup company A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses tha ...
with a government loan. Polytron later ran out of money and was on the verge of folding when the company's Québécois neighbor, developer-producer
Trapdoor A trapdoor or hatch is a sliding or hinged door that is flush with the surface of a floor, ceiling, or roof. It is traditionally small in size. It was invented to facilitate the hoisting of grain up through mills, however, its list of uses has ...
, offered to help Polytron without transferring its intellectual property rights. According to Fish, the partnership saved ''Fez''. The game was delayed several times over the next few years for which it received some notoriety. In late 2009, Polytron presented an
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
game called ''Power Pill'' at Pecha Kucha Montreal. The game features a panacean pill that travels through human bodies as its playable protagonist, and it uses the iPhone's
multi-touch In computing, multi-touch is technology that enables a surface (a touchpad or touchscreen) to recognize the presence of more than one somatosensory system, point of contact with the surface at the same time. The origins of multitouch began at CE ...
screen. ''
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'' Eric Caoili compared it to '' Soul Bubbles'' and '' Irritating Stick''. The game was developed with
Alec Holowka Alec Holowka (30 October 1983 – 31 August 2019) was a Canadian indie game developer and co-founder of independent game companies Infinite Ammo, Infinite Fall, and Bit Blot. He was mainly known for the award-winning titles '' Night in the Woo ...
of Infinite Ammo, and a
level editor A level editor (also known as a map, campaign or scenario editor) is a game development tool used to design Level (video games), levels, maps, campaigns and virtual worlds for a video game. An individual involved with the development of game levels ...
was expected to be included. While working on ''Fez'', Fish revived a game project called '' SuperHyperCube'', which was based on Wiimote
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...
input and
stereoscopic Stereoscopy, also called stereoscopics or stereo imaging, is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...
navigation. Fish felt the game would work better with the new
Kinect Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB color model, RGB cameras, and Thermographic camera, infrared projectors and detectors that map dep ...
motion tracking. The adapted game was a finalist at
Indiecade IndieCade is an international juried festival of independent games. Game types include video games, live-action games, and tabletop games. Independent game developers are selected to demo, screen, and promote their work at the annual IndieCade fe ...
2011. Fish and ''Fez'' were featured prominently in the 2012 documentary '' Indie Game: The Movie'', through which Fish received celebrity unusual for game developers. The film chronicles the stories of several indie developers at various stages of their games' development cycles, and Fish is shown preparing for ''Fez'' booth at
PAX East PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, and Melbourne. Previously, it was also held in San Anton ...
in March 2011. The film presents Fish amidst a legal dispute with a former business partner that jeopardizes the game's release. The ex-partner, Jason DeGroot (a musician who contributed to the game), is portrayed negatively and is not shown on-screen. The film also tracks Fish's personal and emotional investment in the game. ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' wrote that the scene where Fish resolves to kill himself if he does not release his game is "the film's most startling moment". ''
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'' wrote that Fish is portrayed as melodramatic, existential, theatrical, and neurotic in contrast with the other developers shown in the film, which would exacerbate his outspoken public perception. ''
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'' called Fish the film's "most memorable developer". Near the end of development, Fish felt "burnt out" and that his personal health had suffered. ''Fez'' was released on April 13, 2012, and sold 200,000 copies in its yearlong exclusivity to the Xbox Live Arcade platform. Video game review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
described its reception as "generally favorable" and that of the 2013 PC version as "universal acclaim". While in development, ''Fez'' had won the 2012 GDC Independent Games Festival's Seamus McNally Grand Prize, the 2011 Indiecade Best in Show and Best Story/World Design, and the 2008 GDC Independent Games Festival's Excellence in Visual Art. ''Eurogamer'' awarded ''Fez'' a perfect score and named the "perfect, wordless
sci-fi Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
parable A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whe ...
" their 2012
Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given to a video game by various award events and media publications that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...
. The game sold one million copies by the end of 2013 and Fish announced eventual
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for most video game platforms. ''
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'' Chris Suellentrop likened Fish to "a
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
of 8-bit gaming".


After ''Fez''

A ''Fez'' sequel was announced as "one more thing" at end of the Horizon indie game press conference during the June 2013
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...
. A Twitter argument between Fish and ''
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'' journalist Marcus Beer a month later culminated in the project's cancellation and Fish's announced exit from the industry. In an episode of his show ''
Invisible Walls ''GameTrailers'' (''GT'') was an American Video game journalism, video gaming website created by Geoffrey R. Grotz and Brandon Jones in 2002. The website specialized in multimedia content, including Trailer (promotion), trailers and gameplay f ...
'', Beer had criticized Fish's recent response to questions about Microsoft's
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
self-publishing policy change. On Twitter, Fish condemned the industry for its negativity before his final tweet announced the cancellation and his leave. The news came as a surprise to the rest of Polytron, which has not commented on upcoming projects other than ports since the sequel's cancellation.
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
listed Fish in their top 50 newsmakers of 2013 for the social power of his "caustic use of Twitter". In June 2014, Fish announced Polytron Partnersa new effort by Polytron to fund and support potential indie game efforts, like a
publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
. For their first game, Polytron would work with
Finji Adam Saltsman, also known as Adam Atomic, is an American indie video game designer best known for creating the endless runner ''Canabalt''. He is a founder of Semi Secret Software and Finji video game studios. Career Flixel (2008-11) Saltsm ...
to provide the daily operations capacity for an "interactive musical landscape anthology" game named '' Panoramical''. Fish was an early target of
Gamergate Gamergate or GamerGate (GG) was a loosely organized online misogyny, misogynistic online harassment campaign motivated by a right-wing backlash against feminism, diversity, and progressivism in video game culture. It was conducted using the ...
; his personal and company records were hacked and released publicly in August 2014. Fish responded by announcing that the company and ''Fez'' property were for sale. After twice announcing his leave from the video game industry, Fish remained connected with Kokoromi. Together they finished SuperHyperCube in late 2016 as one of the first
PlayStation VR The PlayStation VR (PS VR) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016. The headset works with the company's PlayStation 4 video game console and is forward compatible with PlaySta ...
games. He also designed the boot-up animations for the Analogue Super Nt console in 2017. Fish spoke about the cancellation of ''Fez 2'' and his self-declared departure from the industry in a 2023 interview on the ''My Perfect Console'' podcast. He claimed that the cancellation had less to do with the argument with Beer and more with his own lack of interest in creating a sequel. He called the Twitter spat an "out" borne from his own frustrations at having suddenly become a public figure from ''Indie Game: The Movie'' as well as the obligations of trying to build on his success by creating a sequel he did not care to make. By Fish's recollection, ''Fez 2'' only had very basic concept art which made the cancellation decision easy. Fish claimed he was working on a new project, which he hinted may not be a video game.


Works

* '' SuperHyperCube'' (2016, Kokoromi, as designer) * '' Fez'' (2012, Polytron, as designer) * ''Power Pill'' (unreleased, as designer) * '' The Golden Compass'' (2007, Artificial Mind and Movement, as asst. level designer) * ''
Open Season Open Season may refer to: Time periods * Open season (hunting), when hunting a particular species is legal * Annual enrollment or open season, when employees may make changes to benefit programs Film and television * ''Open Season'' (1974 film ...
'' (2006, Ubisoft, as level designer)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Phil 1984 births Canadian video game designers Indie game developers Living people Designers from Montreal