Chris Remo
{{notability|biographies|date=May 2023}}
{{short description|American video game designer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Chris Remo
|image = Chrisremo_outside_reversed.jpg
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|9|10}}
|birth_place = San Francisco, California
|occupation = Video game designer, composer, podcaster, writer
|nationality = American
}}
Chris Remo is an American video game designer, composer, writer, podcaster, and former journalist.
As a journalist, he cofounded the original Idle Thumbs website as well as its flagship podcast, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Shacknews and Editor at Large for Gamasutra.
He composed the music for Thirty Flights of Loving, Gone Home, Spacebase DF-9 and Firewatch. He co-wrote The Cave with Ron Gilbert at Double Fine Productions. In early 2014, he left Double Fine to join his Idle Thumbs co-hosts Jake Rodkin and Sean Vanaman at Campo Santo,{{cite web|title=Idle Thumbs 144|url=https://www.idlethumbs.net/idlethumbs/episodes/gimme-some-more|access-date=6 February 2014}} where he contributed to the studio's narrative adventure game Firewatch as a game and story designer, composer, and audio director.{{Citation|last=Mr Moon|title=Firewatch ending credits|date=2016-02-09|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuXPbRDrzqE|access-date=2017-09-01}}
Career
Chris Remo began his career as a video game journalist, writing for Adventure Gamers. He co-founded Idle Thumbs, a video game culture website, with colleagues from Adventure Gamers and The International House of Mojo in 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/authors/511506/Chris_Remo.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428063736/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/authors/511506/Chris_Remo.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 28, 2012 |title=Chris Remo Author Biography |publisher=Gamasutra |access-date=March 9, 2013}} 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) and Jake Rodkin (then of Telltale Games).{{cite web|author=Tabacco, Doug |url=http://www.idlethumbs.net/about/ |title=About Us |publisher=Idle Thumbs |access-date=March 8, 2012}} While podcasting for Idle Thumbs, he composed and performed "Space Asshole", a satirical song about the protagonist of Red Faction: Guerrilla, which went viral.{{cite web|author=Good, Owen |url=http://kotaku.com/5390472/is-your-population-demoralized-watch-space-a+hole |title=Is Your Population Demoralized? Watch "Space A-hole" |publisher=Kotaku |date=October 27, 2009 |access-date=March 9, 2013}}
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.{{cite web|author=Idle Thumbs |url=https://vimeo.com/21781232 |title=Idle Thumbs Live at PAX Prime 2010 – Burnin' Down the Wolfman |publisher=Vimeo |date=March 21, 2011 |access-date=July 27, 2012}}
In early 2012, Remo returned to San Francisco to start a crowdfunded campaign on Kickstarter to revive the Idle Thumbs podcast with then-co-hosts Rodkin and Sean Vanaman.{{cite web|author=Caoili, Eric |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/163142/Kickstarter_drive_offers_exclusive_game_from_Atom_Zombie_Smasher_dev.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301235607/http://gamasutra.com/view/news/163142/Kickstarter_drive_offers_exclusive_game_from_Atom_Zombie_Smasher_dev.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 1, 2012 |title=Kickstarter drive offers exclusive game from Atom Zombie Smasher dev |publisher=Gamasutra |date=February 28, 2012 |access-date=March 8, 2012}} As part of the Kickstarter campaign, Remo composed the soundtrack for Blendo Games' Thirty Flights of Loving, a video game that would be released to backers of the campaign.{{cite web|author=Hinkle, David |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/20/idle-thumbs-kickstarter-includes-exclusive-game-neat-artwork/ |title=Idle Thumbs Kickstarter includes exclusive game, neat artwork |publisher=Joystiq |date=February 20, 2012 |access-date=March 8, 2012}}{{cite web|author=Hamilton, Kirk |url=http://kotaku.com/5889082/indie-darling-gravity-bone-gets-a-sequel |title=Indie Darling Gravity Bone Gets a Sequel |publisher=Kotaku.com |date=February 28, 2012 |access-date=March 8, 2012}}{{cite web|author=Smith, Graham |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/03/06/thirty-flights-of-loving-does-more-with-story-in-13-minutes-than-most-games-do-in-13-hours/ |title=Thirty Flights of Loving tells a better story in 13 minutes than most games do in 13 hours |publisher=PC Gamer |date=March 6, 2012 |access-date=March 8, 2012}}
He also took a job in a multi-faceted role at Double Fine Productions, 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.{{cite web|author=Caravella, Vinny |url=http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-ex-the-cave/2300-6970/ |title=Quick Look EX: The Cave |publisher=Giant Bomb |date=January 21, 2013 |access-date=March 9, 2013}}
Remo composed the soundtrack to Gone Home, a game written by former Idle Thumbs co-host Steve Gaynor,{{cite web|author=Gaynor, Steve |url=http://thefullbrightcompany.com/2012/10/23/status-update-igf-here-we-come/ |title=Status Update: IGF, here we come! |publisher=The Fullbright Company |date=October 23, 2012 |access-date=March 9, 2013}} and co-wrote Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission for Star Wars Battlefront, 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.{{Citation|title=Interactive Story Without Challenge Mechanics: The Design of Firewatch| date=March 23, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVFyRV43Ei8|language=en|access-date=2021-11-19}}{{Citation|title=Firewatch: Narrative Design is Game Design - Chris Remo & Arthur Protasio - BIG Festival 2018| date=October 24, 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bbbsFTk13Q|language=en|access-date=2021-11-19}}
In 2018, Campo Santo was acquired by Seattle-area game developer Valve.{{Cite web|last=Alexander|first=Julia|date=2018-04-21|title=Valve acquires Firewatch developer, Campo Santo|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/4/21/17266690/valve-campo-santo-firewatch-steam|access-date=2021-11-19|website=Polygon|language=en-US}}
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.{{Cite web|title=Chris Remo - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisRemo|access-date=2021-11-19|website=www.youtube.com}}
Works
- 2005 Psychonauts, tester{{cite web|author=Schafer, Tim |publisher=Double Fine Productions |date=April 29, 2004 |access-date=April 1, 2013 |title=SHIFTLESS LONERS, DRIFTERS TORTURED at DF |url=http://www.doublefine.com/news/comments/shiftless_loners_drifters_tortured_at_df/}} (Double Fine Productions)
- 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?){{cite web|publisher=Idle Thumbs |date=April 3, 2012 |access-date=April 1, 2013 |title=Unbearable OHTLTSWALTB trailer |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqR5SmJLH2A}}
- 2012 Thirty Flights of Loving, composer (Blendo Games)
- 2012 Spacebase DF-9 composer, designer (Double Fine Productions)
- 2013 The Cave, co-writer (Double Fine Productions)
- 2013 Gone Home, composer (The Fullbright Company)
- 2013 Captain Bubblenaut, composer (Pixelsaurus Games){{cite web|publisher=Pocket Gamer |date=September 9, 2013 |access-date=October 20, 2013 |url=http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Captain+Bubblenaut/news.asp?c=52961 |title=Destroy all the Erflings in veteran BioShock dev's upcoming Captain Bubblenaut |author=Priestman, Chris}}
- 2014 Spacebase DF-9, composer (Double Fine Productions){{cite web|publisher=Bandcamp |date=October 15, 2013 |access-date=October 20, 2013 |title=Spacebase DF-9 Original Soundtrack |url=http://doublefine.bandcamp.com/album/spacebase-df-9-original-soundtrack}}
- 2015 Wheels of Aurelia, dialogue support (Santa Ragione){{Cite web|publisher=Gamasutra |date=December 3, 2015 |access-date=December 9, 2015 |title=Interactive fiction meets arcade racer: Designing Wheels of Aurelia |url=http://gamasutra.com/view/news/260780/Interactive_fiction_meets_arcade_racer_Designing_Wheels_of_Aurelia.php |author=Wawro, Alex}}{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
- 2016 Firewatch, game and story designer, composer, audio director (Campo Santo)
- 2016 Star Wars Battlefront – Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission, writer (Criterion Games){{Cite web|publisher=Twitter |date=December 7, 2016 |access-date=December 11, 2016 |title=And incredible working with writers @chrisremo and @nickbreckon to bring our characters to life. <3|url= https://twitter.com/JeffSeamster/status/806552875128279040|author=Seamster, Jeff}}
- 2020 Dota Underlords (Valve)
- 2020 Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- 2022 Saturnalia, writer (Santa Ragione){{Cite web|date=July 19, 2020|title=Italian Indie Studio Santa Ragione is partnering with The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild to publish 'Saturnalia', a Sardinian survival horror adventure.|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/366653/Italian_Indie_Studio_Santa_Ragione_is_partnering_with_The_Quantum_Astrophysicists_Guild_to_publish_Saturnalia_a_Sardinian_survival_horror_adventure.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721022823/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/366653/Italian_Indie_Studio_Santa_Ragione_is_partnering_with_The_Quantum_Astrophysicists_Guild_to_publish_Saturnalia_a_Sardinian_survival_horror_adventure.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 21, 2020|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Gamasutra|language=en}}
- 2024 Life is Strange: Double Exposure, senior game designer{{Cite web |title=Chris Remo |url=https://www.mobygames.com/person/176170/chris-remo/ |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=MobyGames |language=en}}
- TBA In the Valley of Gods, game and story designer, composer (Valve)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{moby developer|id=176170|name=Chris Remo}}
{{Double Fine}}
{{Valve}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remo, Chris}}
Category:American video game designers
Category:Valve Corporation people
Category:American video game composers