Okomotive

Factsheet

Developer:
Okomotive
Based in Zurich, Switzerland

Founding date:
January 17, 2017

Website:
https://www.okomotive.ch

Press / Business contact:
contact@okomotive.ch

Social:
x.com/Okomotive
x.com/FarTheGame
facebook.com/FarTheGame

Releases:
Far Lone Sails
Far Changing Tides

Address:
Okomotive AG
Badenerstrasse 816
8048 Zurich

Phone:

Description

We are a Swiss game studio crafting atmospheric journeys with meaningful mechanics. The company was founded in 2017 by Don Schmocker and Goran Saric and is the team behind the «FAR» games.

History

Okomotive's origins trace back to 2017 when Don Schmocker and Goran Saric, two Game Design students at the University of the Arts in Zurich, joined forces. After collaborating on several student projects, they embarked on an ambitious endeavor to transform Don's final Bachelor prototype, «FAR», into a full-fledged game. Shortly after securing a deal with German-based publisher Mixtvision, Okomotive was officially established. Their fellow students, Martina Hugentobler, Philipp Stern, and Fabio Baumgartner, joined the project to bring FAR's vision to life. In May 2018, «FAR: Lone Sails» triumphantly launched on PC, garnering overwhelmingly positive reviews. The game's reach expanded to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2019, with mobile platforms following suit in 2020.

While adapting «FAR: Lone Sails» to other platforms, the team simultaneously began crafting their second title, «FAR: Changing Tides». In late 2019, Okomotive signed a publishing agreement with the UK-based Frontier Developments for this new project. To tackle the challenges and demands of a larger game production, the team expanded to nine members in August 2020. «FAR: Changing Tides» debuted on March 1, 2022, across all major platforms, receiving critical acclaim from both the existing fan base and international critics.

Riding on the success of the «FAR» series, the team embarked on a new ambitious IP. In late December 2022, Okomotive partnered with Panic, the renowned US-based publisher behind acclaimed titles like Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game, as well as the innovative Playdate handheld console. The partnership was officially unveiled in August 2023 via Panic's YouTube channel.

Projects

Videos

Okomotive announce partnership with Panic for an ambitious new IP YouTube

FAR: Changing Tides YouTube

FAR: Lone Sails YouTube

Images

There are far more images available for Okomotive, but these are the ones we felt would be most useful to you. If you have specific requests, please do contact us!

Logo & Icon

download logo files as .zip (1MB)

Awards & Recognition

"Pocket Gamer Awards Best Narrative Game 2021 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Pocket Gamer Awards Best Mobile Conversion 2021 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"TapTap Award Best Indie Game 2020 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Reboot Develop Blue Indie Award Game of the Year 2019 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Deutscher Computerspielpreis Best International Game 2019 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Swiss Game Awards Main Prize 2019 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Swiss Game Awards Audience Choice Award 2019 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Game Developers Choice Awards Best Debut 2019 (Honorable Mention)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"TOMMI Kindersoftwarepreis 2019 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Deutscher Entwicklerpreis 2018 Best German Game (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Deutscher Entwicklerpreis 2018 Best Game-Design (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Golden Joystick Awards Best Visual Design 2018 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"IndieDB Indie of the Year Top Ten 2018" - FAR: Lone Sails
"NAVGTR Awards “Game, Puzzle” 2018 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Dreamhack Atlanta Winter Art Gallery Official Selection 2018" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Into the Pixel Selection 2018" - FAR: Lone Sails
"QUO VADIS Indie Award Audience Award 2018 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"QUO VADIS Indie Award Jury Award 2018 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Unity Awards Best Student Project 2017 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"GDC Play Best in Play 2017 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"IGF Best Student Game 2017 (Finalist)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"AdoptMyGameAward Best Game 2016 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"PLAY16 Most Innovative Newcomer Award 2016 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Best of Indie Arena Booth 2016 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Gamescom Indie Award 2016 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Independent Games Festival Best Student Game 2016 (Honorable Mention)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Ludicious Outstanding Talent Award 2016 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Game Connection Europe Best Desktop / Downloadable Game 2015 (Nominee)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"Deutscher Entwicklerpreis: Blue Byte Newcomer Award 2015 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails
"ZHDK Förderpreis BA Design 2015 (Winner)" - FAR: Lone Sails

Selected Articles

"Wonderfully eerie and atmospheric, with a painterly grey-hued palette, you discover the stark narrative via ruins and wrecks. A striking game … a subtly moving experience."
- Holly Nielsen, The Guardian
"Far: Lone Sails is a poem disguised as a video game … The payoff is standing at the prow, watching the fantastical landscape roll by in the background. Rather than perks and unlocks, the reward here is quiet contemplation. … Far is greater than the sum of its parts."
- Charlie Hall, Polygon.com
"A lonely, contemplative journey across a barren landscape … I really enjoyed it."
- Andy Chalk, PCGamer.com
"Far: Lone Sails is the kind of game that sticks with you after seeing credits. It delivers a fascinating mystery in a strange land with engaging puzzles, and couples that with a relationship between the player and their oversized mode of transportation. 8.25 / 10"
- Kyle Hilliard, Gameinformer.com