Skybound Entertainment Adapting Video Game “Oxenfree” Into Film
Robert Kirkman’s production company, Skybound Entertainment, is taking on a new project. They’ve purchased the film rights to the PC game Oxenfree and have begun adapting it into motion picture form.
“As soon as we got our hands on Oxenfree and experienced this unique narrative driven game we knew that the IP had huge potential and that the Skybound team needed to be a part of it,” said Kirkman. Polygon describes the game this way:
Alex is a senior in high school whose parents have divorced; her mother is remarrying. A year ago, her brother was killed in a car accident on the way to pick her up, for which she carries a great deal of guilt. While she’s working through her problems, she’s also getting used to having a new family member in the form of her step-brother, Jonas.
When the game begins, Alex and Jonas are venturing to Edwards Island for the annual senior trip. It’s a decommissioned military base off the coast in the Pacific Northwest, where kids ditch the tourist attractions and party late into the night. After drinking and gabbing around a campfire, the kids decide to explore an urban legend about the island’s caves. They take a radio with them, and things start to get a little … weird.
Oxenfree was created with the intention of blending the vibe of Freaks and Geeks with the supernatural thrills of Poltergeist. Sean Krankel, co-creator, compares the central character directly to Lindsay Weir: “Think of Lindsay, where she was testing her boundaries,” he said. “Somebody who is smart and … was trying to find a sense of self at the time that we all do. She’s sort of that character.”
The Oxenfree game is not actually out yet, but that will change in a few days. It launches January 15 for PC and XBox One.