If you find yourself strolling along Lackrow Boulevard in Dunwall, it’s wise to steer clear of The Black Friar, a weathered hotel that serves as the operational hub for the notorious Hatters Gang. However, a stop at number 131 is well worth your time. Here lies AudioLog, the company behind the innovative audiograph players—devices that capture spoken words and replay them through punchcards, albeit with a distinctive scratchy echo. These audiographs have become a repository for the private musings of lords, admirals, gangsters, and royal caretakers alike, transforming the inner lives of NPCs into characters that linger long after their digital forms have faded away.
The Visionary Behind the Audiograph
The creative force behind this remarkable invention is none other than Austin Grossman, a writer whose contributions to the gaming industry are both extensive and influential. He played a pivotal role in shaping the immersive sim genre during his time on titles like System Shock and Deus Ex, the latter of which is celebrated for its clever narrative and adaptability. Grossman also penned You, a novel that offers a fictionalized glimpse into his experiences at Looking Glass Studios during the ’90s.
Reflecting on the success of Dishonored 2, which garnered an impressive 93% rating from PC Gamer, Grossman expresses his admiration for the game’s dual protagonist approach. “Letting you play as either Corvo or Emily Kaldwin really worked,” he notes. The shift from the claustrophobic confines of Dunwall to the sun-drenched island of Serkonos was another highlight for Grossman. “Dunwall is great, but getting out of there was refreshing,” he adds.
A World of Possibilities
Grossman harbors aspirations for the future of the Dishonored franchise, expressing a desire to explore every island within Arkane’s universe, including the icy expanse of Tyvia and the untamed jungles of the Pandyssian Continent. “I really wanted Dishonored 3 to happen,” he muses. “The world they built is fascinating, and I wanted to experiment with a game that had a slightly different tone.” He suggests that the series has often leaned too heavily into its dark themes, pondering, “Surely someone in the Dishonored world must have had a good day at some point?”
While Grossman acknowledges the series’ penchant for darkness, he also recognizes the need for tonal variety. “At some point, you run out of ways to top the darkness,” he remarks. “A varied tone in a Dishonored game would have been really fun to explore.”
Connections to the Future
In an intriguing twist, Grossman reveals that the time-warped island featured in Deathloop is part of the Dishonored universe, albeit set in a far future. “So I guess that’s Dishonored 3,” he quips. The interconnectedness of these worlds excites him, as he eagerly searches for references linking the two games. “It’s so fascinating to see how they intertwine,” he says.
Grossman observes that Deathloop addresses a narrative design challenge present in Dishonored by placing players in a time loop, liberating them from the burden of life-and-death decisions. “It borrows the idea of a pantheon of personalities, each flawed in their own way,” he explains, noting that the characters in Deathloop feel more rounded compared to their Dishonored counterparts.
Despite the thematic similarities of revenge and murder that run through both franchises, Grossman believes that the emotional weight of the story is what sets them apart. He reflects on Prey, another title from Arkane Austin, suggesting that its narrative lacks the same depth. “It’s a great immersive open world, but the story is the missing piece,” he concludes.
For Grossman, writing for the Dishonored series has been a privilege, though he humbly admits that he never anticipated its level of success. “There was no indication of that,” he reflects, hinting at the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry and the lessons it imparts.
