Why We Never Hear From The Maker Of Fez Anymore

It's no secret that Phil Fish held strong opinions that he wasn't afraid to voice — even before Fez was released. One of his most talked-about comments came during a Q&A that followed the release of Indie Game: The Movie, a 2012 documentary that followed Fish and a number of his developer contemporaries. When asked by a Japanese freelance game programmer what Fish thought about recent Japanese games, the Fez creator responded simply, "They suck." He went on to argue that the West was " ... kicking [Japan's] ass" in the field of video games against a backdrop of laughter from both his panel and the audience.

While there's no denying that Fish was entitled to his opinion — for which he's both apologized and defended — Western and Japanese gamers, along with video game journalists, were struck by his choice of words. Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft, who'd corresponded with both Fish and the programmer who'd asked the question, noted that gamers were all but certain to interpret the game designer's words in the wrong context, as if he were "slamming the entire nation of Japan." And unfortunately, when it comes to the carefully scrutinized words of public figures like Fish, that's exactly how the internet operates.

Regardless of how the gaming world felt about his opinions — or whether or not they hold water — Fish's propensity for brutal honesty painted him in a controversial light. The April 2012 release of the critically acclaimed Fez would only serve to make him a bigger target for gaming journalists out for blood.

Following his micro melee with Beer, Fish unleashed another series of vitriolic tweets, opening up about his disillusionment with the game industry and announcing the cancellation of the forthcoming Fez II. The abrupt abandonment of his unreleased title was a bombshell move that surprised many gamers and journalists, with Fish's fans wondering whether or not the whole thing was a gag. 

But Fish claimed, writing on the official Polytron website, it came after a "long, bloody campaign" rather than as a result of, as he put it in an earlier tweet, " ... some boorish f*** [saying] something stupid." He also stated infamously, in the same Polytron update in which he hinted at taking a leave from the industry, "i take the money and i run," suggesting he would be assuming control of the funds previously invested in the development of Fez II. It seemed as though Fish was done putting up with the abuse that came with his newfound notoriety.

After his private information was leaked, Fish once again took to Twitter, launching into another slew of tweets. But instead of focusing all of his rage on his alleged doxxers, Fish turned his attention to the gaming industry as a whole. And, boy, did Fish have a lot to say. 

One oft-quoted tweet posted during Fish's deluge read, "i wish videogames was a building so i could burn it down with all you people in it." Another tweet, this time addressing his cyber attackers, simply read, "terrorists." In another sequence of tweets, Fish adopted a less malicious, more advisory tone, warning aspiring game developers to abandon their dreams: "give up on your dreams. they are actually nightmares."

Fish may have stepped out of the spotlight in 2014, but his name continued to find its way into gaming headlines. In early 2015, games industry insider alleged that Fish had stolen vital assets of Fez from Dyad and N++ creator Shawn McGrath prior to the pair's professional "break up." 

In an interview with TechRaptor, former Destructoid writer Alistair Pinsof claimed that "Phil Fish significantly stole from [Shawn McGrath's] code, projects and ideas to create Fez" after the two developers worked together on the title. He also asserted that McGrath held certain information, like his alleged involvement in Fez prior to its 2007 GDC trailer, as "leverage" against both Fish and the filmmakers behind Indie Game: The Movie.

In an interview with Kotaku's Jason Schreier, however, McGrath recounted the events leading up to — and surrounding — Fez's inception differently. In the interview, McGrath claimed that he possessed no such "leverage" and that he and Fish hadn't even worked on Fez together. Instead, they collaborated on an early prototype of the game's 2D/3D rotation mechanic and — well, that's pretty much it. Still, McGrath admitted to being a little bummed that Fish took advantage of the gameplay element, even if he doesn't think he straight-up "stole" it like Pinsof alleged in the interview. 

After all, McGrath claimed to have worked on his own dimension-swapping game for a year before getting his first glimpse of Fez. Once he saw it, McGrath recalled, he promptly gave up on the project, realizing, " ... well, I guess I just wasted a year of my life."

Fish doesn't seem to be letting the past stop him from flexing his creative muscles — and, this time, he's not limiting his work to just video games. In December 2017, Polygon reported that the game designer had teamed up with retro gaming hardware juggernaut Analogue to create the boot-up screen for the Super Nt. For those out of the loop, the Super Nt is a high-end, contemporary reimagining of the SNES complete with 1080p HD compatibility. Fish designed 30 uniquely glitch-y, retro versions of Analogue's logo for the project, meaning gamers will be greeted by a randomized glimpse of Fish's artwork every time they boot up their console.

Fans of Phil Fish may still be holding out for a surprise announcement of Fez II — but don't hold your breath expecting that it'll ever hit digital download shelves. Still, it's comforting to know that gaming's most notorious enfante terrible hasn't given up on the medium yet. 

As of January 2018, Polytron Corporation has yet to collapse, which is good news for those worried he'd actually sell his studio. And as of late December 2017, Fish himself is still playing — and talking about — games.