Open letter from developers
Our dear community,
This is a love letter for each of you - those who waited for Backbone, who played it, who loved it, who hated it, who are yet to experience it, and everyone in between.
We are Alex and Nikita - two people out of the collective of individuals who worked on Backbone for close to 5 years. Backbone is a deeply personal project for us, and it encapsulates our lived experiences and common humanity. We knew what we wanted to say and we said it. We stand by it and we are proud of it. But now this game is yours. You decide what to do with it, what to think of it and how to feel about it. We could never truly know your heart and all the beautiful, intricate complexity of what makes you human. All we ever wanted to do is show a little mirror of our souls and hope that in it, you can recognize yours.
Art is subjective and we can’t dare to influence all the wonderful and valid feelings people are experiencing over the game. These feelings are strong and they are real. We read everything you say with starry eyes and just can’t believe how lucky we are that Backbone reached so many of you.
Don’t ask us about what it all meant - ask your own unknowable shining heart, sit with your feelings and truly feel them, talk to people. Do all the beautiful things you are moved to do when you encounter something that makes you feel. It’s why we made this game.
We are eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to say something that is honest, true, and vulnerable for us. We made the game we’ve always wanted to play. We feel less alone in the sea of uncaring humanity, because now we share it with you. Thank you.
Aleksandra Korabelnikova - co-founder, director, lead writer
Nikita Danshin - co-founder, game designer, composer
P.S: There is more to come for the world of Backbone and we can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned.
This is a love letter for each of you - those who waited for Backbone, who played it, who loved it, who hated it, who are yet to experience it, and everyone in between.
We are Alex and Nikita - two people out of the collective of individuals who worked on Backbone for close to 5 years. Backbone is a deeply personal project for us, and it encapsulates our lived experiences and common humanity. We knew what we wanted to say and we said it. We stand by it and we are proud of it. But now this game is yours. You decide what to do with it, what to think of it and how to feel about it. We could never truly know your heart and all the beautiful, intricate complexity of what makes you human. All we ever wanted to do is show a little mirror of our souls and hope that in it, you can recognize yours.
Art is subjective and we can’t dare to influence all the wonderful and valid feelings people are experiencing over the game. These feelings are strong and they are real. We read everything you say with starry eyes and just can’t believe how lucky we are that Backbone reached so many of you.
Don’t ask us about what it all meant - ask your own unknowable shining heart, sit with your feelings and truly feel them, talk to people. Do all the beautiful things you are moved to do when you encounter something that makes you feel. It’s why we made this game.
We are eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to say something that is honest, true, and vulnerable for us. We made the game we’ve always wanted to play. We feel less alone in the sea of uncaring humanity, because now we share it with you. Thank you.
Aleksandra Korabelnikova - co-founder, director, lead writer
Nikita Danshin - co-founder, game designer, composer
P.S: There is more to come for the world of Backbone and we can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned.