Interview with Calligram Studio: New Game 'I'M YOUR HOST' Offers Audio Deduction

The Engadget Indie Pitch series highlights standout indie games, and this time it features Calligram Studio's upcoming title 'I'M YOUR HOST'. The game is an audio deduction experience where players use a custom operating system to restore a series of lost podcast episodes. The development team consists of three people: artist Eleanor Summers, sound designer and composer Alexander Smith, and co-founder Jigmé Özer, who handles the rest.

Development began about two years ago, shortly after the studio's debut game 'Phoenix Springs' was released in late 2024. Unlike the seven-year development of their first title, the team aimed for a shorter, more manageable scope, hoping to release 'I'M YOUR HOST' in a few months.

The inspiration came from Özer's background in video and audio editing, particularly his fascination with unused footage, bad takes, and behind-the-scenes material. The game's core narrative is linear, told through podcast episodes, but players can also uncover a parallel story through discarded interviews, field recordings, and other audio clips. Editing as manipulation is a key theme, exploring paranoia and technological coercion.

Although marketed as an audio game, 'I'M YOUR HOST' is essentially a text-based game. The retro-futuristic UI was chosen for its textural appeal, drawing from old scientific software, early Winamp, and Avid. This aesthetic creates a tactile feel that contrasts with modern touchscreen interfaces.

The studio acknowledges that challenges for small developers are hard to pin down, as they have deliberately carved their niche. However, they criticize Steam's fee structure, which takes a 30% cut from smaller studios while offering a sliding scale that benefits AAA publishers.

Özer sums up the game in one sentence: 'Think Her Story, but weirder.' 'I'M YOUR HOST' will be released on PC, Mac, and Linux, and is available for wishlisting on Steam.