Former Ubisoft Montreal Script Writer Becomes Narrative Lead of Broken Roads

If you've followed us at all over the past two years, you'd know that we are unbelievably excited for Drop Bear Bytes' upcoming Aussie outback themed CRPG Broken Roads. As Switchaboo is largely based in Australia, the plot and setting for Broken Roads hits close to home and now, the story is going to rise to a whole new level with the developer's newest addition Leanne Taylor-Giles.

Taylor-Giles has a rich background in the video game industry, having previously been employed by Ubisoft Montreal as a script writer where she worked on Rainbow Six Siege and Watch Dogs 2, with prior writing roles on the likes of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Thief. When we queried how a Ubisoft Montreal script writer becomes a narrative lead for an Australian-based indie developer on their debut title, Taylor-Giles replied:

Through extraordinary good fortune and exquisite timing! Colin had been telling me about this fantastic Australian team he was working with (though nothing about the project, obviously) and asked me if I'd like to be put in touch with them. My husband and I had been talking about moving back to Australia, but weren't sure the local game scene could support someone with my specialized skill set - it's been such a pleasure to discover the gems in development in our home country, and to see that the games industry is flourishing down under! Things weren't looking so great when we moved overseas 8 years ago, you understand.

Leanne Taylor-Giles has a great affinity for the CRPG genre, having previously worked on Torment: Tides of Numenera. She also says she has a Planescape: Torment tattoo, so that speaks for itself.

As Broken Roads is scheduled to release later in 2021 on PC and consoles, we were surprised to hear that Drop Bear Bytes were just now hiring a new narrative lead. To learn more, we queried how much influence Taylor-Giles hopes to bring to the game’s narrative this late into development, to which she responded:

For me, it's the tiny details that are key to building a memorable player experience. Those moments where something in the game works just so; a turn of phrase, ambiguous in context but unforgettable in retrospect; an exchange between two characters that leaves the player breathless because it's so close to something they lived. Most of all, I delight in the invisible threads that weave characters together which are only evident in passing, yet which can impact the player's path through the story in tangible ways. Human moments are what I always try to bring to the games that I write, and in Broken Roads they have an excellent home.

Leanne seems to have a love for the finer details in a story as she is most proud of her Easter eggs she's managed to subtly include in her past work.

It's reassuring to hear that Broken Roads has such a continuously expanded team full of talent and pedigree.

Source: Drop Bear Bytes PR