Raw Fury to publish Backbone, a game about a raccoon detective

Backbone developer EggNut is partnering with publisher Raw Fury to bring the game to PC and consoles in 2021.

According to a recent Kickstarter update, Raw Fury has approached EggNut in 2018, but nothing came out of this initial contact and the developer decided to go the Kickstarter way.

Now, after the success of Backbone: Prologue last year, the two sides met again and struck a publishing deal.

“While we were sure that we could deliver Backbone to our backers in a great state, the funding and support from Raw Fury has helped us to hire additional team members (which means more content) as well as given us extra time to really make Backbone the game of our dreams,” reads the update.

“Most importantly, Raw Fury gave us an unparalleled security and confidence in our vision.”

EggNut continues to assure backers that Raw Fury will “not in any way interfering with our creative process – we can do whatever we want. I can even post any spicy memes on Twitter – it’s totally up to us how to make and present our game to the world.”

Raw Fury has published some pretty incredible indie games over the years, so I can’t say I worry they will have any negative influence on Backbone.

If you weren’t able to glean it from the trailer, Backbone is a game about a raccoon detective in a dystopian Vancouver.

This raccoon detective is Howard Lotor, a private eye working a routine missing person case. But what Howard stumbles upon thrusts him into a disturbing hunt for the truth. As Howard, you’ll sniff out clues, interrogate suspects, stealth through places you really shouldn’t be, and choose where to take your investigation next.

The game explores mature themes in a city of anthropomorphic animals where species dictates social class. It does so with branching dialogue inspired by classic CRPGs, stunning pixel art, and a smooth jazz soundtrack.

Backbone will be out on PC and consoles in 2021. In the meantime, give Backbone: Prologue a go – it’s a fantastic demo.