VENTURE STORY: PANIC INC: HANDHELDS HOPE AND HONKS

When it comes to video gaming, it would seem that a game about a goose that goes around harassing people in a comedic, nonviolent manner would be no more exciting than watching paint dry.

Of course, that precise game exists and is much more popular than it was expected to be.

“Untitled Goose Game” was developed by House House and published by Portland-based Panic Inc. and released in 2019. Panic didn’t expect the game to be particularly successful, but, according to a Willamette Week newspaper interview with the publishing firm’s co-founders, within weeks of release the game was “a certified viral sensation.”

Eventually I chose to familiarize myself with this phenomenon. Essentially this is a puzzle-style game where the user is given a list of tasks to complete. Some are rather self-explanatory while others, such as “Have a picnic,” require more creativity to find the solution. To form my opinion I first chose to watch a gameplay video. At the start I wasn’t particularly impressed, but decided not to make any hasty judgments. And following some additional viewing, I was pleasantly surprised. This turned out to be the style of game I personally enjoy and it was humorous – a powerful mix!

Overall, Untitled Goose Game is just one example of what it is that makes Panic Inc. unique within its industry.

The software and video game company was co-founded in 1997 by Steven Frank and Cabel Sasser who are, as Willamette Week describes, “lifelong Portlanders and friends since high school.” While Panic does publish video games, it has also released (or is preparing to release) other projects, as well.

One of the founders’ areas of concern is for all those who would make the games of the future. To aid in that endeavor, they have released a set of programs that can be utilized for different aspects of game creation. This is observed by visiting to their website. The viewer is greeted by their logo and a one-sentence description of who they are, which reads “Hey. We’re Panic. We make super nice software. And soon, a brand new code editor.” Next is a display of three of their software programs, the two games they published, and their handheld system, which is still in the works.

Among the titles in Panic’s line of software are “Transmit,” which is used for transferring files; “Prompt,” an SSH client for iPhone and iPad; and a code editor, which is, simply enough, called “Code Editor.”

It’s worth mentioning that the work of Frank and Sasser has certainly not gone unnoticed. Early in Panic’s history they caught the attention of someone quite well known– Steve Jobs – Willamette Week noted. The duo had been working on a deal with AoL. (America Online), which wound up falling through. After an email exchange, they wound up in a meeting with Jobs. No deal with Apple ever resulted, but the co-founders decided that if one ever were made, they would turn it down.

All that aside, Panic is soon to release the pair’s own system. For a majority of its existence, their work has been primarily focused on software and game publishing. More recently, they made the decision to try a new endeavor – deciding to make something tangible, something that can be touched and held. Thus was born the idea for their new, handheld “Playdate,” designed in partnership with Teenage Engineering and due for release sometime this year.

The games for the system will be made in partnership with multiple, unnamed game designers. The physical appearance of the Playdate is similar to Nintendo’s “Game Boy” but smaller, and with the addition of a crank handle on the side. On its website, Panic describes Playdate as “our celebration of the video game.”

One major difference between Playdate and other handheld systems is that Playdate will not feature any physical games. The games will all be virtual and will be released one a week over a course of 12 weeks.

This system, which promises to bring fresh air to handheld gaming, is another example of why Panic is a remarkable creative group in the realm of video game creation. Just one of myriad companies in the video game business, it is also quite distinct. Over their 23 years of working together, the creators have published unique games, rolled out their own software, and even introduced their own innovative system. Whatever they have made or published has their own personal twist to it.

It can be said with certainty that Panic is a company with a passion for video games – one that has made worthwhile contributions to the world of gaming, and will be known and remembered for years to come.