In 2016, the brand-new game development team at Night School Studio, founded by cousins Adam Hines and Sean Krankel after leaving Telltale Games and Disney Interactive, released its first game, Oxenfree. The game’s evocative aesthetic, moody soundtrack, and real-time conversation-based gameplay proved a hit with critics and fans, earning awards nominations and winning one from the Independent Games Festival. Oxenfree proved successful enough for Night School Studio to remain open (which was hardly guaranteed as the studio was finding its footing) and release games like Afterparty and Next Stop Nowhere. But five years later, people are still talking about Oxenfree. Night School will celebrate Oxenfree’s fifth anniversary throughout 2021, beginning with putting the game on sale, though they couldn’t have guessed such a fan following would build up around the game the way that it has.
