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Press release:
Paris, November 28th 2024 .
ARTE, RTBF, Ram Ram Games and Business Goose announce that “30 Birds, an exciting puzzle game set on spinning lanterns, is available for PC/Mac via Steam.

The release date for 30 Birds on Nintendo Switch will be announced at a later date.

“This project began 10 years ago, after a trip to Istanbul. To share our journey, we created a diary inspired by Persian miniatures” explain the game’s creators Coline Sauvand, artistic director, and Laurent Toulouse, author, game designer, musician and developer.

Inspired by this 15th-century pictorial tradition, the two founders of the Belgian studio Ram Ram Games came up with a book “The Istanbul Notebook”. A few years later, they have turned their experience into a poetic and humorous video game: 30 Birds.

A court of feathers
30 Birds takes inspiration from several aspects of the Persian and Middle East cultures to create Lantern City, a real aviary populated by birds, each crazier than the last, as well as goofy characters. “The character of Simurgh, a giant bird goddess, comes directly from Persian and Middle Eastern mythologies,” explains the Ram Ram Games team, before adding that “the name of the game itself, 30 Birds, is a pun, since “Simurgh” means “thirty birds” in Farsi. The title refers to The Conference of the Birds, the mystical poem by Attar of Nishapur. It relates the story of a group of birds led by a hoopoe who set off on an adventure to meet their deity, Simurgh. At the end of their journey, thirty of these birds reach a valley and discover a vast lake in which they can see their own reflections…”.

30 Birds blends oriental tale and police investigation
Players play as Zig, a mysterious detective, accompanied by Hoop, a talented hoopoe stand-up comedian. As they explore the various spinning lanterns of this mystical world, they will find the thirty birds that will save Simurgh, the missing patron goddess. Along the way, they’ll explore a world inspired by Persian art, meeting wacky birds, quirky djinns and other curious characters to solve puzzles!

30 Birds is a dazzling burst of art, both visually and musically
Fully hand-drawn, halfway between a kamishibai* and a magic lantern, 30 Birds offers a seamless blend of 2D and 3D. Wandering through the gorgeous neighborhoods of Lantern City to the rhythm of a ska – dub – reggae inspired soundtrack, players will help Zig gather some charismatic, chatty birds and find Simurgh. The task may not be as easy as it seems!

The key features of the game :

4 main lanterns, plus around ten secondary lanterns: a mythical, colorful and beautifully designed world to explore and interact with!
Wander through the wonderful neighborhoods of Lantern City and meet some fantastic characters.
Meet some (not-so) charming birds and some much more riotous ones, and add them as contacts on your phone.
Powerful, diabolical (or just plain nasty) enemies to stop in order to shed light on Simurgh’s kidnapping.
A wide variety of riddles and puzzles to foil the traps of the Evil Scientist!
Take on all kinds of artistic challenges to get the bird’s details and progress through the story!
Players will have to solve mysterious and amusing riddles, wander around bars and cafés, and play cards to gather clues. As well as some funny dialogues, there are plenty of other surprises waiting for them in the bright streets of Lantern City: they’ll be able to create funky music using synthesizers, and even ride on a magic carpet!

30 Birds is rated PEGI 12 / ESRB Teen. The game is available on PC/Mac via Steam for €17.99 / $17,99 / £14,99, and benefits a 10% launch promotion during the month following release.

Languages (interfaces and subtitles): French, English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Japanese.

About ARTE
As a public cultural channel, ARTE’s mission is to bring Europeans closer together through culture. Its rich and diverse editorial line-up (cinema, series, documentaries, news, digital creation and video games, podcasts…) contributes to nurturing a democratic space and a European vision. For more than ten years, ARTE has been co-producing and publishing independent video games such as Type:Rider, Homo Machina, Vectronom, Inua, Bury Me My Love, 30 Birds and Looking for Fael. More information on the official website and the Twitter page of Arte Interactive.

About Ram Ram Games
Coline and Laurent are both passionate about traditional and alternative forms of art. Coline is an author and illustrator and Laurent is a programmer and musician, with a background in philosophy and literature.
Ram Ram Games develops a combination of playful experiences and immersion in particular cultural universes. 30 Birds was born out of a trip to Istanbul, from which Coline and Laurent returned with an admiration for Persian miniatures and the idea of using them as the starting point for a video game.

About Business Goose
Business Goose is a studio founded by three friends united by their passion for video games. We love everything about video game development and we do everything we can to involve our community throughout the creative process.

In our catalogue, you’ll find relaxing games with puzzles and worlds to explore, magical and emotional stories, and also titles with some educational content. We’ll soon be adding action-packed games! So get ready!
The two studios began their collaboration in 2022 while exchanging ideas with other people from the world of illustration and game development. 30 Birds is the result of this combination of expertise and talents.

About RTBF iXPé
RTBF iXPé is the public service media in French-speaking Belgium dedicated to video games, esports and geek culture. Its aim is to inform, educate and entertain audiences about the topics and issues related to these themes.

RTBF is also committed to supporting Belgian video game development studios through the co-production of ambitious and inspiring projects. As part of this ongoing commitment, RTBF iXPé also aims to catalyse the development of video game-related themes in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.