Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?

“Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?” is a full-motion video game produced by Good Gate Media and distributed by BAFTA-winning publisher Wales Interactive. The game stars Andy Buckley (The Office) as Uncle Marcus and Abigail Hardingham as Abby. It has been praised for its unique blend of comedy and whodunit mystery.

It’s set during a family quiz where an attempt is made on Uncle Marcus’ life. The family are spread around the world and get together on a quiz app that has a video call function. So, for a large portion of the murder mystery, you see the filmed action on a fake computer screen on a fake app. I was the game’s ‘Cinematics 2D Art Director’, meaning I designed the fake OS, the fake app, its illustrations, its icons, and all the interactions and animations you see on it. I also designed VFX for set pieces involving comedy face filters and drew bonus material for the game.

I worked closely with the game’s director Steven Sheil. I created concept art and presented it to him for frequent review. I also devised a low-to-high fidelity workflow that allowed visual development to happen in tandem with post-production: I supplied the FMV editors with wireframe animations to use when assembling the 330-minute edit, which I could rapidly amend when timings changed. The fully skinned graphics could then be re-linked during the online edit. I worked closely with the online editor and colourist to troubleshoot technical problems when re-linking to get shots signed off and locked in time for publication.

In addition to the FMV graphics, I illustrated a map showing all the character locations for the game’s marketing.

The game was released on Steam, PlayStation, Switch, iOS, and Android in 2022. This was a fantastic project to work on, and I am proud to have been a part of it.

Here’s what the critics said:

“The acting is great and the different personalities of the characters make it fun and you actually laugh along with them. This game for me is perfect for a Saturday night with a loved one and a takeaway.” Gold Award🏆 – Thumb Culture

 

“One of the best FMV games to be released in years, ‘Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?’ is a brilliant combination of a relatable, oddball comedy and a whodunit mystery drama.” 9/10 – Finger Guns

 

“It is without hesitation one of my favourites of the genre. A must have of its kind.” 8/10 – IGN France