INTERVIEW: Writing Immortals Fenyx Rising with Narrative Director Jeffrey Yohalem

Immortals Fenyx Rising is Ubisoft’s latest game and newest IP. Developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the game is set in Greek mythology on the Golden Isle, home to the gods. You play Fenyx, a shipwrecked storyteller who is thrown into a battle between the gods and the most terrifying of the Titans: Typhon. With humanity turned to stone, it’s your mission to save both the gods and humanity. In an effort to create what he views a the perfect world, Typhon has separated the gods from their essences, which he deems as the chaos that makes the gods unworthy of overseeing humanity. As Fenyx, you must unite the gods with their essences which will take overcoming heroic trials and more. We got the chance to speak with Jeffrey Yohalem, the game’s Narrative Director and Lead Writer about creating Immortals Fenyx Rising. 

We get the chance to discuss the creative process in writing about Greek mythology, which serves as the base for much existing pop culture franchise, and how the team behind the game made it unique. With a fresh and humorous take on the Greek gods, Jeffrey Yohalem details his inspiration about the choice to make the game humorous and using that humor to tell an impactful story about the importance of embracing your imperfections. Additionally, Jeffrey Yohalem explains his favorite mythological elements to work into the narrative and why they chose to make Fenyx a character that you create and not just one that you’re given.

Hit play on the audio player above to hear the entire interview, and learn more from Jeffrey Yohalem about the depth of Immortals Fenyx Rising and how the team aimed to blend humor and emotion for one exciting game.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is available December 3, 2020, on Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Playstation4, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC.