Out of Words Preview (Summer Game Fest 2026 Exclusive)

What if you could create an alternate universe where someone you loved didn’t die? This is exactly what Johann did with Out of Words.

At Summer Game Fest 2026, I sat down with Johann Oettinger, Founder of WiredFly and Game Director of Out of Words to play and discuss the game and he told me that the seed for creating it has been a dream he had decades earlier to create an alternate universe where his best friend didn’t die.

After talking with him for just a few minutes, it’s apparent that Out of Words isn’t chasing the Hazelight trend or trying to capitalize on the co-op exclusive popularity. As a matter of fact, he told me that he is extremely happy for all of the success that Hazelight has received. Hazelight’s success only proved that the market is hungry for co-op exclusive games where communication and language are paramount. Their success has made developing Out of Words easier as they haven’t struggled to find funding and they don’t have to educate the audience on what the experience is.

Without getting too far ahead, Out of Words is a narrative driven co-op exclusive adventure featuring best friends Kurt and Karla who are transported to the world of Vokabulnatis, become stripped of their words who must figure out ways to communicate without words and find a way out. The entire experience has been handcrafted in the real world first from the blades of grass that are slices of paper, to the celophane water or the beaches that are made from open books that have been carved to emulate sand dunes. 

We sat down with game director and studio founder Johan Oettinger to discuss everything Out of Words. Where the vision came from, what the meaning is and why it was important to create everything in the real world first?