Fez
fezgame.com
2D puzzle platformer set in a world that can be rotated to reveal its 3D structure.
1M+ copies by end of 2013
PF
Phil Fish
French-Canadian designer of Fez, star of Indie Game: The Movie
Phil Fish at a glance
- Known for
- Fez, Fez II and SuperHyperCube
- Based in
- Montreal, Canada
- Indie since
- 2008
- Now
- Has stepped away from game development since cancelling Fez II and leaving the industry; no new game since 2016.
Facts checked 2026-10-22
About Phil Fish
No longer an active indie maker. Has stepped away from game development since cancelling Fez II and leaving the industry; no new game since 2016. This profile is kept for the record.
Phil Fish (born Philippe Poisson) is a French-Canadian game designer from Montreal, best known for Fez, the 2D puzzle platformer about a world that rotates in 3D. After working as a level designer at Ubisoft and Artificial Mind and Movement, he founded the studio Polytron around 2008, partly funded by a government loan, to finish Fez.
Fez's long and troubled development was one of the main threads of the 2012 documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which made Fish unusually famous for a developer. Released in April 2012 after about five years of work, Fez was widely acclaimed, sold 200,000 copies during its Xbox Live Arcade exclusivity and passed one million sales by the end of 2013.
Fish announced Fez II in June 2013 but cancelled it weeks later after a public dispute online, and said he was leaving the games industry. Polytron later published Panoramical (2015) and finished SuperHyperCube (2016) with Kokoromi, and Fish designed boot animations for the Analogue Super Nt in 2017, but he has not released a new game since.
Products by Phil Fish
Announced sequel to Fez, cancelled in 2013.
SuperHyperCube
en.wikipedia.org
PlayStation VR puzzle game finished with Kokoromi.
Timeline
- 2008 — Founded Polytron to develop Fez.
- 2012 — Released Fez on Xbox Live Arcade and appeared in Indie Game: The Movie.
- 2013 — Fez passed 1 million sales; Fez II was announced and then cancelled.
- 2015 — Polytron published Panoramical.
- 2016 — Finished SuperHyperCube with Kokoromi.
How Phil builds
- Build one big idea, rotating perspective, into every part of a game.
- Hide deep secrets and ciphers for the community to decode.
- Personal vision over market expectations.
Phil Fish FAQ
Who is Phil Fish?
Phil Fish (born Philippe Poisson) is a French-Canadian game designer from Montreal, best known for Fez, the 2D puzzle platformer about a world that rotates in 3D.
Who made Fez?
Fez was created by Phil Fish and his studio Polytron, with programmer Renaud Bédard, and released in April 2012 after about five years of development.
How many copies did Fez sell?
Fez sold 200,000 copies during its Xbox Live Arcade exclusivity and reached 1 million sales by the end of 2013.
Why was Fez 2 cancelled?
Phil Fish cancelled Fez II in July 2013, weeks after announcing it, following a public online dispute, and said at the same time that he was leaving the games industry.
What is Phil Fish doing now?
He has largely stepped away from game development; his last released projects were Panoramical (2015, as publisher) and SuperHyperCube (2016), and in 2023 he mentioned a new project that might not be a video game.
Where is Phil Fish from?
Phil Fish was born Philippe Poisson in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1984.
How long has Phil Fish been an indie maker?
Phil Fish has been building independently since 2008, about 18 years.
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