I Am Jesus Christ Developer Explains The Humble Origins Of The Sensationalized Game

Dozens of indie games from small developers get announced every year with many of them going sadly unnoticed, but few have elicited the same kind of response as "I Am Jesus Christ." This new game comes from indie developers SimulaM and PlayWay, and it has taken the internet by storm. Like the title implies, "I Am Jesus Christ" is a first-person simulation that allows gamers to play out the story of Jesus of Nazareth with references to the associated bible verses included. The story begins in the days just before his baptism and continues until the final moments of his crucifixion. Along the way, the player will meet biblical figures, perform miracles and battle the Devil using the Son of God's divine powers.

To say that the premise for this game is unique would certainly be an understatement. Not many video games have been made that attempt to tell the story of religious figures. This is likely why there has been so much buzz about it ever since the trailer dropped. Many have been quick to make jokes about the game's non-traditional subject matter, but it seems that the intentions behind "I Am Jesus Christ" are entirely serious. So where did such an idea come from?

In an interview with Matteo Lupetti of Vice, the CEO of SimulaM, Maksym Vysochanskiy talked about the seed of the idea for "I Am Jesus Christ." "Basically, over 20 years ago, I was so inspired by computer-animated movies like 'Shrek' and 'Toy Story' that I thought, 'It would be great to make such a movie about Jesus Christ,'" said Vysochanskiy. It seems that the initial plan was to make an animated film about the life and times of Jesus, but that idea eventually evolved into a video game.

Vysochanskiy knew that many would not take his game seriously, but he claimed there wasn't any reason why a video game couldn't tell the Christ story when so many books and films have done it in the past. He thought that "somebody needs to make such a game." This idea incubated for a long time, but it seems that it only truly became possible to make it into a reality when the publisher PlayWay decided to take it on.

PlayWay is a Polish game developer that was founded in 2011 and has previously released over 70 other simulation titles, such as "Car Mechanic Simulator," "Ultimate Fishing Simulator" and "Hacker Simulator." While none of them are quite as evocative or high profile as "I Am Jesus Christ," the studio's reputation has lent an air of credibility to the project that a lone publisher like SimulaM might not have been able to achieve on its own.

Having an experienced publishing team like this backing the project appears to have been the catalyst that allowed Vysochanskiy's long-dormant project to finally begin taking shape. SimulaM has posted several development video blogs over the last two years, recording the game's progress. The first video showcased early environments, character models, and preliminary level designs while the most recent video discussed what fans can expect to find in the upcoming "Prologue" version.

The "Prologue" is an incomplete version of the game that launches on December 1, 2022. This will feature the beginning of Jesus' story and warns players that bugs, glitches, errors, and framerate dips are all to be expected. No date has been set for the final version of the game, but it is promised to come in the future.