Amy Sedaris is a comedian, actor, writer — and now, a video game designer.
Sedaris helped create a custom level in “What the Car?”, an absurdist racing game exclusively available on Apple Arcade created by developers who don’t own cars (see screenshots below from the level, “Amy Sedaris Can’t Drive”). Of course, Sedaris is a New Yorker who can’t drive and doesn’t play video games. So when the game’s developer, Triband, reached out about the “What the Car?” project via Sedaris’ agent at UTA, she initially was confused.
“I’m not a game player. But I see people on trains playing games — and they look exhausted,” Sedaris said. “I don’t drive. It gives me too much anxiety. And I’m in New York, so you don’t need to drive.” But “once they said, ‘It’s for people who don’t play games and don’t drive,’ I immediately got it!”
In “What the Car?”, players take on the role of an unconventional race car with constantly changing features, such as legs, wings and even the common cold. Triband is the indie studio behind the similarly quirky game “What the Golf?” (also an Apple Arcade exclusive).
The “Amy Sedaris Can’t Drive” level, available to Apple Arcade subscribers starting June 22, features ludicrous and delightful design and props inspired by Sedaris’ hobbies and projects – such as bunny ears for her love of bunnies, crafts supplies galore as a nod to her show “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” and an abundance of cheeseballs as she’s a notable cheeseballs enthusiast.
“It’s a lot of fun, this level. There’s so much to look at!” Sedaris said. “There are no instructions — you kind of figure it out on your own.
“Reckless driving is fun,” she said, quickly adding, “In game form.”
“What the Car?” lets anyone can make their own custom quirky levels, share with friends and family. Players will also be able to use props from “Amy Sedaris Can’t Drive” in their own levels.
“We created this game to make people laugh, and we wanted to invite someone who makes us laugh equally as much, to create a level that brings in their unique voice and zaniness,” said Tim Garbos, Triband’s creative director. “Naturally we all thought Amy Sedaris would be the perfect choice. We were already fans of her work, and on top of that, to find out she also doesn’t drive, we instantly knew this was meant to be.”
The Apple Arcade game subscription service ($4.99/month) offers unlimited access to more than 200 titles. It doesn’t have ads or in-app purchases.
Watch a video with Sedaris explaining her game level:
Here are screengrabs from “Amy Sedaris Can’t Drive” in “What the Car?”:
