SignalfromNoise
SignalfromNoise
BARKFORGE
BARKFORGE
BARKFORGE
emergent narrative system
emergent narrative system
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PLAN
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WRITE
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TUNE
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TRIGGER
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PLAN
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TUNE
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WRITE
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TRIGGER
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Founded in 2023 by veteran developers David Renn and Adrian Vershinin, Barkforge is narrative middleware created to solve the friction of narrative development.
It is an open framework for the realization of dynamic narrative, bringing together content creation and content triggering in a way that opens wide the doors of possibility.
The power of an integrated dynamic conditional speech engine, and a purpose-built desktop dialogue editor at your fingertips - no engineering required.
Barkforge: created by devs, for devs.
WHYBARKFORGE
no barriers
WHYBARKFORGE
no barriers
WHYBARKFORGE
no barriers
A new paradigm in narrative design
A new paradigm in narrative design
Barkforge's power is centered around connection, creative flow, and flexibility.
It is a narrative content sandbox, allowing designers and writers to focus on the creative, not on data management.
Desktop Editor - create content using intuitive design and writing tools. Familiar interfaces such as tables and screenplays, complex condition authoring for each line, UX design optimized for flow.
Runtime Engine - a powerful content triggering system which tracks game states per entity, and parses your authored content to deliver contextual lines at runtime. Integrated into Unreal Engine and Unity through a unified C++ runtime core.
Collectively, the Barkforge system empowers designers and writers to focus on content creation and iteration. By providing centralized information to designers both in the Editor and at Runtime, and providing extensive engine functions to parse and pattern match narrative content with game state, Barkforge is a new paradigm in narrative tooling.
Your narrative content is no longer static. It is embedded with gameplay data, and runs live in the game.
Barkforge's power is centered around connection, creative flow, and flexibility.
It is a narrative content sandbox, allowing designers and writers to focus on the creative, not on data management.
Desktop Editor - create content using intuitive design and writing tools. Familiar interfaces such as tables and screenplays, complex condition authoring for each line, UX design optimized for flow.
Runtime Engine - a powerful content triggering system which tracks game states per entity, and parses your authored content to deliver contextual lines at runtime. Integrated into Unreal Engine and Unity through a unified C++ runtime core.
Collectively, the Barkforge system empowers designers and writers to focus on content creation and iteration. By providing centralized information to designers both in the Editor and at Runtime, and providing extensive engine functions to parse and pattern match narrative content with game state, Barkforge is a new paradigm in narrative tooling.
Your narrative content is no longer static. It is embedded with gameplay data, and runs live in the game.
Barkforge Editor
Imagine a narrative authoring tool that gives you the freedom to add, write, edit, combine, tune, and create, without barriers, all live.
Imagine a narrative authoring tool that gives you the freedom to add, write, edit, combine, tune, and create, without barriers, all live.
Barkforge Editor is a professional desktop application for creating and managing interactive dialogue for games.
The Editor supports a comprehensive development environment for writing and managing dialogue lines in both table and screenplay views, authoring complex conditional logic, previewing and managing audio assets, and streamlined localization.
Narrative content created in the Editor is reflected by the Barkforge Runtime for real-time use in Unity, Unreal, and proprietary game engines.
Barkforge Editor is a professional desktop application for creating and managing interactive dialogue for games.
The Editor supports a comprehensive development environment for writing and managing dialogue lines in both table and screenplay views, authoring complex conditional logic, previewing and managing audio assets, and streamlined localization.
Narrative content created in the Editor is reflected by the Barkforge Runtime for real-time use in Unity, Unreal, and proprietary game engines.
Design Pillars
Provide a unified application for narrative content management.
Drastically increase designer and writer productivity by removing points of friction.
Drastically reduce manual data management of narrative content.
Mitigate the possibility of clerical errors with internal data validation.
Content organization and change management with Perforce source control integration
Design Pillars
Provide a unified application for narrative content management.
Drastically increase designer and writer productivity by removing points of friction.
Drastically reduce manual data management of narrative content.
Mitigate the possibility of clerical errors with internal data validation.
Content organization and change management with Perforce source control integration
Editor Screenshots - click background or press ESC to close
Editor Screenshots - click background or press ESC to close
The tools provided by the Editor benefit teams from two perspectives:
Streamline narrative content authoring by smoothing the multitude of friction points that slow down development and sap the energy of developers.
Centralize and internally manage narrative data to greatly mitigate costly clerical errors and take back the time normally spent manually managing and migrating script data between various tools and the engine.
The tools provided by the Editor benefit teams from two perspectives:
Streamline narrative content authoring by smoothing the multitude of friction points that slow down development and sap the energy of developers.
Centralize and internally manage narrative data to greatly mitigate costly clerical errors and take back the time normally spent manually managing and migrating script data between various tools and the engine.
Focus on the creative
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Design dynamic conditional scripts
Design dynamic conditional scripts
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Write in tables and screenplays
Write in tables and screenplays
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Add, edit, and tune, all live at runtime
Tune runtime metadata
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Advanced script navigation and filtering
Advanced script navigation and filtering
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Automatic line data management
Automatic line data management
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Data validation to prevent errors
Data validation to prevent errors
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Audio playback & take tuning
Audio playback & take tuning
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Localization? Yes.
Localization? Yes.
Barkforge Runtime
Imagine a narrative engine that is internally aware of game state, holds all of your narrative data, and dynamically responds to every request.
Imagine a narrative engine that is internally aware of game state, holds all of your narrative data, and dynamically responds to every request.
Barkforge Runtime is a cross-engine integration that delivers dialogue content - authored in the Barkforge Editor - to games at runtime. Its core purpose is to serve the right line at the right time by querying authored content and using internally tracked game-state information to trigger contextually correct content.
Barkforge Runtime is a cross-engine integration that delivers dialogue content - authored in the Barkforge Editor - to games at runtime. Its core purpose is to serve the right line at the right time by querying authored content and using internally tracked game-state information to trigger contextually correct content.
Design Pillars
Provide a single source of truth for game state and narrative content.
Provide centralized access to all authored metadata attached to triggered narrative lines at runtime.
Eliminate the need for callers to aggregate state data across multiple game systems.
Integrations for Unreal Engine, Unity, and proprietary engines through a unified C++ runtime core.
Minimize integration overhead for game teams.
Design Pillars
Provide a single source of truth for game state and narrative content.
Provide centralized access to all authored metadata attached to triggered narrative lines at runtime.
Eliminate the need for callers to aggregate state data across multiple game systems.
Integrations for Unreal Engine, Unity, and proprietary engines through a unified C++ runtime core.
Minimize integration overhead for game teams.
Runtime Flow - click background or press ESC to close
Runtime Flow - click background or press ESC to close
The Runtime benefits teams by:
Saving the significant amount of engineering and design time otherwise required to design, build, and maintain the speech systems needed to deliver immersive experiences to the player.
Providing access to all line metadata for every triggered line at runtime, empowering designers to expand the Runtime’s use beyond narrative.
The Runtime benefits teams by:
Saving the significant amount of engineering and design time otherwise required to design, build, and maintain the speech systems needed to deliver immersive experiences to the player.
Providing access to all line metadata for every triggered line at runtime, empowering designers to expand the Runtime’s use beyond narrative.
Focus on the logic
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Runtime tech built to serve dialogue
Runtime tech built to serve dialogue
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For Unreal, Unity, and proprietary engines
For Unreal, Unity, and proprietary engines
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Automatic conditional triggering
Automatic conditional triggering
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Screenplay triggering (also conditional)
Screenplay triggering (also conditional)
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Real-time content iteration
Real-time content iteration
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Drive more than dialog
Drive more than dialog
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Extensive core runtime functions
Extensive core runtime functions
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Save significant code and design effort
Save significant code and design effort
Barkforge is more than the sum of its features.
It's where your script comes to life.
Karen Kawas
Designer
Blackbird Interactive
Barkforge is a genuinely impressive tool for anyone working in game narrative, as it seamlessly integrates your narrative content with gameplay. It centralizes everything—from dialogue and localization data to event conditions and special properties—into a single, coherent pipeline.
As a Designer working on Mission Design, I found it meaningfully accelerated iteration on scripted levels. The kind of tool that makes you wonder how you managed without it. I can see this becoming an industry standard, no doubt about it!
Barkforge is a genuinely impressive tool for anyone working in game narrative, as it seamlessly integrates your narrative content with gameplay. It centralizes everything—from dialogue and localization data to event conditions and special properties—into a single, coherent pipeline. As a Designer working on Mission Design, I found it meaningfully accelerated iteration on scripted levels. The kind of tool that makes you wonder how you managed without it. I can see this becoming an industry standard, no doubt about it!
Barkforge is a genuinely impressive tool for anyone working in game narrative, as it seamlessly integrates your narrative content with gameplay. It centralizes everything—from dialogue and localization data to event conditions and special properties—into a single, coherent pipeline.
As a Designer working on Mission Design, I found it meaningfully accelerated iteration on scripted levels. The kind of tool that makes you wonder how you managed without it. I can see this becoming an industry standard, no doubt about it!
Barkforge is a genuinely impressive tool for anyone working in game narrative, as it seamlessly integrates your narrative content with gameplay. It centralizes everything—from dialogue and localization data to event conditions and special properties—into a single, coherent pipeline. As a Designer working on Mission Design, I found it meaningfully accelerated iteration on scripted levels. The kind of tool that makes you wonder how you managed without it. I can see this becoming an industry standard, no doubt about it!
Barkforge is a genuinely impressive tool for anyone working in game narrative, as it seamlessly integrates your narrative content with gameplay. It centralizes everything—from dialogue and localization data to event conditions and special properties—into a single, coherent pipeline.
As a Designer working on Mission Design, I found it meaningfully accelerated iteration on scripted levels. The kind of tool that makes you wonder how you managed without it. I can see this becoming an industry standard, no doubt about it!
Barkforge is a genuinely impressive tool for anyone working in game narrative, as it seamlessly integrates your narrative content with gameplay. It centralizes everything—from dialogue and localization data to event conditions and special properties—into a single, coherent pipeline. As a Designer working on Mission Design, I found it meaningfully accelerated iteration on scripted levels. The kind of tool that makes you wonder how you managed without it. I can see this becoming an industry standard, no doubt about it!
THE NARRATIVE TOOL YOU WANTED YESTERDAY
AVAILABLE TODAY
FOR THE STORIES OF TOMORROW
Let's Talk
Licensing
Barkforge is built for everyone
Licensing
Barkforge is built for everyone
Licensing
Barkforge is built for everyone
At Barkforge we believe that everyone should have access to great tools, so we’ve designed our licensing model to reflect that.
Tiered pricing based on SKU production budget helps Barkforge pay for itself quickly with developer time saved, fewer errors, and sharper focus.
A Barkforge license applies to the full development cycle of the target SKU, from concept to ship, with access to every release during that time at no additional cost.
Are you an indie developer with very little budget? Connect with us and apply for a license grant.
Included with Every License:
BarkForge
BarkForge
Barkforge Authoring Tool (Win64)
Barkforge Runtime and Engine Integration
Barkforge Support
Roadmap Updates and fixes
WhoisBarkforge?
Barkforge Cares
WhoisBarkforge?
Barkforge Cares
WhoisBarkforge?
Barkforge Cares
We love games for the stories they can tell and the experiences they create. Our firsthand experiences working in every facet of narrative development made clear the need for a tool that solves for the friction.
What excites us the most about Barkforge is sharing it with you, our fellow storytellers. We want to see what you create when the tools get out of your way.
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Founder Titles Shipped
Founder Titles Shipped
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Player Immersion
Player Immersion
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Founder Narrative Experience
Founder Narrative Experience
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Consistent Results
Consistent Results
David Renn
Founder / Designer
David Renn is an Audio Director with over twenty years of experience in the game industry. His work spans detailed speech design, dynamic mixing, immersive environments, and impactful sound design. Throughout his career, he has shipped 11 titles on multiple platforms, including notable releases in the Company of Heroes and Homeworld franchises that have set new standards in contextual dialog design. David's extensive experience in every facet of narrative development, combined with his exceptional track record, make him an invaluable part of the Barkforge team.
David Renn
Founder / Designer
Adrian Vershinin
Founder / Business Development
Adrian is seasoned creative professional with over twenty years of experience. He is an accomplished independent writer and producer whose work across television, film, and video game development has surpassed 50 million units in sales and generated billions in revenue. His collaborators have included Disney, Cartoon Network, EA, Ubisoft, Sony, and Warner Bros. Most recently he served as Narrative Director at Ripple Effect Studios, overseeing narrative development for Battlefield 6. As a co-founder of Barkforge, he brings a rare combination of creative depth and industry experience to the team.
Adrian Vershinin
Founder / Business Development
Jetpack Interactive
Development Partner
Jetpack Interactive has partnered with BarkForge to build this new paradigm in narrative development. Made up of industry veterans, the Barkforge engineering team is the perfect compliment to the founder's vision, bringing deep and proven dev knowledge. Outside of BarkForge, Jetpack is best known for their longstanding work supporting Sony Santa Monica in the God of War franchise.
Jetpack Interactive
Development Partner