The next game from GTA's ex-producer Leslie Benzies is the mysterious, Everywhere. Not a lot has been released about the game yet but here's what we know so far:
Everywhere is being made by some former GTA leads…
Rockstar North is the studio we know best for creating the Grand Theft Auto series, with Leslie Benzies at the helm. After an extended sabbatical in late 2014, Benzies filed a lawsuit against Rockstar for alleged unpaid royalties. Whether or not these accusations were paid out, Benzies was not the only one to jump ship. Lead programmer Colin Entwistle and audio director Matthew Smith followed Benzies to his new, as yet unnamed studio. So we know theres some strong talent at the top. Add to that the 30 plus employees and more than a dozen job listings across three locations and it’s hard not to get excited about what might be in store for these hard hitters. I mean…let’s just look as Benzies’ resume for a second….
Seamless transitions from single to multiplayer…
“That’s nothing new” I hear you say. Maybe, but generally we find that between our single and multi worlds there are heavy load screens required to compensate for the massive amount of data required to be streamed in. And while games such as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands are making this transition better than ever, we have yet to achieve a truly seamless transition between the two. Will Benzies achieve this for us? He believes so:
"I see a future where we don’t reference single or multiplayer - we just choose when we play and if we want to hang out with others or we want to be alone," Benzies told Polygon. "Just like real life - sometimes I want to be with people, sometimes I don’t, or I want them around but I don’t want to interact with them. We’re making Everywhere as seamless as possible so players won’t have to think about jumping from mode to mode - except when it helps the gameplay."
Everywhere has a "rich and varied ambient" open world…
“Everywhere has a lot of traditional game mechanics but we’re going for something more that draws inspiration from, well, everywhere,” Benzies told VentureBeat earlier this year. “Players are getting smarter and require more from their games, and we want players to have the real freedom to live in our worlds in the ways they want to."
Looking at the criterion for a job listing for AI programmer fills in a bit more detail, saying that "a rich and varied ambient world is essential to our game". There is a big promise here that the void will not be so desolate, but fill and interesting. Always a positive step!
You could have more options than an "ambitious criminal"…
“We’re aiming to offer a huge variety of game modes and styles that not only tell our stories but also enable players to live in the identities and adventures they most want to explore.”
Everywhere is looking like it will bring a truly unique player experience, instead of a pre-set character arch much like GTA and games of its genre tend to offer. That old adage of an “ambitious criminal” with a ludicrous amount of weaponry and very little flexibility to player will could be done aside with and more. It’s such an open ended goal, so ambitious, with so many possibilities. But we won’t truly know what this means until it’s available to play.
Everywhere could be an unending game…
Benzies has a long-term vision for Everywhere "with the capacity to develop and grow forever". The team's goal is to create a platform "where players can be entertained, and also entertain others while blurring the lines between reality, and a simulated world".
We are getting used to this blurb, for sure. Everyone aims to make their game a “platform” now with options to enhance, increase and modify the players experience. The ever elusive success that game like WoW enjoy, for example. While you may cringe at the idea of an endless string of DLC, who knows what this really will be. But what we can absolutely understand from this is that Everywhere will not just be a set experience with a finite beginning and end. Instead it speaks to a character evolution that will continue to grow over time. Just look at some of the open world games we have now with years of growth behind them…how much further could Everywhere go?
Possible Metal Gear Solid influence…
When Polygon asked Benzies about his influences for Everywhere, he said most of them come from the outside world beyond video games. However, "one that really resonated with [him] was Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid - he has a great eye for detail".
Who doesn’t love high detailed vehicles, clever Easter Eggs and interactive environments! If Everywhere can achieve and exceed the level of intricacy of Rockstar North or MGS without the same bankroll, it would be a truly impressive feat indeed! And Benzies seems determined!
Everywhere to use the beefy servers of Amazon…
Everywhere is being built on Amazon's Lumberyard Engine. Based on the established CryEngine, it's a relatively new tool for creating games but it has deep, built-in integration to Amazon Web Services. AWS already powers a massive amount of our internet, and its power and speed could make for a much more fundamentally-connected game experience than we're used to. One thing that can safely be boasted however is that with all this talk of seamless play and engaging with other players, it’s unlikely that Everywhere will offer an offline experience.
When will Everywhere will come out?...
We have no idea! There’s the short answer…
If Benzies and his power team are true to their Rockstar North roots we probably wont hear much of anything until Everywhere is ready for launch. Even a guestimate at when that will be is difficult sufficed to say: far….far away. But we can always cross our fingers, right?
Perhaps they will follow in the footsteps of many developers and follow an open development plan, offering alphas and betas, catering to its player driven focus.
And if they do- will you play along?
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