It's not every day that John Romero and Adrian Carmack reveal an idea for a new video game. The two are legends in the industry as co-founders of Id Software, the studio that famously brought the world Quake and Doom in the early 1990s.
Now, the duo has formed its own game company by the name of Night Work Studios, and its first project, Blackroom, is now live on Kickstarter. It looks to be a throwback to the early days of the FPS genre in more than a few ways. Fast, skill-based movement? Check. Lots of strafing? Check. Rocket jumping? You betcha.
Blackroom will feature an estimated 10-hour-long campaign mode in which players take on the role of Dr. Santiago Sonora, an engineer at a leading tech company that has perfected the art of creating holographic realities via their blackroom simulations. However, when the company's new predictive memory technology begins to merge with the blackroom in dangerous ways, it will be up to Sonora to survive the simulation as what is real and what is fake begin to blend together.
The idea of a holodeck environment lends itself to plenty of possibilities, and it sounds like Carmack and Romero have long thought about it. Using the simulation as an excuse, the developers can take players to a wide variety of locations, from medieval castles to Wild West ghost towns. Players will also be able to "hack" the environment thanks to Sonora's skills, which should make for some interesting scenarios.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Romero and Carmack game if it didn't include fast-paced multiplayer, and the team is looking to deliver on that front as well. Romero and Carmack helped spawn the original multiplayer shooters back in the day, so fans know to expect great things. The game's Kickstarter page states that six Romero-designed multiplayer maps will ship with the game, alongside extensive mod tools so that players can create their own levels.
Blackroom is currently seeking to raise $700,000 in funding. If the Kickstarter is a success, Night Work Studios will then be looking to line up additional funding partners in order to hit a 2018 release. So far, the game looks like it will be PC and Mac only. Backer rewards include digital copies of the game, Blackroom T-shirts, the chance to play a round of deathmatch against Romero and numerous tiers where players can help design aspects of the game, such as achievements, items in the environment and more.
