John Romero, the co-creator of DOOM and Quake, has announced he is teaming up with his former id Software team member Adrian Carmack to create his next first-person shooter BlACKROOM. He is using Kickstarter to help fund the game, which is due for release in late 2018 for Windows and Mac.
Romero and Carmack are working on the game with Ireland-based developer The Night Work Games. Here's a description of BLACKROOM's setting and single-player campaign:
In the single-player campaign, step into the shoes of Santiago Sonora, Chief hNode Engineer at HOXAR, Inc., the world's foremost creator of holographic simulations. The company's exciting BLACKROOM technology allows users to be anywhere at any time, creating fully-realized holographic worlds that are indistinguishable from reality, all inside of a giant black room. When testing of their new leading-edge Predictive Memory technology reveals troubling anomalies that blend the real world with the virtual, you're sent in to investigate and are swept across a staggering and dangerous array of simulations developed for BLACKROOM users, from medieval castles to horror sets. Peering into your mind and tapping into your deepest memories and fears, however, it's clear that the BLACKROOM is not all fun and games.
The game will use Unreal Engine 4 and will have a number of features designed to appeal to hardcore first-person shooter gamers:
- Reign supreme in a variety of multiplayer modes, including co-op, 1-on-1 deathmatch and free-for-all arena in a wide variety of locations including hardcore military sims, hellish infernos and interstellar space.
- Delve into a captivating 10+ hour single-player campaign, spanning wildly varied environments, from ruined Victorian mansions to wild west ghost towns to swashbuckling pirate galleons and beyond.
- Master fast, skillful movement with rocket jumping, strafe jumping and circle strafing.
- Challenge yourself with expert abstract level design, invented and perfected by John Romero and made material by Adrian Carmack. Romero's latest map, Tech Gone Bad, has received universal praise and over 1M unique impressions.
- Master six built-in multiplayer maps, as well as countless maps created by the community.
- Extend your experience with full mod support and dedicated servers.
- Put your skills to the test in Challenge Modes (speedrunning and more) that present unique and demanding goals.
- Affect the holographic worlds in the BLACKROOM with a device called the Boxel, and influence the environment, your weapons and your enemies.
- Features new soundtrack compositions by acclaimed metal guitarist George Lynch.
The BLACKROOM Kickstarter is seeking $700,000 from gamers over the next 32 days. Some of the higher reward tiers will allow backers to help design weapons, characters and more for the game.
