Something to look forward to: Gamescom Opening Night Live had plenty of entries to whet the appetite of most gamers' preferences, from horror shooters like The Callisto Protocol to irreverent narratives like Return to Monkey Island. One title that caught our attention did not seem to fit into one particular mold, and we're excited to see more.
From a little-known Scottish studio called Build a Rocket Boy (BARB) comes a somewhat mysterious new game titled "Everywhere." Everywhere premiered on Opening Night Live with a strange trailer that raised more questions about the game than it answered. If you didn't already see it in our trailer roundup, watch it (above) before reading further so you can understand what we mean.
While you may have never heard of Build a Rocket Boy, the studio's founder Leslie Benzies might be familiar to you. He is the former president of Rockstar North and the man responsible for bringing the top-down Grand Theft Auto games into the 3D world, starting with GTA III.
Benzies had a nasty breakup with Rockstar in 2016, which resulted in a lawsuit over unpaid royalties. He created BARB in 2017 and immediately began work on Everywhere, which received backing from investors in New York and China in 2018.
Everywhere is hard to describe. Some of it is clearly concept art, but parts show the game in action. The reveal trailer shows intriguing gameplay, like racing through the terrain in off-road buggies, 3D platforming, and shooter elements. It also had some beautiful environments, including a hybrid fantasy/sci-fi city, a volcanic lava world, areas that look like the American Southwest, and even a cyberpunk setting.
The art is very distinct and somewhat cartoonish, and nothing is wrong with that. However, the tone completely changes at the end of the trailer when the video abruptly thrusts you into a hyper-realistic montage before quickly pulling the plug. It would appear that the developer had accidentally added some test footage of another game but didn't trim it all before releasing the trailer, were it not for the splash screen that closes out the trailer — "Everywhere Game. Time for a new world."
One frame from the very quick montage at the end.
Assistant Game Director Adam Whiting was on hand with host Geoff Keighley and described Everywhere in a way that makes it sound somewhat like PlayStation Home or Nebula Realms.
"We're not trying to make a normal game," he said. "We want to build a whole new world for gamers. Not just a place to play, but watch, share, create, hang out with your friends, and so much more."
Keighley pressed him to explain the trailer's ending, and Whiting dodged the question.
"Well, Geoff, that's one of the many surprises we've got in store for players," he said. "We are passionate about making games and telling stories, but ultimately, we made Everywhere to be a place where players can make their own experiences, be who they want to be, and tell their own stories."
The development of Everywhere started over five years ago. Although Build a Rocket Boy has not nailed down a precise release date, Whiting said it should ship in 2023. He also promised they would reveal much more information about the game before launch. Those interested in keeping on top of development can register on the Everywhere Game website.
