A “multi-biome, multi-IP, multi-mode battle royale experience” called Open has been announced with a short teaser trailer, revealing a crossover with Ready Player One.
Although it might seem games likeFortniteandPUBGhave cornered the Battle Royale market andmade it virtually impossible in recent years for other competitors to get in on the action, thathasn’t stopped other developers from getting in on the action. We’ve seen plenty of attempts over the years from recognisable IP, and a surprising new challenger that aims to collect as much IP as possible has entered the arena - Ready Player One.
That’s right, in one of the most surprising reveals I’ve seen in some time (that makes some sense the more you think about it) a multi-IP and multi-mode battle royale set in the Ready Player One universe called “Open” has just been revealed to be in development from publisher Readyverse Studios and developer Walker Labs.
Described as an “AAA quality metaverse experience interoperable with AAA IP that leverages web3 technology”, Open aims to be a “hero experience” set in the “Readyverse” that acts as a way of discovering “metaverse games and experiences”. Beyond being a battle royale, the mention of metaverse experiences and games certainly calls to mind what Fortnite has been doing over its last few seasons.
The short teaser announcing the game shows a warehouse that’s similar to the ones in the film filled with recognisable objects, from an NES and PlayStation to a Delorean and Reebok shoes, which certainly makes it look like Ready Player One. After showing off those items, we see Wade Watts' avatar, Parzival, walking up to a CRT screen that says “Are you ready?” and sucks him in.
“With OPEN, our team of experienced game developers is passionately committed to bringing fan-favorite and original IP to life at highest fidelity. As avid fans ourselves of the IP entering OPEN, especially Ready Player One which came to define the open metaverse for mainstream consumers.”
No gameplay was shown in the teaser trailer, but a press release for the game notes that it’ll be an “immersive multiverse filled with nostalgia-infused biomes” that features character and “cultural legends” across many different franchises, just like Ready Player One itself. Actually playing it will have players involved with “game-show style multi-round collaborate and competitive game modes”, that seem to feature driving, racing, and movement challenges.
