Ready Player One‘s sequel, Ready Player Two, was officially confirmed yesterday by Steven Spielberg to be in development. The iconic filmmaker won’t be directing the movie as he takes on a producer role, and said that the team is currently in the “discovery phase,” which suggests the release is a ways off.
However, that’s not the only Ready Player One-related announcement we got in the past week. Publisher Readyverse Studios has announced a AAA metaverse battle royale game that features the dystopian futuristic franchise.
OPEN Brings Ready Player One To Gaming
In a recent press release, Readyverse Studios announced OPEN, a revolutionary AAA metaverse game spearheaded by Walker Labs, a game development studio comprising talent previously at studios like Epic Games, DICE, and Microsoft.
This pedigree is further bolstered by Readyverse Studios’ impressive founding trio: Shara Senderoff, Aaron McDonald, and none other than Ernest Cline, the visionary author behind Ready Player One.
Cline’s influence is evident in the planned inclusion of a dedicated Ready Player One biome, but OPEN promises to go beyond a single franchise. Players can expect “nostalgia-infused biomes” featuring iconic characters and cultural legends spanning a vast array of pop-culture universes.
Metaverse Focus Could Make OPEN The Next Fortnite
The core gameplay of OPEN revolves around “multi-round collaborative and competitive game modes,” culminating in a single winner. Success will hinge on a combination of strategic thinking, tactical positioning, and mastery of various skills – from precise shooting to slick movement and expert driving.
The brief teaser hints at a world filled with action, featuring vehicles like the iconic DeLorean. While only Reebok and DeLorean have been confirmed for brand integration within the game, the possibilities for other pop-culture icons appearing as weapons, vehicles, or even character customization options remain wide open.
Wajhi Jafri, an executive producer at Walker Labs, emphasized the team’s commitment to crafting an engaging lore in collaboration with Cline. This suggests a focus on original storytelling alongside potential world-building opportunities within the Ready Player One universe.
It’s important to note that OPEN is just one piece of a larger puzzle. It serves as the “hero experience” within the Readyverse, and aims to be “a next-gen immersive and interoperable platform for discovering metaverse games and experiences“. This ambitious goal suggests a central hub where players can navigate and explore a multitude of metaverses.
While the battle royale genre might seem saturated, OPEN‘s focus on nostalgia, pop-culture integration, and an expansive universe in the Readyverse could offer a fresh take on the genre. It does appear very similar to the Fortnite formula, but with current-gen visuals and gameplay improvements, OPEN has an opportunity to improve upon what is already blindingly successful.
