Halo co-creator Alex Seropian and head of Bungie Studios until 2002, has become involved in an odd experiment involving the creation of a reality TV/Sci-Fi/video game hybrid.
The video game will be created by Spectrum Mediaworks, the company founded by Seropian after leaving Bungie. The TV show will be produced by Ron Howard's company and the similarities with Apollo 13 are stressed by those involved. The project carries the title X-Quest although its creators claim that the X will be substituted by a more appropriate word at a later stage in development.
Fox, the network that will air X-Quest, has hinted that the TV show will attempt to immerse its players just like a video game. Two teams of seven-to-ten players will occupy NASA constructed space simulators called Biocrafts and will be filmed with hidden cameras over a period of 30 days. The immersive experience will be enhanced by means of CGI and high-end computer graphics. The players will remain in the capsules for long periods of time and will be called upon to complete various missions which will include excursions onto planets where participants will not be able to see the film crews. Players will have to endure extreme conditions such as cold, heat, claustrophobia and psychological distress.
The TV show contestants and video game players will be able to interact throughout the experience, it has been suggested, although developers are not willing to disclose any further information. TV show participants will be eliminated at irregular intervals leaving the few winners who will claim an, as yet undisclosed, prize. The content of the show suggests the prize may have to do with space travel but no member of the production team is willing to confirm or deny that information at this stage.
There will be one, overarching, plot which will also involve the game and X-Quest creators are hinting at a mystery at the heart of the show. According to Seropian the TV show will eventually evolve to simply feature the video game players.
Frankenstein or Weird Science? Only time will tell but we have to accept that Mr. Seropian is trying to look beyond the current state of gaming and his efforts may help lead the industry to its holy grail, the mainstream.
