Peter Molyneux isn’t afraid to be seen as an industry iconoclast – going against the grain with his “god game” genre fixtures Populous (1989) and Black & White (2001), and famously promising revolutionary, life-changing RPG experiences with every release of Fable during his tenure at Lionhead Studios.
Successful or not in each of his many pursuits, Molyneux’s unorthodox methods and candid criticism of industry norms have never failed in stirring up debate, forcing us to discuss the way we play games. Curiosity, his next production, will be no different.
The first title from his newly-formed studio, 22 Cans, Curiosity isn’t really a game in the sense of competition, scoring, and progressing through a story or levels. According to Molyneux’s announcement of the project in New Scientist, it’s part MMO, part psychological social experiment – one of 22 that the developer plans to release before conceiving a final title in two years.
Curiosity pits players in a small room with black cube. Everyone online in the game sees the same black cube, and it’s broken apart by chisels until the community’s compounded effort reveals the mysterious secret inside. Sound’s simple, right? Most psychology experiments do. But within the chiseling lies the chance for Molyneux to peer behind the mental process of one of gaming’s hottest issues: monetization.
Despite what Molyneux hopes to be a legion of players blindly hacking away at the cube, only one – the player who deals the final blow – will find out what’s inside. As the cube begins to shrink, microtransactions will become available allowing players to buy more powerful chisels, including one made of diamond. The diamond chisel is essentially a golden ticket. Its power virtually assures the owner of breaking open the cube, and 22 Cans will monitor how the secret spills out to the rest of the public.
It also costs $77,450 (that’s £50,000 in the British pound sterling).
Parents with credit cards on junior’s browser autofill, you’ve been warned. But Molyneux isn’t devising a petty cash-grab in exchange for a meaningless download; he seems to be making a mockery of those who do – all while learning a little about what makes us, the consumer, bite:
“It’s an insane amount of money.
“This is not a money-making exercise; it is a test about the psychology of monetization.”
A release date or platform for Curiosity hasn’t been announced, but its divulging comes just months after Peter Molyneux’s March departure of Fable developer Lionhead Studios. His 22 Cans outfit has new symbolism behind its name – the 22 micro-experiments don’t seem like a coincidence – though whether or not gamers subscribe to their unique process remains to be seen. Would someone of the means to buy the diamond chisel reflect the average gamer’s purchasing habits? What would it say if no one bought it at all?
Ranters, does Curiosity pique yours? Would you share the secret over Facebook, Twitter, e-mail? Perhaps Ebay?
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Follow me on Twitter @Brian_Sipple.
Source: New Scientist [via Gamasutra]
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I wonder what is in that cube is it the cure to cancer, a key to world piece or maybe the directions to find a elder scroll. Nobody shoud give a crap about this game because what ever is in that cube is not worth the time or the asking price of a diamond pick axe. And as for being a video game were the hell is the fun in this experiment, to me it just seems like a waste of time only one finds the answer and then either spreads the news like wildfire or just keeps it because he was paid off so that more idiots can break off another cube.
How do you know there ain’t a million dollars in the cube?
good experiment. But trust me, he is doing for the money or else it would be done by some college
trust me… whats inside the cube will be disappointment. Like every thing else he created.
I like the idea. Don’t see it working out though if it is in a 3d environment. I picture the diablo 3 launch.
Say what you want about developers and publishers in this business but this guy is the absolute king of “overpromise, under deliver”.
Maybe he’s the ultimate troll? Making money just out of baiting folks with games and then sitting back watching the complaints about the games while using his money as a fan to cool himself with?
The 22 games should be free or at least low priced since they seem to all be experiments. Seems like they’re using this game to get the funds going. They could just be like every other humble developer and use Kickstarter.
I am just going to pirate it and use a auto clicker
Haha great idea! Although if it’s going to be that much you know there’s going to be some anti-pirating tactic in it. What can you trust when you pirate a game like that? I bet pirated copies will have either emptiness when the cube breaks or something really stupid and not what the real “secret” if there is any.
All I can say is that whoever willfully buys this, is an IDIOT!
Well one thing’s for sure: I want to know what’s in that box. Another thing that’s certain: I’m never going to play this game.
Hopefully some rich kids play the game and spread the secret over social networking sites. I bet you that’s what Peter is planning will happen.
Guys, don’t think of it as a game.
It’s an experiment, a social-behaviour project,the only goal of which is to determine whether a customer is desperate enough to know what’s in the cube to buy a DLC.
I personally think it’s a great idea, besides it’s really mocking todays DLC-reality (how about mass effect ending? how much would you pay to get a closure DLC?) – dat’s the point.
His discussing the experiment right now has decidedly RUINED the experiment because that’s how psychology works.
Molyneux: once again opening his big mouth when it’s a terrible idea to do so.
Will someone tell Molyneux that much like a child, you don’t have to keep jumping up and down to be seen. We see you, Pete. Sit down now, please.
Some one will hack the game and release the secret on youtube. So buying the chisel wont have too much purpose.
Unfortunately, I just don’t buy it. I’ve learned from most of his games that we need to see the product to actually find what it delivers.
First of all, how does he plan to release 22 “games” in 2 years? 22 Cans will have to create release each game in little over a month. I don’t believe they can do it for a second.
As for the financial success of Curiosity, it all boils down to one question: how many rich bastards out there are gamers?