Immortality Director - Sam Barlow Considers Using 3D For His Next Title
Sam Barlow is planning on creating a new 3D video game, which may be different from the FMV (Full Motion Video) games he is known for.
In the early days of CD-ROMs, when additional storage space made it possible to add more video footage, FMV games became very popular amongst video gamers.
For the uninitiated, FMV games are usually played by watching pre-recorded video clips and making decisions that change the way the story goes. Instead of computer-generated graphics, these games often use live-action footage of real actors and sets to make the experience feel more like a Hollywood movie.
Some well-known examples of FMV games include “Her Story“, “Telling Lies” and “Immortality” by Sam Barlow, “Night Trap”, and “Dragon’s Lair”.
But in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the genre’s popularity dropped because players and critics didn’t like how little they could do in the game and how little control they had over proceedings including the storyline, plot, and even subplots.
Even though the popularity of FMV games was dwindling in the early 2000s, there is something of a mini-resurgence of the genre now and gamers are once again beginning to warm up to the idea of playing Full-Motion Video games. The rise in interest from gamers in FMV games is in part due to newly released game titles and a general nostalgia for the early days of CD-ROM enabled gaming.
Sam Barlow's Immortality Now On Netflix
Sam Barlow is a well-known name in the video game industry, especially in the FMV genre. He is known for his work on titles like “Serious Sam” and the “Silent Hill” series, which have all received positive reviews over time.
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His most recent game, “Immortality”, has been getting rave reviews as well, and it is even now available as a no internet, single-player, simulation category game on Netflix with a 16+ maturity rating.
Netflix https://www.netflix.com/us/game/81563568?s=a&trkid=13747225&t=cp&vlang=en
You can play this game on Android OS8 or any later version with no controller support required and more than 14 language options including English, Arabic, Japanese, Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, German and so on.
Half Mermaid Plots 3D Game
In a recent interview, Barlow said that he is thinking about going in a different creative direction with the studio he started – Half Mermaid.
Her Story, Telling Lies, and Immortality, the last three games that Barlow made, all have Full-Motion Video games that require players to figure out the storyline and by watching clips with real sets and real actors.
However, during the development of Immortality, Half Mermaid started working on a 3D game that would combine elements of traditional 3D character games with the storytelling techniques used in Barlow’s FMV games. Though the studio’s interest was there, the work never materialized into a prototype or finished product.
Live Streaming TV and Video Gaming Format Experimentation The Future of Full-Interactive TV?
Barlow is also considering making television a permanent part of Half Mermaid, especially as Netflix is now into the video game business. He hopes that the streaming giant will add features that are currently only found in video games, like the ability to express yourself, explore, and be pleasantly surprised. This would make watching Netflix even more interactive for viewers.
He cited shows like Bandersnatch on Netflix and Mosaic on HBO as examples of format experimentation already taking place in the television space.
Barlow did say, though, that it’s hard to make big changes in the industry, and Half Mermaid wouldn’t be the first company to try out new ideas. But hopefully, unlike many innovative ideas that have been relegated to obscurity, Sam Barlow hopes that his company Half Mermaid and his new 3D game title currently in the pipeline would be the exception to the rule.
