When you die in a video game, usually you will be able to pick up where you left off or where you last saved your progress. Sure, there are games and modes like Hardcore mode in Diablo where once you die, that’s it. However the developers behind indie game The Flock are taking it to the next level with a game that has an expiry date.
One of the interesting mechanics of the game is that once players die in the game, it will drop the population of the game, and once that population level drops to zero, the game will cease being sold on Valve’s Steam platform forever. This means that only players who purchased the game will still be able to play it, but there will never be any new players after that.
The next step is the finale. According to developer Vogelsap, once the game has been removed from sale, they will then introduce a climatic finale which once that’s over and done with, the servers will go offline permanently and no one will be able to play the game ever again. It’s an interesting approach but the question is, will it work?
According to the studio’s creative director Jeroen Van Hasselt, “A multiplayer game can take players to incredible heights, but at some point gamers will start to play less, get disinterested and stop playing altogether. In opposition to other multiplayer games, we want The Flock’s experience to inspire a sense of awe, to keep players eagerly anticipating what is coming next and to end with a memorable climax,” but what say you? The Flock is expected to make its way onto Steam come Q3 2015.
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