Framed in a sadistic game show, similar to the ones in ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘The Running Man’, but here all of the contestants can survive if they work together and don’t let greed or personal gain get the best of them. With this game, we aim to go further than anyone else when it comes to dynamic relationships and spectator interaction.

Our motivation for coming up with the concept is that we miss games where cooperation and competitive gameplay is more dynamic and interesting. This concept will combine high-tension action-gameplay with interesting strategic elements based on social interaction with other players. We believe this constellation is quite unique and will pave the way to all new emergent experiences.

An equally important aspect we are eager to work on is to make a game that is just as exciting to watch as it is to play. We want the audience to be able to interact. This is where the game show framing truly excels since it allows for an endless amount of opportunities, no matter whether it is done through the actual game, Twitch, Twitter, or other platforms. We see this game as something that will evolve, not only throughout the production, but also after release. At this point in time, we are not able to predict where this will take us, but we expect and believe that it will be a truly special and awesome experience!

With action-survival, we mean survival as both premise and main objective. For us, it is not just another game in the highly popular survival genre. It is not a matter of just surviving as long as you can and there is no hunger, zombies, crafting or shelters. The action-oriented gameplay is emphasized as the game is played in rounds of about 10-20 minutes, not unlike ‘Left4Dead’ and ‘Counter Strike.’ We also envision a rich meta-game where players have a set of ‘contestants’ to choose from before sending one into the arena. These contestants will be highly customizable and upgradable.

The graphics of Project Knoxville will be stylized and unique while keeping a level of seriousness and authenticity. We will be using a shape language with strong, simplified, and iconic silhouettes. Shapes will mainly be sharp and angular, which will help emphasize the harsh reality of the game show. We will work with carefully designed and limited color palettes that will support the mood and emotions the players would feel while competing in the different environments. Textures will be hand­ painted instead of referenced directly from photographic material, which will give the game a unique and clean look. The cinematic lighting and overall atmosphere of the environments will set the stage for the mood of the game.

With Knoxville, our ambitions are super high and these are just the very first steps. We hope you will help us in realizing the potential of this concept.

Key Features:

• Dynamic relationships: This is a very unique feature that enables players to make alliances and friends easily while keeping the players immersed in the game world. The approach is to make the game characters intelligent and context-aware while at the same time making the players able to influence them. This is designed to work without voice-chat.
• Spectator interaction: As in any good game show, we want the audience to be able to influence the game in as many interesting ways as possible. Ranging from ideas such as sponsoring, betting (with in-game currency of course), and large-scale events.
• Dynamic and diverse game show arenas: The game show setting means everything from arenas to game show rules can and will be changed over time to be optimized for the best possible entertainment for both the players and the spectators.
• Afterlife mechanic: This feature ensures an interesting game after your contestant dies as well as a deeper consideration of your actions. When people die, they will be able influence the game for the remaining players. An example could be to spawn a wolf next to the person who killed you. In this way, you can get back at those who wronged you and help your friends out.
• Intense high-stakes combat: Fighting is intuitive and skill-based. The scenarios are filled with dangerous creatures and fighting is necessary to survive. Weapons are sparse, but can be found scattered around the scenarios. The desperate fight for survival will often result in contestants fighting each other. Fights will be gritty and swift and almost always conclude with the death of either a contestant or a creature.
• Upgrade system: Our ambition is to build a rich meta-game around upgrading the contestant characters. Players need to care about their contestants and contestants that are doing well should build up their fame and reputation.