As civilization prepares for an impending ice age, a twisted new project emerges, half science experiment and half live-entertainment. It's called The Darwin Project and it challenges participants to survive the cold and fight to the death in a treacherous, snow-covered arena.

Players must withstand extreme environmental conditions, track opponents, craft tools, set traps, and even negotiate temporary alliances to be the last one standing at sunrise.

The Show Director mode, which allows a player to oversee the match and use special commands to create thrilling moment-to-moment action through uniquely asymmetrical gameplay.

As the show director in Darwin Project, a player can survey the entire arena aboard an invincible drone and examine the strategies all seven contestants are using to hunt each other down. The director dashboard contains a suite of tools, unlocked through a progression system, with the potential to influence the outcome of the match. The show director can choose to give the underdog an unforeseen edge or turn the tables on a particularly bloodthirsty contestant by restricting zones, calling in airstrikes, or even triggering a manhunt―which reveals a player’s position for a few seconds.

 The Show Director mode is one of many features Scavengers Studio is implementing to reinvent the battle royale sub-genre. Another, to be detailed at a later time, will allow for livestream spectators to play a role in the game.

Darwin Project is currently in closed pre-alpha and slated for launch on Xbox One and PC in spring 2018.