https://ew.com/space-nation-trailer-roland-emmerich-8610243
The director behind "Stargate" and "Independence Day" is launching a new universe, starting with an MMORPG that hits this year before segueing to animated shorts and a TV show.
By Nick Romano
Published on March 19, 2024
Roland Emmerich, the director behind Stargate, Independence Day, and
Moonfall, is ready to launch his next sci-fi franchise.
EW can exclusively reveal the trailer for Space Nation Online, an MMORPG hitting this year that will kick off a multimedia universe, including
planned spinoff games, animated shorts, and a TV series. The footage
reveals a first look inside this massive effort, and Emmerich himself
sets the stage for what has been described as a space opera.
The main premise of the Space Nation franchise is that humanity fled
Earth after an alien assault and now reside within the Telikos Cluster,
which Emmerich explains over email is "a distant group of stars in the
far reaches of space...It is full of ancient structures from a precursor
race hiding secrets that are waiting to be uncovered, occupied planets
ripe for human colonization, and lingering evidence of regional conflict."
"We knew they were coming," a voice in the trailer intones as an epic
space battle wages. "We knew we couldn't win this fight. Still, those of
us who could, fought so that most of humanity could evacuate Earth. In
the end, all we could do was buy time."
"We’re not talking about specific characters just yet," Emmerich
clarifies, "but players themselves will be central to the narrative.
They will join the Parousians, descendants of the human race, working to
build a new home in this far-off galaxy by forging alliances and fending
off threats."
There are four primary factions within Space Nation Online, which is
powered by the Unity engine and features PvE (player vs. environment)
and PvP (player vs. player). The first is the Phoenix Brotherhood,
which, Emmerich says, is "made up of the remnants of the military who
survived the alien assault on Earth. They have set up bases and defenses
in Telikos, and are preparing to defend the human settlements from any
further alien attacks."
The second is the Oikos Research Affairs Office, the brains behind the
tech that makes it possible for humans to thrive so far from Earth.
"Though their work is very important to the survival of the human race,
they are not without their controversy," Emmerich notes. "Their
collaboration and information sharing with several alien races has
gotten them into trouble before, and one of these races in particular is
not entirely trusted by the other factions."
The third is the Shepards, which is largely made up of defectors and
cast offs from the other factions. They are advocating for humanity to
continue on from Telikos, fearing the aliens who attacked Earth are
still searching for them and could attack again.
The fourth faction is the Interstellar Ghosts, which is "just a bunch of pirates," Emmerich says. "But a closer look might reveal that there is
more to them than meets the eye."
First announced last June, Emmerich founded Space Nation Inc. with
Jerome Wu, who previously worked for Blizzard on World of Warcraft; Tony
Tang, who hails from Digital Extremes where he worked on Warframe; and Hollywood producer Marco Weber (The Thirteenth Floor, Igby Goes Down).
This collective previously expressed their mission to leverage
blockchain technologies to support a self-sustaining audience-driven
economy in Space Nation Online, while using LLM (large language model)
A.I. to enhance NPC-led missions.
"I’ve always been intrigued by the experiences that games are capable of delivering, and that interest has spiked over the past couple of years
as I’ve watched the medium evolve to the point that it’s able to deliver narrative storytelling on par with Hollywood," Emmerich says. "Just look
at how the same technology that brings modern games to life is also now powering the eye-popping visuals in major productions! As someone who
has always had a keen interest in using technology to captivate an
audience, I’m energized by the idea of creating connections with an
audience in a transmedia environment."
In terms of the larger plans for the Space Nation franchise, Emmerich
says the animated shorts will be shared on social media and used to
expand the audience’s understanding of the Space Nation universe. "Some
will stick to the big picture of life in the Telikos Cluster, delivering
a broad view of factional and interspecies relations, emerging
conflicts, and the like," he explains. "Other shorts will plug into
specific moments from the game’s unfolding story. We’re currently experimenting with the capabilities of generative A.I. to figure out how
it can enhance those more reactive stories, since our community will
take an active role in shaping the course of the MMO’s plot."
As for the TV show, Emmerich adds he'll have more to share at a later date.
Space Nation Online will launch a closed beta on PC this April 1 ahead
of a soft launch on PC later this summer. The global launch is planned
for PC and mobile this fall.
Watch the trailer above.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
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