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A Kiwi game developer has made a rare appearance at E3 to show off his latest game. Oamaru game developer Dean Hall was introduced during Xbox's presentation to show off the one-minute trailer for Ion, his studio RocketWerkz' first release, set to debut on Xbox and PC in 2016. A massive multiplayer online game set in space, Ion allows players to "build, live in and inevitably die in huge floating galactic constructions as humanity makes its first steps colonising the universe". Source: XBOX/Youtube
A Kiwi game developer has made a rare appearance at E3 to show off his latest game - and there's not a zombie in sight.
Oamaru game developer Dean Hall was introduced during Xbox's presentation to show off the one-minute trailer for Ion, his studio RocketWerkz' first release, set to debut on Xbox and PC in 2016.
A massive multiplayer online game set in space, Ion allows players to "build, live in and inevitably die in huge floating galactic constructions as humanity makes its first steps colonising the universe".
New Zealand game developer Dean Hall talks about his new game Ion at E3.
Ion is Hall's follow-up to Day Z, a massively popular zombie game the 34-year-old came up with after completing survival training in Brunei with the New Zealand Army.
A modification for ARMA 2, Day Z has been praised for its realistic portrayal of injuries sustained during warfare, and for driving sales of the original title. At the time of its release in 2012, it had more than 1 million subscribers and had critics fawning over it.
PC Gamer called Day Z one of the most important, and scariest, PC releases of all time.
That means there's been plenty of eyes on Hall's next project.
During his E3 presentation, he described Ion as "a game that's not a game".
"I want a game that is a universe, a universe built not on scripts or quests, but on the laws of physics, biology and chemistry," Hall said.
A scene from the trailer for Dean Hall's new space game Ion. Photo/YouTube
"A simulation MMO that explores mankind's expansion into space. The chance to be a pioneer in a harsh universe, swamped with the risk of death, yet peppered with the havens of fortune."
Hall said he had worked with technology company Improbable to turn his "long term prototype" into a reality. "Technology from Improbable allows Ion to have a massive interconnected universe with fully simulated environments such as power grids, air pressure and heat; all to help stave off the unending vacuum of space.
"We are the architects of this new universe, but you, the players, will govern its destiny."
Ion is scheduled to be part of Xbox One's Game Preview programme, which launched at E3.
It allows players to sign up to trail early game releases, then help shape the game's final version with their feedback.
Hall's previous game Day Z is also in the programme, along with Hinterland's The Long Dark, Unicube's Sheltered and Frontier's Elite: Dangerous.
