"Le What's Next de Focus" sounds like the sort of french that's spoken by a person who doesn't actually speak a lick of it, but it is in fact the name of Focus Home Interactive's annual press event—Focus Home is based in Paris—showcasing its upcoming games. Among the new projects revealed at the most recent event, which took place last week, was the next RPG from Spiders, "a grand journey filled with mystery" called Greedfall.
Greedfall is about the settlers, treasure hunters, and mercenaries who come rushing to a remote, magical island that's rumored to be teeming in hidden wealth and lost secrets. But the island isn't uninhabited, and tensions between the invaders and the supernatural locals quickly rises. "The island of GreedFall is a living, ever-evolving world," the announcement says. "Your actions, from seemingly trivial choices to the most important political decisions, will influence and affect its course as well as the relationship between the different factions established on the island."
Spiders' previous games, including Of Orcs and Men, Mars: War Logs, and Bound By Flame, haven't exactly been runaway hits, but Focus Home apparently has no regrets—and high hopes for Greedfall, too. "If Spiders' titles could have divided gamers in the past, they are gathering a bigger and bigger audience that enjoys the studio's approach to the role-playing genre, allowing Spiders to improve game after game," president Cédric Lagarrigue said. "Through this new collaboration [with Focus Home], the studio will have more means to fully achieve its ambition. Thanks to its theme, its universe, and its promise, Spiders' Greedfall will be a game to follow closely for RPG lovers."
It is an interesting theme for an RPG, if not the most original, and the trailer, while entirely cinematic, has my curiosity. I'll admit that I haven't been a very big fan of previous Spiders games, but at this early point I'm hopeful for a better outcome for Greedfall. It's currently scheduled for a 2018 release.
