In case you didn’t know, former Rockstar Games North boss Leslie Benzies (Grand Theft Auto, LA Noire) built his own studio called “Build a Rocket Boy” (also known as BARB), and is currently developing “Everywhere” — a game that lets you craft your own experiences, while being its own game at the same time. Confused? Yeah, I don’t blame you.
While info about the game has been rather scarce, job listings regarding blockhain development surfaced on the studio’s website last year, which suggests that the game might be a blockchain game. Thankfully, the studio has reaffirmed that it’s not that kind of game.
In the latest issue of EDGE magazine (#383), Chief Development Officer Mick Hocking states that blockchain doesn’t “add” anything to the game.
Unequivocally, we are not a blockchain game. We don’t really need the tech at the moment, because everything is within our walled garden. So blockchain doesn’t add anything to that for us. We can do transactions – you can sell, buy, share content within the game. It’s only when you want to go outside of that where you need a ledger on the blockchain. – Mick Hocking, BARB Chief Development Officer
In the same issue, Leslie Benzies confirms that Everywhere has an in-game store, and will use both “soft” and “hard” currencies. Speaking about blockchain and NFTs being in Everywhere, Benzies was a little less committal.
We don’t know what will happen in the future. We’re like everybody else: let’s wait and see where the world goes. That said, right now we’re focused on a very traditional mix of soft currency and hard currency. Leslie Benzies, BARB founder
Mind, the details of Everywhere’s in-game store and how these currencies will work isn’t known at the moment.
Everywhere has no firm release date just yet but BARB hopes to have a playable slice of it sometime this year. Alongside Everywhere, there’s also “MindsEye” which is an episodic AAA experience built in Everywhere, There’s a teaser for it released last week, which you can check out here.
