Let me start out by saying I wasn’t familiar with the World of Darkness mythos. Apparently it’s been around for a while as a well known RPG series, with entities such as Vampire the Masquerade. Now the world of that series is coming to iOS and Alexa as an immersive digital experience. Currently a teaser called The Orpheus Device is available for Alexa now and for iOS in November. This is a teaser, and the full game is slated to come out in December. To find out more details, check out the full press release below!
Boston, MA – October 26, 2016 – Earplay and White Wolf today announced a new partnership to create a full length interactive audio experience scheduled to release this winter through Alexa and iOS. This will be the first immersive digital experience set in the World of Darkness universe.
Earplay story content, including a free interactive audio teaser titled “The Orpheus Device,” is available through signup in the Earplay Alexa skill right now and in November in the Earplay iOS App. Both the teaser and the full length story are designed and written by Earplay creative chief Dave Grossman (Day of the Tentacle, The Wolf Among Us) and game writer Richard Dansky (The Division), the original developer of the Wraith tabletop game. The full product is currently in production with a release expected in December 2016.
With Earplay’s interactive stories you play with your voice, audio entertainment lovers can experience a new storytelling medium where they become part of the story in conversation with characters. “Earplay is growing the new medium of interactive audio storytelling. We’re excited to serve role-playing fans who naturally participate in gameplay with their own voices,” said Earplay CEO Jonathon Myers.
White Wolf revealed initial details to World of Darkness fans in New Orleans in September at their keynote presentation of the Grand Masquerade, the 25th anniversary celebration of Vampire: The Masquerade. “As we are developing the World of Darkness it is very inspiring to work with Earplay about how to bring our universe into the new medium of interactive audio storytelling,” said White Wolf CEO Tobias Sjögren. “The way you can now interact with a story fits the Wraith brand extremely well and we think Earplay has a unique ability to make an immersive experience for the players,” said White Wolf Lead Storyteller Martin Ericsson.
Available now in time for Halloween, players can currently access “The Orpheus Device” teaser experience, which highlights the unique qualities of audio storytelling with voice control. Players engage in a conversation with a malevolent Wraith of the Shadowlands by treating their Amazon Echo or Dot as an Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) device built by ghost hunting organization Orpheus. The content is not necessarily suitable for children and parental guidance is suggested.
About Earplay
Earplay is a creator and distributor of interactive audio stories you play with your voice. Our mission is to nurture the exciting new medium of interactive audio storytelling on all platforms for a universal eyes-free, hands-free story experience of high quality voice acting, sound effects, and music.
About White Wolf and the World of Darkness
White Wolf is a licensing company focused on creating the best participatory brands in the world. Since its original entry into the roleplaying game market in 1991, White Wolf’s World of Darkness has grown to be one of the most recognized and successful brands in the hobby game space with collective book sales in excess of 10 million copies. White Wolf’s World of Darkness brands, which include Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Wraith: The Oblivion, and Orpheus, has been licensed for television series, console and computer video games, interactive media events, and a myriad of merchandise and other entertainment products.
About Dave Grossman
Chief Creative Officer of Earplay Dave Grossman is a preeminent author and editor of interactive entertainment whose narrative design sensibilities grace a critically acclaimed portfolio that spans the last twenty-five years. He began his career at the fledgling LucasArts Entertainment Company with classic adventure game titles such as Day of the Tentacle. Subsequently, during his nine-year tenure at Telltale Games, he assembled and directed a team of writers and designers responsible for some of the most compelling stories in the field of video games.
About Richard Dansky
A veteran developer of the classic World of Darkness setting, Richard Dansky wrote, developed or contributed to over 100 books for White Wolf Game Studios. He is also the developer for the 20th Anniversary Edition of Wraith: The Oblivion. He has published six novels, including the video game ghost story VAPORWARE, and has written for numerous video games including Tom Clancy’s The Division, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Cold Fear.
