Smoking Gun Enlists Douglas Rushkoff News

It's been over two years since we last heard anything from Smoking Gun Interactive, when the former Relic guys burst onto the scene with a myriad of teases alluding to the Mesoamerican calendar and the Leonid meteor shower.

Although they're still refusing to confirm what they're working on, the Vancouver based studio today announced they've enlisted the services of Douglas Rushkoff to develop story narratives across a range of media formats that can feed off one another and exist concurrently.

"Our vision at Smoking Gun Interactive has always been to deliver interactive entertainment content in new and exciting ways that push the medium forwards", said John Johnson CEO and Creative Director of Smoking Gun Interactive, "We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Douglas. His astounding skill in creating compelling narrative is the perfect fit for the themes and scenarios we are introducing in our first property".

A winner of the first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, Rushkoff's works specialise in new media and popular culture.

"It's an unexpected wish come true to be collaborating with the team at Smoking Gun Interactive, the first developers I've encountered who really understand the difference and potential marriage between narrative and game - between storytelling and total immersion," said Douglas Rushkoff.

"I'm going to get to work closely with them, writing narrative pathways that carry readers through the universe of the game world. We'll all be writing for and stealing from one another, developing plot points, set pieces, and characters that have both stories in the books, and purposes in the games. Players who have read the books will have a richer game experience; readers who play the game will come to understand the stories from the inside."

The Exoriare teaser website is still functioning; so perhaps we'll have some more concrete details soon.