What are those sneaky chaps over at 2K Games up to? The publisher has been teasing some kind of new project on its official Twitter page, with a series of mocked-up advertisements for fictional ‘gene therapy’ company Advent.
I know what you’re thinking; all that talk about “genes”, right? Must be a new Bioshock game. Well, not unless the series is getting a radical makeover. There’s a very futuristic feel to the material, which also includes a downloadable pamphlet and a teaser website.
“Advanced ADVENT technologies have made the City Centers—once the stuff of dreams a reality,” reads the ad. “Amazing advancements in architectural construction have led to a new kind of city. The gleaming towers are specifically designed to utilize space in efficient ways never before seen, as well as provide the comforts and amenities of a resort. Each living unit is outlined with the very best in high-tech comfort and utilitarian style. Protected 24 hours a day by ADVENT forces, citizens can have a peace of mind with the knowledge that their families are always safe.”
All that’s a far cry from the familiar steampunk aesthetic of the Bioshock series, but there’s little nods in the rest of the material to such familiar and unwholesome practices as “DNA splicing”, while glitched messages hidden in the text of the website contain ominous phrases, such as, “We are still here. We are still here. We are still here.” Creepy.
Another image on 2K’s Twitter shows a cityscape, with a caption that flickers between “Move in Today and Start Living in the World of Tomorrow”, and “Move in Today and Fear the World of Tomorrow”. Does the concept of an apparently idyllic city where science has provided mankind with a new future ring some familiar alarm bells with anyone?
Of course, this could all be a brand new IP. All we know is that earlier this month 2K promised ”a soon-to-be announced new triple-A title”. Given the amount of viral marketing going on, I’d imagine we’ll see a proper announcement imminently. In the meantime, we’ll keep our eyes peeled.
