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"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity." Did that quote from the opening of The Twilight Zone get your nostalgia glands pumping out good feels hormones? I hope so, because Ken Levine, director of BioShock and BioShock Infinite, will be writing and directing an interactive reboot of the classic sci-fi show.
In an interview with Wired, Levine says that he'll be partnering with Interlude, a company that specializes in interactive media. Remember that Super Bowl commercial featuring Ant-Man stealing a Coca-Cola from Hulk? That was made by Interlude, and you can experience the interactive version here, which lets you seamlessly switch between two simultaneously-running video feeds. Levine and Interlude are still figuring out how this tech will work in the new Twilight Zone, but Levine says there's a "rough outline" of where he wants to take things.
As for why Levine would do something interactive instead of a regular-style program, he explains that he was interested in exploring the in-between space of passive vs active entertainment. "I think of it as the viewer’s angle in the chair," he says. "When you watch something, you’re sitting back in the chair. When you’re gaming, you’re leaning forward in the chair. This is an interesting place in between … your brain is forward in the chair."
The games that Levine has overseen - such as the BioShock series and System Shock 2 - already have a sort of Twilight Zone-ish-ness to them, so I think this move makes sense. And for those of you worried that Levine is leaving video games behind, don't be. He tells Wired that the Twilight Zone reboot is a side project, and his team is working hard on their next game.
