Knoxville (video game)

Last updated
Project: Knoxville
Knoxville poster.jpg
Promotional poster of Project: Knoxville
Developer(s) Press Play
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios
Director(s) Mikkel Thorsted
Platform(s) Xbox One
ReleaseCancelled
Genre(s) Survival, action
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Project: Knoxville is a cancelled video game developed by Press Play and published by Microsoft Studios exclusively for the Xbox One. [1] The game puts emphasis on survival and lets players co-operate with each other to achieve success. The game adapts an open development and allows the community to give input regarding the game's development. As Press Play was closed in March 2016, the game was no longer in development.

Contents

Gameplay

Project: Knoxville is a third-person multiplayer survival game. [2] Throughout the game, players can jump, sprint, and interact with the environments. The game's major objective is to survive and escape from an arena which is filled with different hostile enemies. These arenas are round-based, each one lasting for approximately ten to twenty minutes, and the game does not feature a persistent world. [3] Players can interact with characters that are controlled by other players, and can choose whether to trust them or to distrust them. The game supports co-operative gameplay. [4] As a result, players have the option to demand attention from other players, as well as requesting weapons, healing and currency from them. Some missions require multiple players to work and ally together, or else they will be unable to complete them. Competitive multiplayer elements are also present in the game, in which players can choose to eliminate or backfire at each other. [5] [6] [7]

In the arena, the player will be accompanied by seven different players at the beginning of each match. [5] They can pick up weapons that are sparsely scattered across the world to defend themselves and attack enemies [8] They are also tasked to collect coins, which can be used to escape a level and upgrade the character the player is using. The number of coins in a level is limited, and some players may not be able to collect the coin needed to escape the level, and will get left behind in the arena. [7] Players who die in the game can also enter an Afterlife mode. They can spawn objects that will influence a round, such as enemies or medkit next to surviving characters. [7] [8]

Development

The game was developed by Press Play, who had previously worked on Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba . [9] On August 18, 2015, Press Play revealed three different projects they may work on, and asked the public to vote and choose the one that they wanted the most. [10] [11] The three projects were Project: Dwarka, Project: Karoo and Project: Knoxville. Dwarka is a dungeon crawler set in a first-person perspective. [12] It tasks players to play as a dwarf and investigate dungeons, which are procedurally generated. Karoo is a simulation game, which tasks players to build and customize their own vehicles, and explore a wasteland to gather different resources. The third project is Knoxville, which was ultimately chosen by the community. [13] All of them feature multiplayer components. [14] [15] [16]

According to Press Play, the game was inspired by films like The Running Man and The Hunger Games . [17] Similar to the films, they put emphasis on survival and the relationships between players. [5] The game's development was aimed to be transparent, [5] as they would share new information of the game every other week through Twitch. [5] Supporters would also get to join meetings of the development team through Skype. [3] [18]

On March 7, 2016, Microsoft announced that Press Play has closed down, and that the development of Project: Knoxville had ended. The decision was made as Microsoft wished to "focus its investment and development on the games and franchises that fans find most exciting and want to play". [19]

Related Research Articles

Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. In its first 15 years, it was a video game developer and self-published its titles. In 2001, Bethesda spun off its in-house development team into Bethesda Game Studios, leaving Bethesda Softworks to focus on publishing operations.

<i>Fallout</i> (franchise) Video game seriеs

Fallout is a media franchise of post-apocalyptic role-playing video games created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, at Interplay Entertainment. The series is set during the first half of the 3rd millennium, and its atompunk retrofuturistic setting and artwork are influenced by the post-war culture of the 1950s United States, with its combination of hope for the promises of technology and the lurking fear of nuclear annihilation. A forerunner of Fallout is Wasteland, a 1988 game developed by Interplay Productions. Fallout is regarded as a spiritual successor to Wasteland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox Game Studios</span> American video game publisher

Xbox Game Studios is an American video game publisher based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, spun out from an internal Games Group, for the development and publishing of video games for Microsoft Windows. It has since expanded to include games and other interactive entertainment for the namesake Xbox platforms, other desktop operating systems, Windows Mobile and other mobile platforms, web-based portals, and other game consoles.

Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most known for developing several early PlayStation mascots, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, as well as the Resistance franchise, 2014's Sunset Overdrive and the Marvel's Spider-Man series with Marvel Games. In 2019, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a part of SIE Worldwide Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remedy Entertainment</span> Finnish video game developer

Remedy Entertainment Oyj, trading internationally as Remedy Entertainment Plc, is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo. Notable games the studio has developed include the first two entries in the Max Payne franchise, Alan Wake, Quantum Break and Control. Sam Lake, Remedy's creative director, has represented the company on numerous occasions.

Arkane Studios SASU is a French video game developer based in Lyon. It was founded in 1999, and released its first game, Arx Fatalis, in 2002. Besides the Lyon studio, Arkane Lyon, Arkane Studios operated Arkane Studios LLC in Austin, Texas, from July 2006 until its closure in May 2024. The studio has created the popular Dishonored series as well as developing Prey (2017), Deathloop (2021) and Redfall (2023). Marvel's Blade is under development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turtle Rock Studios</span> American video game developer

Turtle Rock Studios is an American video game developer founded in March 2002 by Mike Booth. It was acquired by Valve in 2008, but was re-founded in 2010 as a subsidiary of Slamfire Inc. by Phil Robb and Chris Ashton. Turtle Rock Studios is involved in the creation of original titles as well as the provision of consulting services to the digital entertainment industry.

<i>Two Worlds</i> (video game) 2007 video game

Two Worlds is a 2007 high fantasy action role-playing game developed by Reality Pump and published by TopWare Interactive in Europe and by SouthPeak Games in North America for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. A sequel, Two Worlds II, was released in Europe in 2010 and in North America in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avalanche Studios Group</span> Swedish video game developer and publisher

Avalanche Studios Group is a Swedish video game developer and publisher based in Stockholm. It is a parent company that includes Avalanche Studios, Expansive Worlds, and Systemic Reaction. Founded by Linus Blomberg and Christofer Sundberg in March 2003, Avalanche Studios focuses on developing open world projects and bases them on their proprietary Apex game engine. The company is best known for developing the Just Cause game series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethesda Game Studios</span> American video game developer

Bethesda Game Studios is an American video game developer and a studio of ZeniMax Media based in Rockville, Maryland. It is best known for its action role-playing franchises, including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield. Bethesda Game Studios was established in 2001 as the development unit of Bethesda Softworks, separating from publishing operations. Todd Howard serves as the studio's executive producer, leading it with managing director Ashley Cheng and studio director Angela Browder. As of November 2023, Bethesda Game Studios had 450 employees.

Bungie, Inc. is an American video game company based in Bellevue, Washington, and a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company was established in May 1991 by Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones's game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete. Originally based in Chicago, Illinois, the company concentrated on Macintosh games during its early years and created two successful video game franchises called Marathon and Myth. An offshoot studio, Bungie West, produced Oni, published in 2001 and owned by Take-Two Interactive, which held a 19.9% ownership stake at the time.

Minecraft is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java programming language, it was developed over the span of two years, with many public test builds being released from May 2009 until its full release on 18 November 2011. After the game's full release, Persson gave Jens "Jeb" Bergensten control over the game's development. In the years since its release, it has been ported to several platforms, including smartphones and various video game consoles, primarily by 4J Studios. In 2014, Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for US$2.5 billion. Minecraft has become the best-selling video game of all-time, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2023.

<i>Fable</i> (video game series) Video game series

Fable is a series of action role-playing video games for Xbox, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. The series was developed by Lionhead Studios until the studio was closed in 2016, and is published by Xbox Game Studios.

Tango Gameworks was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. Founded in March 2010 by Shinji Mikami, previously of Capcom, the company was acquired by ZeniMax Media in October that year after suffering financial issues.

<i>Max: The Curse of Brotherhood</i> 2013 puzzle-platform video game

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Press Play and published by Microsoft Studios. It was originally released in 2014 for Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch and later on PlayStation 4. The game was announced during Microsoft's E3 2013 press event. It is a sequel to Press Play's previous work, the 2010 game Max & the Magic Marker. A sequel was planned but cancelled following the closure of Press Play in 2016.

<i>Project Spark</i> 2014 video game

Project Spark is a game creation system video game developed by SkyBox Labs and Team Dakota and published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. The game was announced during Microsoft's E3 2013 press event, and was launched as a Windows open beta in December 2013, and an Xbox One beta in March 2014. Project Spark is not available for purchase and online services are also not available as of August 12, 2016. Although no longer available for sale, players can continue to play offline so long as they have both a physical disc, and downloaded local copies of any custom-made creations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Press Play (company)</span> Danish video game developer

Press Play ApS was a Danish video game development studio based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since 2006, Press Play has released five titles, including Max & the Magic Marker, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, and Kalimba.

<i>Hand of Fate</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Hand of Fate is an action role-playing roguelike deck-building game developed and published by Australian studio Defiant Development for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, released via early access on 7 July 2014, and then in the full release on 17 February 2015. A PlayStation Vita version was announced but ultimately cancelled due to development issues.

A Minecraft mod is a mod that changes aspects of the sandbox game Minecraft. Minecraft mods can add additional content to the game, make tweaks to specific features, and optimize performance. Thousands of mods for the game have been created, with some mods even generating an income for their authors. While Mojang Studios does not provide an API for modding, community tools exist to help developers create and distribute mods. The popularity of Minecraft mods has been credited for helping Minecraft become one of the best-selling video games of all time.

Life Is Strange is a series of adventure games published by Square Enix's External Studios. Created by Dontnod Entertainment, the series debuted with the eponymous first installment, which was released in five episodes throughout 2015. It was followed by a prequel, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, which was developed by Deck Nine and released in three episodes throughout 2017, with a downloadable content (DLC) bonus episode released in early 2018. The sequel Life Is Strange 2 and its spin-off The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit were developed by Dontnod and released between 2018 and 2019. A third main installment, Life Is Strange: True Colors, was released in its entirety on 10 September 2021. A fourth installment, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, was announced on June 9, 2024, set to be released on October 29, 2024. Additionally, a remastered collection of the original game and its prequel was released in February 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Exclusive: Press Play discuss Project Knoxville, their ambitious and exclusive Xbox One survival game". windowscentral.com. 16 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-18. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  2. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (September 9, 2015). "Press Play's next game is Project: Knoxville". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Pereira, Chris (August 18, 2015). "You Can Choose Which Game This Studio Makes Next". GameSpot . Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ Todd, Andrew (September 9, 2015). "Press Play's next game is the Hunger Games-inspired Project Knoxville". Gameplanet (New Zealand) . Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Martin, Michael (September 8, 2015). "Knoxville: The Next Game From Press Play". IGN . Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ Cook, Hershall (August 18, 2015). "You Can Vote On Press Play's Next Game". Game Informer . Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Project: Knoxville Prototype Gameplay". YouTube . Press Play. August 18, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  8. 1 2 Hussain, Tamoor (September 9, 2015). "Max: The Curse of Brotherhood Dev's Next Game is The Hunger Games Meets The Running Man And Left 4 Dead". GameSpot . Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ Phillips, Tom (August 18, 2015). "You can vote on which game the developer of Max: the Curse of Brotherhood makes next". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ Williams, Mike (August 18, 2015). "Microsoft's Press Play Opens Its Development Process to the Players". USgamer . Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  11. ↑ Campbell, Evan (August 18, 2015). "Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba Dev Press Play Letting Fans Pick Studio's Next Game". IGN . Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  12. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (August 18, 2015). "Vote on which game Max: The Curse of Brotherhood studio develops next". VG247 . Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  13. ↑ Hillier, Brenna (September 9, 2015). "Knoxville chosen as Press Play's next project". VG247 . Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  14. ↑ Campbell, Colin (August 18, 2015). "Developer Press Play asks public to choose next project". Polygon . Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  15. ↑ Prell, Sam (August 18, 2015). "Xbox studio is letting you pick its next game". GamesRadar . Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  16. ↑ Weber, Rachel (September 8, 2015). "Press Play let gamers choose its next project". Gameindustry.biz. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  17. ↑ Erica Webber, Jordan (September 9, 2015). "Press Play announces Hunger Games-style Knoxville". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  18. ↑ Souppouris, Aaron (August 19, 2015). "Microsoft studio wants you to choose and shape its next game". Engadget . Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  19. ↑ Jarvis, Matthew (March 7, 2016). "Lionhead ceases Fable Legends development, considering closure". Develop . Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.