Codemasters, developer and publishers of such titles as RF Online and the Lord of the Rings MMO in development, signed a deal with novelist and filmmaker Clive Barker to develop an original paranormal/horror video game. Author of over twenty books, he is responsible for creating some of the cinema,s most terrifying monsters like Hellraiser and the Candyman.
Codemasters and Barker will work together to realize his concept for the game, entitled Clive Barker,s Jericho, which will launch exclusively for next-gen consoles and PC in late 2007 and will further expand Codemasters, portfolio in the electronic entertainment industry.
Clive Barker,s Jericho will be an action horror title that will feature enhanced visuals and “phantasmagorical” special effects, whatever that means. Aimed a mature gamers, the game will mix the darkest elements of Barker,s fiction and films in an ambitious, age-spanning story.
“It,s incredible when a company as admired as Codemasters embraces your vision the way they have embraced Jericho,” said Braker. “This project is very close to my heart and I don,t believe there,s ever been anything like it. It promises to be the most spectacular, creative, and unflinching realization of a Clive Barker nightmare that will drag players in kicking and screaming.” That last statement might have been a tad biased.
Clive Barker,s Jericho tells the story of a lost city in a remote desert where an ancient form of evil resurfaces. A Special Forces squad, fittingly trained in both conventional warfare and the arcane arts, is sent in to investigate. Players must hunt down and destroy the evil that lurks at the heart of the city before it destroys humanity. Jericho is North African city where you go back in time and encounter imprisoned soldiers, World War I infantrymen, and Crusaders.
"Players will constantly be given new challenges, new environments, and yes, new horrors and abominations to face every step of the way; however, unlike a conventional game win which the characters are attempting to escape at the end of their ride through Hell,” said Baker, “our protagonists have a much more difficult task. The closer they come to the end of their trek into darkness, then nearer they get to the source of the darkness: Evil Incarnate, we,ll call it for now.”
“Clive,s astounding skills in ceating the darkest of fantastical scenarios that twist our dreams makes him the perfect creator for a rich horror video game,” said Senior VP of Brand for Codemasters Barry Jafrato. “The visual and audio capabilities of the next-generation gaming formats will enable this project to be realized as an incredible experience with scenarios and cinematographic effects that will both thrill and terrify.”
