A Game Based on ‘The Twilight Zone’ Is In Development From ‘BioShock’ Creator Ken Levine

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Press A to continue.

You’re probably going to experience that in a new Twilight Zone video game/live-action series currently in development with direction by Ken Levine, behind the BioShock series from Irrational and 2K Games. The game, as WIRED describes it, will “explore the spaces between movies and games.” Unlike Quantum Break which hyped a similar premise, The Twilight Zone game is using technology from Interlude, known for the Dr. Pepper/Avengers Super Bowl commercial with Hulk and Ant-Man. The technology, according to WIRED, allows for “seamless move[ment] between multiple streams of video. So expect something pretty cutting edge, even for a not so triple-A video game.

For BioShock fans it must be exciting, but considering the nature of The Twilight Zone is he really the best call? Twilight Zone plays with light and dark themes to explore the gray areas, while BioShock is heavy-handed with its themes. (C’mon: Choosing to kill little girls, or be Superman Jesus? Not that hard there.)

In an interview with WIRED, Levine describes the primary function behind the game being “empathy through agency.” He describes thusly: “I think of it as the viewer’s angle in the chair. 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.”

(Guys if you haven’t noticed, that WIRED interview is stacked.)

As a nerd who errs more on Twilight Zone than BioShock, I’m excited! I’m so stoked over the prospect of interacting with the themes Twilight Zone haunted me with, but I just hope Levine eases up on his brick-heavy morals. Plus, as much as I’d like to “play out” classic episodes like “In the Eye of the Beholder” or “Time Enough at Last,” there’s really not much choice for interactivity there. What, are we gonna “Press X to unwrap bandage”? I do wish a studio like Telltale Games, reputable for their “interactive narrative” games based on licenses like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones would take a stab at Twilight Zone, but I’m sure Interlude are cooking up something good.

A release date and platform was not disclosed.