Skydance Interactive is collaborating with franchise owners Skybound Entertainment on a new VR video game set in the zombie-infested world of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. After being announced earlier this year, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners was formally unveiled via a new cinematic trailer that shows off the level of storytelling the development team is aiming for with this particular entry into the storied franchise.
There have been plenty of games based on The Walking Dead over the years, most notably the episodic series by Telltale Games, which recently wrapped up amid a controversial studio closure. While those games were critically acclaimed, other TWD titles, such as 2013's Survival Instinct and the ill-fated Overkill's The Walking Dead didn't quite fare as well. For The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, the developers are looking to adapt the universe into VR while maintaining the franchise's signature devotion to intimate and provocative storytelling.
The first trailer for The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners follows the emotional journey of a young girl's backpack as the zombie outbreak begins. The character designs and general art style are evocative of the Telltale games, but with less of a cel-shaded look, and the storytelling on display is reminiscent of the iconic debut trailer for Dead Island.
Saints & Sinners is set three years after the initial end of the world, putting players in the post-apocalyptic zombie-infested wasteland. New Orleans has managed to survive under the iron-fisted rule of The Tower, but times are changing, and new factions are rising up to challenge the authority of The Tower. Meanwhile, rumors of a cold war bunker loaded with years worth of supplies has the local population on a desperate treasure hunt to find it. Over the course of the 15 hour story, players will search for the lost bunker, come into conflict with the local factions, and - of course - kill a ton of undead shamblers.
Despite its status as a VR project, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners strives to be a fully-featured video game, rather than a scaled back "Virtual Reality experience." This is more than just a tech demo, but a genuine entry in The Walking Dead saga. Players will scavenge supplies, craft food and weapons, and fight zombies and humans in equal measure. If all goes according to plan, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners will mark the true start of the next generation of VR video games.