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1979 Revolution shakes down to PC, Mac and Android
1979 Revolution, Ink Stories' 3D adventure game that places players in the midst of the tense Iranian protests of that year, will come to PC, Mac and Android. This is in addition to the game's initial platform of choice, iOS, which is being developed in Unity, making the transition to the other platforms easier for the developer. The episodic indie game is currently seeking $395,000 by December 16 on Kickstarter to launch its first episode, Black Friday. Those looking to back the project and obtain a PC or Mac version of 1979 Revolution will need to invest at least $20, whereas the iOS and Android reward tiers are listed at $15. Ink Stories' campaign is currently sitting at $56,163 in funding.
1979 Revolution tells the true story of Iran protests
Indie developer Ink Stories recently launched a Kickstarter project for its iOS adventure game 1979 Revolution. The game takes place during the riots and protests in Iran in that year of history, which Creator Navid Khonsari lived through personally before his family moved to North America in 1980. Khonsari first told Joystiq about his vision for 1979: The Game in February 2011, though it's not clear whether Ink Stories has overhauled the previous open world-style game or if 1979 Revolution is a new adventure entirely. 1979 Revolution is an episodic, 3D adventure game that has players avoiding authorities and making consequential decisions during the tense historical period. As Khonsari describes in the crowdfunding pitch video, the game features triage and photography mini-games, the latter granting players access to real-life photographs of the Iranian revolution. The Kickstarter project is seeking $395,000 by December 16 to launch the first episode, titled Black Friday, in spring 2014. With enough support, Ink Stories hopes to bring the game to Android, PC, Mac, Linux and other consoles.
1979: The Game gets another outing, 'baton-pass' narrative goes from translator to student protestor
' What we don't know about 1979: The Game could fill a book. First revealed in a video interview with RT in February, this ambitious open-world game from former Rockstar cinematic director Navid Khonsari has just enjoyed a second, even higher-profile unveiling courtesy of CNN. The CNN piece included detailed descriptions of "levels" in the game; a "baton-pass" narrative will have you playing as an American/Iranian translator before taking the role of a student demonstrator. It's also curiously specific about the game's multiplayer mode, indicating that there are "12 maps planned for release" which, considering how early the game ostensibly is, strikes us as more wishful thinking than actual product description. Khonsari's company, Ink Stories, has done some cinematics work in the past but has never actually made a game, not to mention one containing notoriously expensive (and expansive!) open-world elements. In other words, there's not a lot to show since we spoke with Khonsari in February. But regardless of the game's actual level of production – Khonsari says it's in alpha and "at least a year and a half away from release," though that sounds optimistic – his ideas are worth reading about. He wants 1979 to be a game where there are no good guys, and the moral ambiguity of real-world situations forces players to reconsider what they think they know about the world. In February, Khonsari told Joystiq that the game would be self-published, though he mentioned that the interest from third-parties was "overwhelming." Let's see if 1200 words on CNN adds to that interest.
'1979' Iran Revolution game envisioned as 'social political' title, with sandbox and strategy elements
1979: The Game is not much of a game yet. "For now, we do not have a demo to show," creator Navid Khonsari told Joystiq, when we inquired about the intriguing, and equally mysterious, project said to depict the Iran Revolution from various perspectives. 1979 made its surprise debut in a broad interview with Khonsari conducted by Russian network RT earlier this month. That debut consisted of little more than a logo (seen above) and some vague, conceptual discussion about the game. Khonsari confirmed that 1979 is indeed a property of Ink Stories, his multimedia production company, but "we do have a number of partners, which I am not at liberty to mention," he noted. Currently, the game is "in development" -- meaning that the pre-production design is "locked down" -- and the developers are "working with a number of unique game engine prototypes in order to release this game simultaneously on a number of platforms." Khonsari added that this early development phase includes testing out "a number of different designs" for the gameplay. "I would like to see 1979 as a console game with sandbox elements," he explained, without confirming that a console release would be definite. "In particular, we are creating three unique opening levels that allow the player to choose which way they want to get into Iran to free the hostages [at the US Embassy]." Khonsari added that the game's narrative would draw upon "historical truths of the time" and "will provide three, distinctive sandbox environments." Khonsari described 1979 as a "social political game" that, in addition to open-world, sandbox environments, could feature "strategy elements with the use of AI combatants." Once in Iran, additional player-controlled characters would be introduced, "allowing you the ability to play a number of different roles," he added of the game's lofty design goals. And he wasn't finished: "The multiplayer aspect is something I am really excited about, but is still in the works." (No kidding.) As improbable as it may seem for all of these elements to come together into a marketable game (the purposeful ambiguity of who's "good" or "bad" in 1979 sounds novel, but it's also risky), Khonsari is no stranger to seeing challenging and innovative projects through to the end -- he's had his hand in Grand Theft Auto 3, Bully and Alan Wake, to name a few. "We are on course to self-publish," he declared, "but the interest from third parties has been overwhelming, so we are weighing those options."
Former Rockstar cutscene director working on '1979: The Game,' about Iran Revolution
You may not know Navid Khonsari by name, but you've undoubtedly seen his work. Credited as a writer and director (and voice actor) for Rockstar between 2001–2005, Khonsari would "establish and pioneer the cinematic feel" introduced in Grand Theft Auto 3's cutscenes and evolved throughout the studio's storied run. Most recently, Khonsari directed the cutscenes in Alan Wake for Remedy, which he had worked with on the first two Max Payne titles. After leaving Rockstar, the jack of all trades established Ink Stories, a multimedia production company, which he runs with his wife in New York City. Ink Stories is working on at least one "in-house" video game, Motor City, according to its website, but in a recent interview with RT (formerly Russia Today), Khonsari discussed another project: 1979: The Game. Said to be based on the events of the Iran Revolution, and focusing on the takeover of the American Embassy, Khonsari outlined a game based on different perspectives. "We're primarily looking at about 8 to 10 different roles," he told RT about the number of characters the player might assume. "Initially, you'll start the game off as Iranian -- but American-born US State Department translator -- who's coming in with the objective of trying to free the US hostages." "I'm using truths that exist in history, so the initial alliance of the US with Saddam Hussein is one thing that we look in -- maybe you come in through the border between Iran and Iraq; or maybe you use the US alliance with the Taliban at that time (who were fighting the Russians)," Khonsari described of the open-ended, but perhaps controversial nature of 1979: The Game.
