Watch: Build a Rocket Boy Studio Unveils EVERYWHERE, "A World for Your imagination"

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After much anticipation (at least by me), the developers at Build a Rocket* have just unveiled on Twitch an extensive teaser of their new metaverse platform, Everywhere. The studio was founded by Leslie Benzies, formerly president of Rockstar North, lead developer of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, so I've been wondering how a team with a stellar background in AAA open world sandbox games would far creating a very open virtual world.

Watch above — the audio doesn't fully come in until 8:15, a new sizzle reel starts at around 11:30, and actual live gameplay starts at about 16:00 in.

While it looks very much like a video gamey experience in the vein of Core, the team emphasizes that Arcadia, the platform building tool, enables any kind of creation. ("If you just want to build a house, you can do that," as one of them says.) We also get a glimpse of the Arcadia user interface, which does look impressively sleek and user-friendly.

The team seems to be striving to create a single shard experience, or at least the simulation of one, linking various experiences with portals that players can travel through; so that's further intriguing.

My only negative hit from this preview is a lack of diverse avatars:

The Everywhere avatars are all very much in the cartoonish humans Fortnite-eseque vein, which makes the experience seem too similar to, well, Fortnite Creative. Even more key, while the team keeps emphasizing diversity of player creativity, limiting avatar choices to that aesthetic subtly but powerfully limits what kind of experiences will be created. (Someone should write a book about that!)

Anyway, here's some more details from a recent Everywhere blog post:

EVERYWHERE was crafted to share the joy of not only playing games but also the exhilaration of creating them. The emotional reward of witnessing your imagination come to life and celebrated by a vibrant community, is an unparalleled feeling, and we are dedicated to putting this in your hands.

At the core of our mission is the commitment to inspire the spark of creativity within every individual and nurture the next generation of video game builders…

EVERYWHERE is a world for your imagination, a place where you can break free from any self-imposed doubts about your capacity to craft extraordinary and truly original virtual experiences.

We believe everyone possesses a unique story waiting to be told, and we can’t wait to see yours come to life within EVERYWHERE.

Sign up HERE if you are interested in receiving updates on upcoming generations and all the latest builder news!

*As for why the studio is called Build a Rocket Boy, perhaps watch this for a clue:

Hat tip: SandyQ!