Here are some new details related to The Order: 1886, and it’s really one of the biggest compared to what we've learned about the game thus far. During the tech demo for Ready at Dawn’s upcoming steampunk thriller The Order: 1886 at the ongoing Gamescom, CEO Ru Weerasuriya stated that the game is not a one-off, but destined to be an entire franchise.
In an interview with CVG at the Gamescom, Weerasuriya revealed the information after he stated that the “first game” takes place in post-industrial London. Weerasuriya also confirmed that the game may also “branch out into other media.”
In another post in the official PlayStation blog, Weerasuriya, also confirmed that The Order: 1886 will be a PlayStation 4 exclusive. He added that when the team was going ahead with the development of the game, the real goal was to make the environment as believable as possible while also adding its own twist to real places, and eventually offering its own vision of London.
“This Neo-Victorian London will seem familiar to everyone, however, advances in technology will take centre stage in many ways as you navigate the city. One of the main examples is the advent of electricity throughout the city, well before its time. Gas lamps are replaced by electric street lights. Everywhere you go, you can hear the hum of electricity running through the city,” the post added.
“The London subway system is present in our version of the world, but it is much more advanced than it was in real life. Certain sections of the subway system run above ground in between buildings throughout the city. Electric signs line the streets making some areas of London almost look like Time Square.”
The post states that the other big change the players will notice is in the London skyline. Although the familiar sights such as Big Ben, St. Paul’s and the Tower Bridge are present, the skyline has actually been broken up by the ever-present watch towers inside the game.
“Their searchlights are consistently scanning the city and the skies. The other change in the skyline is the presence of airship mooring towers. In The Order: 1886, London is patrolled day and night by a squadron of dirigibles called the Sentinels. All of these are a constant reminder that the world is not as it seems.”
To clarify the situation, Weerasuriya added that these are the kinds of changes that have arrived as a result of Industrial Revolution, which is mankind’s only chance to survive and take the upper hand in a centuries-old war. “Mankind now has access to advanced weapons, one of which you saw in the trailer – a rifle that can fire electricity.”
The Order is set in an alternate universe where the industrial revolution arrived as an effort to win a the war against inhuman enemies. An exact release date hasn't been given, but the game will launch some time in 2014.