It's been a long time since we've heard much of anything involving Team Bondi's L.A. Noire follow-up, Whore of the Orient. Last we checked, the Australian government had doled out $200,000 via the New South Wales Interactive Media Fund, after its most recent publisher, Warner Bros. backed out. Since then, the front seems to have gone silent, but now, gameplay footage has surface, courtesy of a "trusted source" who supplied VideoGamer.
It's thought that Team Bondi was recently acquired by Kennedy Miller Mitchell, and are currently seeking a publisher for the project. Development still seems to be underway, though neither KMM or Team Bondi has provided any sort of confirmation. Last time anything was mentioned was when MCV reported in April that the team handling Whore of the Orient was shut down leading KMM's Doug Mitchell to lend the publication the following response:
"Whore of the Orient is a unique and extraordinary story and game and we are still actively pursuing the right investor to partner with," said Mitchell.
Since then, all we have had to go on as far as information is concerned it a simple description of Whore of the Orient.
"Shanghai, 1936. Whore of the Orient. Paris of the East. The most corrupt and decadent city on the planet, where anything can be had or done for the right price. Playthings of Western powers who greedily exploit the Chinese masses. Boiling pot of Chinese nationalism, with Kuomintang ruthlessly trying to suppress Communism and the labor movement. Home to the International Police Force, a group of Western cops hopelessly trying to keep the lid on and keep the peace."
It's unknown if Whore would feature similar gameplay or technology utilized in L.A. Noire, but based on the recent footage, it at least looks fairly similar, with a dash of Uncharted thrown in for good measure. The summation certainly makes Whore sound L.A. Noire-ish, with the propensity for considerably more action.
Given the team's success with L.A. Noire, it's difficult to understand all the associated problems development has faced, but this gameplay footage's emergence is encouraging. If only we had this sort of luck with The Last Guardian. You can check out the footage below.
