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Build a Relationship Using Natural Language with an Unstable AI Computer to Solve Its Mysteries, Survive, and Return to Earth in This Award-Winning, Indie Fund Backed Project.

Press release:
PARIS – September 14, 2016 – Type like your life depends on it as Event[0], the story-driven spacefaring adventure in which players must build a relationship with a lonely spaceship computer to get home, launches today on Windows PC and Mac via Steam, the Humble Store by Humble Bundle, GOG.com, Itch.io, and Games Republic. A brand new launch trailer provides insight on what players can look forward to in developer Ocelot Society’s sci-fi narrative exploration game, and can be viewed at event0game.com.

Set in a retrofuture inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris and Brave New World, Event[0] is a game about building a personal relationship with a machine using natural language. As a player, your only companion is an insecure and unstable AI entity named Kaizen, with whom you interact by typing messages using antiquated computer terminals throughout a desolated spacecraft. The game’s multi-layered story emerges organically as players communicate with Kaizen, freely explore 3D environments, gather information and solve hacking puzzles. Each player will enjoy a unique gameplay experience based on the way they choose to communicate with Kaizen, who procedurally generates over two million lines of dialog and demonstrates a variety of different personalities, and communication responses, influenced by human input.

As in any relationship, there can be gratitude, disappointment or jealousy, and Kaizen reacts differently depending on its mood and the situation at hand. The ship, Nautilus, is essentially the AI computer’s body, and reacts to Kaizen’s mood by making different sounds, which gives the player subtle yet valuable clues. By working through the fears and anxieties of a virtual companion players can ultimately find the way back to Earth—while unraveling the cryptic history of the ship and the 1980s society from which it emerged.

“We’re extremely proud and excited about our game launch as it’s been a true labor of love from our small team for over a year now and we’ve poured everything into it,” said Sergey Mohov, Founding Partner and Game Designer at Ocelot Society. “What started off as a student project turned into a full game that we’re fortunate to have caught the eye of The Indie Fund to help realize our vision. Event[0] is all about self-expression through dialogue and unique experiences so it will be rewarding to see how players receive and interact with Kaizen in their quest to make it back home alive to Earth.”

The game is created using Unity 5 and utilizes physics-based rendering and advanced lighting techniques to create richly detailed environments inside and outside the ship (players can leave the ship for breathtakingly scary spacewalks). Eschewing a traditional game score, most of the sound, including incidental music, comes from items in the environment.

Event[0] began as a six-month student project before evolving into a full title under the auspices of Ocelot Society, which was founded by key members of the team. The indie game first drew attention as a concept demo that won multiple indie gaming awards, including Innovation at BIG 2015 and Student Award winner at EIGD 2014. Event[0] is now backed by France’s CNC public arts organization and by the Indie Fund, an esteemed funding source for independent developers launched as an alternative to traditional publisher models.

Event[0] is available now on Steam, Humble Bundle, GOG.com, Itch.io, and Games Republic for $19.99.

For updates on Event[0], please follow @event0game on Twitter and on Facebook. For additional information, please visit event0game.com.

About Ocelot Society
Founded in 2015 by a group of young indie developers, Ocelot Society is a Paris-based game creation studio seeking new ways to play. The studio’s first game, the award-winning AI relationship-based narrative exploration game, Event[0], will be released in September 2016 for PC and Mac. For more information, visit ocelotsociety.com and follow on @OcelotSociety on Twitter.

About Indie Fund
Indie Fund is a funding source for independent developers, created by a group of successful indies looking to encourage the next wave of game developers. It was established as a serious alternative to the traditional publisher funding model. Our aim is to support the growth of games as a medium by helping indie developers get (and stay) financially independent. For more information, visit indie-fund.com.