Orange and transmedia specialist, Lexis Numérique, announced Alt Minds, a new approach to interactive fiction. Gamers are able to play from any device in a combination of social networking and traditional storytelling with Alt-Minds, an episodic, paranormal thriller that takes players on a journey through Europe as they attempt to solve a series of mysterious kidnappings.
Utilising the latest technological innovations from Orange, players in Alt-Minds actively conduct investigations, in real time, via a series of traditional and casual games on their computers, smartphones, tablets and social networks. Only by interacting with each other within the fictional world can players unravel the mystery, and maybe even earn themselves a place in its mythology.
Alt-Minds is the latest in a wide range of transmedia projects that Orange has supported since 2009, creating new forms of storytelling that allowing participants to interact with the stories and characters online and in real life. Projects from Orange using transmedia, a new type of storytelling that uses new technology to offer deeper immersion and a more interactive experience, have included Detective Avenue, which involved more than 20,000 players in France alone, and FanFan2, which had nearly three million interactions on the story's Facebook page.
Jean-François Rodriguez, head of games and transmedia at Orange, said: 'Our partnership with Lexis Numérique, a pioneer in transmedia fiction, has allowed us to combine gaming, online TV and social networks to create a new type of multi-media experience for our customers. For Orange, this is an opportunity to show that the tools we offer artists can be used to bring something new and very exciting to the public.'
Eric Viennot, co-founder and artistic director at Lexis Numérique, explained: 'We are working with Orange to explore a new type of fiction, one which I hope will become part of the history of transmedia, a format which we started with In Memoriam back in 2003. These online experiences break down the walls between fiction and reality by offering spectators/players an unprecedented level of immersion in the story.'
The Alt-Minds transmedia adventure is scheduled to start in autumn 2012, and will be available in Europe in English, French, German and Spanish.
