August 8, 2014 has been announced as the early access date for British developer RedBedlam’s upcoming first person shooter, known simply as Bedlam. Described as a “genre-hopping” title, Bedlam is based around the novel of the same name by author Christopher Brookmyre but also draws inspiration from the early years of online gaming, a genre with which RedBedlam, whose major titles have included MMORPGs Roma Victor and The Missing Ink, is well-versed.
The novel Bedlam follows the exploits of Ross Baker, a scientist employed by medical tech corporation Neurosphere who volunteers as a test subject for his company’s new brain scanning device. The test, however, rather than simply giving him an excuse to get out of the office transports him inside a science fiction shooter he remembers from his childhood known as Starfire. The upcoming Bedlam game, also written by Brookmyre, centers around the story of one of Baker’s fellow test subjects, Heather Quinn. Transported into the violent, action-packed world of Starfire alongside Ross Baker, Heather must explore not only Starfire’s virtual universe but those of several other games she finds her way into in order to discover what happened to her and to find a way home.
The Steam early access release, scheduled to be available for players on August 8, will feature two game worlds for Heather Quinn to explore, the central world of Starfire and another known as Death or Glory, which developers say comprise approximately one third of the total content planned for the game’s launch. RedBedlam has plans to celebrate the early access launch with an event at the British Academy of Film and Television’s Game Showcase in London on August 5, 2014. The event will serve as the premiere for the official Bedlam trailer as well as the first showcase of gameplay footage. RedBedlam development staff as well as Christopher Brookmyre will also be attendance and plan to host a question and answer session following the gameplay demo. Attendees of the event will also receive a 50% discount on the early access release of Bedlam.
Bedlam’s early access version will be available on Steam for £12.99 ($22 USD) beginning August 8, 2014. An official price for American players has not yet been set. No final release date for the finished product is currently available.