''Outernauts'' was an
Adobe Flash
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social
Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not.
Etymology
The word "social" derives from ...
role-playing
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
for
Facebook
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. Developed by
Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and a studio of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is m ...
, it is the developer's first social video game, as well as their first game for a non-
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
platform. The game is published by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
and was released as an
open beta
A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impro ...
in July 2012.
It was announced by Insomniac Games that the game would no longer be available on Facebook from January 31, 2014, and would be ported to iOS. The game was shut down on February 1, 2016.
Gameplay
As Outernauts, players must explore alien planets to capture and nurture creatures with which to do battle, in gameplay similar to the ''
Pokémon'' series. Player actions are limited by "energy", an in-game resource that accumulates over time, but which can also be
purchased with real-world currency.
Critics praised the game's presentation, with ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...
'' noting its "classy cartoon visuals, slick orchestral soundtrack and finely-tuned UI." ''Eurogamer'' commented on the size of the game's world, describing how even with a week of play, most of the galaxy map had yet to be unlocked.
[ ''GamesTM'' too, praised the game world as "interesting to explore", the characters "providing a sense of unknown that continues to entice".]
Inside Social Games compared the depth of ''Outernauts'' gameplay favorably to other social games, but warned that the social viral mechanics, such as "nag screens" and "pay to win" mechanics would ward off the core gamers it set to attract.[ ''GamesTM'' likewise, found the energy system to be the game's biggest hindrance, and one which could frustrate by interrupting gameplay. Despite this, ''GamesTM'' concluded that ''Outernauts'' was "a step up on most Facebook games".][
]
Closure
On December 14, 2015, Insomniac announced that all the microtransactions options were removed, and that the game is shut down permanently on February 1, 2016. Insomniac explained that the current player base was too small, and that the overall game became unprofitable.
References
Notes
References
External links
''Outernauts''
at Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
''Outernauts''
at Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and a studio of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is m ...
Outernauts Facebook cover fan art
{{Insomniac Games
2012 video games
Electronic Arts games
Facebook games
Flash games
Insomniac Games games
IOS games
Science fiction video games
Video games set on fictional planets
Video games developed in the United States