''SpyParty'' is a social deduction stealth

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 ...

developed by

Chris Hecker Christopher Bryan Hecker (born 1970) is an American video game programmer and commentator. He is the founder of the gaming company Definition Six and best known for his engineering work on Will Wright's 2008 game '' Spore''. Hecker is an advocat ...

. ''SpyParty'' was first shown at the

Experimental Gameplay Workshop The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...

at the 2009

Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...

. Hecker describes his game as "an asymmetric multiplayer espionage game, dealing with the subtlety of human behavior, character, personality, and social mores, instead of the usual spy game explosions and car chases".

Gameplay

A round of ''SpyParty'' is played between two players, one of whom is designated "the

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

" while the other is designated "the

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

". The spy must attempt to blend in with a number of non-playing characters within a high-society

cocktail party A cocktail party is a party at which cocktails are served. It is sometimes called a cocktail reception. A cocktail party organized for purposes of social or business networking is called a mixer. A cocktail hour is sometimes used by manag ...

setting while completing a pre-determined number of espionage missions (such as planting a bug on a character designated “the ambassador”, or communicating a code phrase to a

double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...

known to both players) within a time limit. The sniper, who is viewing the party from the outside and does not know which avatar is the spy, must observe all of the characters to deduce which one it is. The sniper wins the round if they identify the spy and shoot them or if the spy runs out of time without finishing their missions. The spy wins the round if they complete all of their missions or if the sniper shoots any character other than the spy. Hecker has stated that there will be modes beyond the current two-player Spy vs. Sniper game in the future once the core game design is complete.

Development

Development of ''SpyParty'' began in 2009. Signups for an invite-only closed beta opened in May 2011. Beta access for the public opened in June 2013. To help with the illustrations in the game, John Cimino joined the ''SpyParty'' team in September 2011 and the updated artwork was revealed to the public the following year on ''SpyParty''s official website. In early October 2013, Hecker and Cimino released new character and environment art to the open beta. This included five new playable characters and one new level, "Modern". Chris Hecker uses the words "illustrative" and "timeless" to describe the new art style and has stated a goal of being "the most diverse game ever". As of October 2016, there are 21 characters available for players. A February 2014 update added replays to the game. The feature was designed to help new players improve their skills. Despite claiming in March 2010 that the game would be released in two years, Hecker has not provided a release date for the final product, apart from a somewhat humorous tweet saying the game is still another two years away from completion in March 2013. In late 2017, the developer announced that an

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

release on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

was coming in early 2018. He later announced that the game early access would be available on Steam on April 12.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.spyparty.com Upcoming video games Asymmetrical multiplayer video games Early access video games Indie games MacOS games Multiplayer video games Sniper video games Spy video games Social deduction games Stealth video games Video games developed in the United States Windows games