Interactive reality TV show Rival Peak gathered 22 million views since launch.
Live-streamed on Facebook, the show is both a game and a reality TV programme, featuring AI contestants influenced by the audience. It s been streamed 24 hours a day since its launch on December 2, with weekly recap episodes hosted by Will Wheaton.
The 22 million views have been achieved across the first six episodes, while 600,000 unique viewers interacted with the show since launch. PocketGamer reported that the show has been particularly popular in the US, Mexico, India and Brazil.
Initially available on Android and PC, Rival Peak also launched on iOS yesterday. It will be airing until February 26.
Dec 23, 2020 18:00 EST
After experiments such as Netflix s interactive shows, of which Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is arguably the most famous example, there s a new project called Rival Peak that s exploring a different side of the intersection between games and television.
Described by its makers as a Massive Interactive Live Experience , Rival Peak is a reality show that started airing on Facebook earlier this month where viewers can choose to interact in various ways, chiefly picking who will get eliminated.
So far, it probably sounds familiar. Only this is all created by the Unity engine and features AI contestants, not actual persons. Those are running on a persistent simulation developed by Pipeworks Studios, an Oregon-based game developer that was acquired earlier this year by Sumo Digital.