IBM To Create MMORPG Based On Sword Art Online

There are many kinds of people in the world, some who will finish the day with a drink, some will finish it with a movie, some even a game but for some there is nothing like losing yourself in a good anime. One of the largest animes in 2015 was created from a light novel written in Japan, titled Sword Art Online. The game follows a series of players who become trapped in a video game, with their very lives at risk from the monsters and players that gamers shrug off with each respawn in games. Now it would seem that the game has attracted the attention of IBM, who want to create an online game from the series.

MMORPG’s (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games) were made famous by the likes of World Of Warcraft and have been featured in a range of manga and anime’s in recent years. The name that is currently being thrown about by IBM’s Japanese branch is Sword Art Online: The Beginning and will be (much like in the series) a virtual reality game.

While many will be thinking that this is clearly a gimmick to create a game based on a game from a manga, the game has already titled at least one unique feature. The twist that is currently being advertised is that players will be scanned to create a 3D model that will become their avatars in-game, talk about putting yourself in the action!

Alongside a VR headset, the game looks to include motion capture technology to drag players into the battles. The promotional video for the game so far shows more design elements from the game and clips from the anime but you can see where they are going with the video.

If that wasn’t enough for you, the game is starting a closed beta in Japan for 208 lucky gamers next month and will be powered by none other than Watson, IMB’s natural language, and machine learning platform.