Developer Jagex is set to release a number of interactive audio adventures, based in the world of its popular MMO RuneScape, that are playable via Amazon’s virtual voice assistant, Alexa. The first such release is an audio adaptation of the One Piercing Note from RuneScape.
“We are always interested in exploring new tech, and bringing RuneScape to new audiences,” Mark Ogilvie, RuneScape’s Design Director, told MCV. “Since storytelling is such a core part of RuneScape, the promise of exploring its narrative on a completely different medium was too exciting to ignore.”
Amazon has been exploring the possibility of bringing games to its Alexa platform for a while, it seems, and its growing adoption across the globe makes this the perfect time to push that envelope.
“There are millions of Alexa-enabled devices out there,” Rob Pulciani, Director of the Alexa Skills Kit for Amazon, said, “and we recognised its gaming potential fairly early on.”
“Initially, trivia skills were very popular, such as Jeopardy and The Magic Door, but when you have what we call a ‘headless device’ with no screen, you have a hard time imagining what games might look like,” Pulciani explained. “We’re so used to thinking about ‘screen-first’ titles, that’s why you need those lighthouse experiences to point the way for other groups. It’s exciting, and now that I’ve seen RuneScape, I think there’s high potential.”
Using Alexa to play One Piercing Note relies upon Amazon’s relaunched ‘Skills’ feature for its virtual assistant.
“We relaunched the skills portion of the Alexa app last year, so it’s much easier to navigate now,” Pulciani said. “You can also use Amazon’s retail website to look through skills, and you can ask Alexa to recommend new ones. That’s important to us.”
“It’s one thing using your phone to browse through apps, but with Alexa, you also want to discover things with your voice,” he added. “Right now, it takes into account what’s popular and review ratings, but ultimately we want to make sure the most relevant skills are put in front of customers.”
One Piercing Note is available for free for owners of Amazon Echo, the primary hardware platform that features the Alexa virtual voice assistant.
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