When an industry veteran such as Leslie Benzies, who has spent 20 years at the cutting edge of game development, says his latest project is “the most ambitious I’ve ever worked on”, you sit up and take notice. The former Rockstar alumnus, producer on every Grand Theft Auto game since the series’ transformative third numbered entry – not to mention LA Noire, Manhunt and Red Dead Redemption – isn’t a man to shy away from bold proclamations, of course. But the dazzling Everywhere, the first game from Benzies’ Build A Rocket Boy, backs up his assertion.
During a day spent at BARB’s Edinburgh HQ (the studio also has facilities in Budapest and Montpellier), we’re given a guided tour of this… well, game doesn’t quite cover it. We spend some time in Utropia, an idyllic, slickly designed space that serves as a natural hangout spot for Everywhere’s players, before being shown the rugged open world beyond its walls, where you can engage in multiplayer races, deathmatches and much more.
