11 Bit Studios, an indie developer, is currently running an experiment: will people put down a pre-order for a game they know very little about if it means they'll get it half price when it finally launches? As Kotaku points out, we don't know a “damn thing” about the game in question. It doesn't even have a name; all we have to go on is platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) and a 26-second teaser trailer.
The teaser shows a man dressed up against the elements – hard hat, goggles, scarf over his face, gloves – riding through a chilly-looking environment on a motorbike next to a similarly-dressed guy in a truck. The two leave their vehicles and walk towards something stuck in the ground, only to see cracks start to form in the earth beneath their feet. At the end, we see hints of some kind of explosion, the two men holding their hands over their heads.
11 Bit Studios is a company based in Warsaw (Poland), and its employees have worked on games like Starmageddon, Infernal, Odium (Gorky 17), and Knight Rider 2. Some of the commenters on the trailer on YouTube seem to think that back catalogue isn't quite impressive enough to justify blind payment. If that's the case for you, then for heaven's sake don't put down a pre-order.
But if you are one of “those brave souls who are willing to jump into the abyss” and “take a chance on mystery”, you've got until February 28th – when the game will actually be announced – to put down $7.49. You'll get access to the multiplayer beta through Steam in March, and a free gift (also a secret) when the game launches some time in Q2 this year.
A word of warning, however: under “What if you announce what it is and I don't want it anymore?” in the FAQ, 11 Bit Studios doesn't make any mention of refunds, simply asking that if you aren't sure you're willing to take the offer you hold off until the game is announced and pay full price if you still want it.
