A few days ago, we had the privilege of interviewing Richard K. Morgan, the renowned science fiction author best known for his novel Altered Carbon, which was adapted into a Netflix television series. However, in addition to being a respected science fiction author, Morgan's heart also lies in the world of video games, where he has collaborated with numerous studios on titles including Crysis 2 and Syndicate.

Now, Richard K. Morgan has returned to the world of video games and is in the process of developing .curator, a new RPG A narrative that blends all of the author's passions into a single work: philosophy, redemption, science fiction, and ancient civilizations. When we sat down to chat with Richard K. Morgan, the author answered some of our biggest questions about this title in development. 

This interview was conducted by journalists Luis Guerrero y nelson acosta.

.curator, the new project from the author of Altered Carbon

When asked, "What is .curator "And what does this new narrative RPG offer?" Morgan explains that the story revolves around a clandestine organization that maintains order across the multiverse. Within this organization, we meet Andrey Trep, the protagonist whom we will accompany in each chapter. Morgan and the developer STRTL LIMITED are confidently betting on a release. .curator sporadically, rescuing a format that is not common nowadays.

Morga tells us that “Andrey finds himself on a path to redemption, as after an incident he finds himself trapped in a parallel membrane, very similar to the one where he recently failed."That is to say, our protagonist finds himself in a parallel universe very similar to one he was previously unable to save, so he will see this new universe as a second chance to do something good and balance his past actions, which are stained with blood red." 

.curator makes use of the many theories of quantum physics that explain the possibility of a universe where all possibilities are available, but Morgan assures that "we focused on only a couple of realities, making the story as personal as possible for Trep, and thus avoiding the pitfalls that many other stories encounter when trying to work with the multiverse concept"—a very smart move on Morgan's part, since other stories, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have stumbled enormously with the execution of the concept.

AI will play a vital role with parallels to real life

Morgan also tells us how he incorporated AI into the narrative, giving Trep his own AI companion, “Your AI companion, named CRISSI, gives you the opportunity to analyze situations and make the best decisions, especially when entering combat. Basically, it lets you see all the possibilities, and you, as the player, can decide which one to take.“This is a parallel with real life where now, we all have an AI assistant in the palm of our hands and can ask for all kinds of advice before making a decision regarding a situation.

This type of mechanic has weight in the narrative, since our protagonist is on a path of redemption after having failed in another parallel universe, his failure translates into the destruction of the same, so this search for a second chance to save this new universe from a similar cataclysm becomes a kind of obsession.

Morgan adds that many of the mechanical and even aesthetic aspects are inspired by the Sherlock Holmes films, directed by Guy Ritchie, a clear influence considering that .curator is set in a kind of Victorian steampunk universe, where that type of social etiquette will also influence how the player interacts with other characters and factions. 

Your decisions will have a real impact on the narrative of this upcoming proposal

However, Morgan wants to make it clear that the player's decisions will not only have real consequences for the story, but will also move beyond the typical "good or bad" choice, offering much more nuanced options. "It won't be something like 'you can kill all the children or save the day.' It will be complicated, but you'll have to make the choice you consider best... we don't want the options to be so absolute, because that's not how life works."

Morgan points out that, despite having previously worked in the world of video games as a writer, in previous projects his participation came almost at the end of the game, but that is not the case in his collaboration with STRTL LIMITED, where the studio has brought him on board almost from the beginning and where he has not only been in charge of participating as a narrative writer, but also constantly collaborates with the designers to create the universe in which the game will take place. 

«A marketing guy said to me, 'I imagine there would be a religious element built around this, wouldn't there?' I said, 'You know what? Absolutely. We now have a religious sect in the game that bears its name.'"Morgan recounts one of the many moments where his collaboration with the rest of the development team has made the game a much richer experience." 

Discover Richard K. Morgan's favorite games

Finally, Morgan gives us his Top 5 video games of all time; a rather unique list, which includes The Suffering (2004), Ghost of Tsushima (2020), Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War (2014/2017), Mafia III (2016) and Far Cry: Primal (2016) games that, although they may not seem to have much in common with what .curator will be (an experience more similar to Disco Elysium), will surely have a great impact on the final result of .curator as a game that focuses on narrative and the creation of a universe that we are eager to visit.

.curator doesn't yet have a release date, but Morgan himself suggests we'll likely see the first episode sometime in 2028. In any case, we'll tell you here how this new adventure of parallel universes and forbidden technology ends up fulfilling its grand ambitions. 

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