Frictional Games Reveal Their Next Title
Towards September's close, a mysterious website went live, promoting a high-end retreat known as Hotel Samsara. Simultaneously, Frictional Games enhanced the acclaimed sci-fi masterpiece, SOMA. One of the game fixes stated, "Resolved malfunctioning spam filters on Simon’s PC. Players may still obtain questionable emails because of an in-game filtering filtering process problems." After the update went live, users reviewing the correspondence within the game's email system found a hyperlink leading to the Samsara website.
An Intricate Interactive Puzzle Revealed
The establishment proved fictional — it was part of an augmented reality game, leading up to led players to a teaser for the studio's upcoming mind-bending horror, apparently taking place at the made-up lodging. Initially, enthusiasts began by assembling emphasized characters in the text of the main portal, and throughout the subsequent period, continued unraveling the mystery's strange clues, the ultimate clue provided a connection to an online clip shared by the studio and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher Kepler Interactive.
A Sneak Peek of the Next Title
Labeled FRICTIONAL_NEXT_PROJECT.mp4, the short video reveals multiple sections likely Hotel Samsara, and the preview ends with the text "SOMETHING NEW" displayed, indicating this new game could be unrelated to Amnesia, the sci-fi hit, and the studio's other games (despite the fact that players reportedly found a few SOMA references in the teaser).
Official Details Stay Limited
Frictional has not yet released any additional formal details on the game, the devices it will launch on, or the timeframe its launch will occur, yet the team did share a communication for participants who took part in the interactive puzzle.
"Thank you so much for participating in this experience we shared," the online message reads. "Our goal was to try and create an entertaining puzzle to present a bit of the upcoming game. We were surprised was the extent to which you amazed us with your ability to unite as fans and team up to crack each challenge we threw at you. Honestly, we did have to increase the difficulty when we realised the scale of the team we faced, so congratulate yourselves a pat on the back for that."
"We can't tell you how much fun we experienced seeing the community decode each part and create high-quality memes and inside jokes," the message continues. "It's been a pleasure, starting each day eagerly daily to review the chats and seeing which puzzles you delved into. It is our wish, you had fun equally to we did. You have reached the conclusion of the journey (currently). Many thanks."
