Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive clearly like to keep themselves busy, as today they’ve announced the next game that they’re publishing. It’s called Rideshare “Stimulator” (I should note those quotation marks are a part of the title), and it is essentially a game all about being an Uber driver for a city full of oddballs.
Saber are no stranger to sim games, it’s a big part of their bread and butter, and for the most part this is no different. As a rideshare driver, you need to pick up passengers and get them where they want to go, all while obeying the rules of the road, occasionally circumventing them if you’re in a bit of a rush. How you drive and how well you look after your car is something your passengers will pick up on too, which might affect things like your rating, reviews and tips. You’ll want those tips too, as you need to pay for all of your repairs and carwash trips yourself.
Watch on YouTube
All of this, by and large, is generally what a real rideshare drive has to consider as well. The concept had me raise my guard a touch as I think gamifying labour that is notoriously exploited and underappreciated always feels a tad icky. But it does appear that developer Unigine are taking the satirical route here, as the passengers you pick up seem to lean towards the kind of person who you’d never want in your car.
One passenger may note how he’s not banned from all aquariums, just the one, another may claim birds control the traffic lights, and others might compare you to their failure of a grandson. Whether this is remotely an accurate representation of your average Uber trip, I can’t say, I can’t even drive, but the silliness certainly seems to suggest that amongst the simulation aspect there is this quality of “man, this job can kinda suck.” Though, that is a generous reading based on little information, so my guard is still up on this one.
I think all of this would read a tad better if it wasn’t going for a photorealistic look, but I assume that wouldn’t draw in the sim loving crowd. In any case, no release date attached to this one, so you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled if it’s of any interest.
