Former Ubisoft devs want to map the Earth to create ReROLL

Louis-Pierre Pharand and Julien Cuny, who left Ubisoft Montreal in November 2013 to start a new studio, Pixyul, have announced they're working on an open-world survival action RPG called ReROLL. The project is noteworthy because Pixyul claims that the world of ReROLL will be nearly identical to our own. The studio plans to use civilian drones like the eBee to map the entire planet -- or at least everywhere civilian drones are legally allowed to fly, which currently does not include the U.S. -- and reconstruct as a 3D virtual environment. It's an audacious goal, and Pixyul doesn't stop there -- the studio also intends ReROLL to have a full day-night cycle and weather system that syncs up with the real world wherever you happen to be playing. The game will be released in a series of "bricks" that will expand the game with new regions and features, and Pixyul intends to release the first playable prototype "brick" in 2015. To fund the project, the studio is raising money by selling pre-designed "packages" of ReROLL character abilities and equipment on its website.