Extended Reality Offers Viable Tivo-Killer

Slashdot Games has an interesting thread going about a Canadian television program, ReGenesis, which has created an Extended Reality web presence that allows it viewers to unearth clues and subplots on the Web.

As Slashdot points out, the ER gaming groups have given the trial a thumbs up in terms.

The characters of the game are the same characters on the show, for example. Halfway into the first hour, I got 3 email updates from various sources within the game. And I was definitely watching closely for in-game phone numbers & login codes (although upon first viewing, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary).

I don't want to jump to quickly on this, but it's certainly interesting to note that these tie-ins may be the Tivo-killer for which the television industry has been looking. With themed commercials making it onto the airwaves (such as the car commercials that preceded 24 this year), it's not out of the realm of possibility to believe that advertisers will soon be integrated into these Extended Reality games.

After all, if players are looking for clues to their online adventures and they know it can appear anywhere, they will be much less likely to skip the two minutes and thirty seconds of commercial breaks.