Vogelsap announces a Q3 2015 release window for The Flock, their upcoming asymmetrical multiplayer horror game. In an unusual twist, they also announce that the game's titular Flock has a defined population, which will dictate how long the game will be sold and when it will cease being playable. "A multiplayer game can take players to incredible heights, but at some point gamers will start to play less, get disinterested and stop playing altogether," said Jeroen Van Hasselt, creative director, Vogelsap. "In opposition to other multiplayer games, we want The Flock’s experience to inspire a sense of awe, to keep players eagerly anticipating what is coming next and to end with a memorable climax." Here's more on how this will work:

Vogelsap delivers their first-person asymmetrical multiplayer horror game The Flock to Steam in Q3 2015, in a way that has never been done before. Time left for people to buy the game depends on the death rate of players within The Flock. Developer Vogelsap commits to a hands-off approach and puts the lastingness of the game into the players’ hands.

With each death in the game, one life will be taken from the Flock’s population. When the Flock’s population reaches zero, the game will never be purchasable again. Only players who have The Flock in their Steam library will then be able to partake in the yet to be announced climactic finale. After the ending, the game will go offline permanently and no longer be playable.

The Flock population countdown will be embedded in the game’s menus, Steam store page, Vogelsap’s website and The Flock’s sub-reddit to make sure all gamers are aware of the amount of lives left.