UPDATED 17:40 EST / APRIL 06 2015

NEWS

Square Enix tries to drum up excitement with #CantKillProgress, annoys everyone instead

Square Enix cantkillprogressConfusion and annoyance are two emotions game publishers probably do not want to evoke in their fans, but so far that seems to be exactly what is happening with Square Enix’s “unique 3-day interactive experience” called Project CantKillProgress, which is currently livestreaming on Twitch. The event is cryptically leading up to some kind of announcement on Wednesday, but some fans are already sick of it.

The Japanese game publisher tweeted that the event is being put on by one of its Western developers, and while fans are speculating about what the announcement could be, many are also criticizing Square Enix over the stunt.

“This reveal is just… Awful,” wrote one Reddit user. “I can’t believe Square’s PR actually expected people to tune into this channel every five hours for the next three days.” Several chatters watching the Twitch stream voiced similar opinions, calling the feed boring and a “marketing campaign stunt.”

So far the event has not yielded much information. At the moment, the stream shows a man locked in a nondescript cell while being monitored by a number of cameras. Occasionally, the man gets up to inspect his surroundings and plead for help from his captors. People following the Twitch stream can enter commands into the chat to change cameras as well as some other limited actions at various times.

At one point, classical music begins playing that is somehow painful for the man in the cell. He pleads for it to stop before collapsing on the ground. Some time later, the man gets up and the video starts over, showing the same events.

The page for the stream also contains a link to an “encrypted file,” which is actually a jumbled video on Instagram. There are apparently four other encrypted files that will be released over the next three days.

Many fans are speculating that the livestream event could be related to the Deus Ex series developed by the Square Enix-owned Eidos Montreal. The last game in the series, Deus Ex: The Fall, was derided by fans when it was released in 2013 because they were disappointed that the game turned out to be a mobile title for iOS rather than a full game.

If the Project CantKillProgress event leads to a similar announcement, Square Enix may find a stronger reaction from their fans than confusion and boredom.

Screenshot via CantKillProgress/Twitch

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