Amazon is teaming up with tabletop RPG maker Paizo to adapt their popular roleplaying game Starfinder. The game won’t be made into a video game, but rather an interactive experience played via any device that supports Amazon assistant Alexa.
The pilot, which debuted in December 2019, and the first three episodes of the game are available now, with episodes four through six releasing in October. If you have an Alexa-enabled device, all you need to do is say, “Alexa, play the Starfinder game,” and the interactive RPG will begin.
Audible Studios, the audiobook wing of Amazon, has assembled an impressive cast of voice actors to bring Starfinder to life, including sci-fi veteran Nathan Fillion and video game voiceover royalty Laura Bailey. They are joined by 11 other actors that players will engage with on their journey.
Amazon promises nearly 13 hours of interactivity across the entire season of the game, the recording of which took 125 hours in the studio and involved a 745-page script.
As for Alexa, the voice assistant is more popular than ever with Amazon reported engagement with Alexa quadrupling in the last two years and recent stay-at-home orders causing interactivity to trend even further, something the A.I. has in common with gaming.
Starfinder is a science-fiction take on Paizo’s fantasy TTRPG Pathfinder, the de facto roleplaying experience. After finding popular appeal with its futuristic storyline Distant Worlds in the main Pathfinder game in 2012, Starfinder released in 2017 to rave reviews. Based on the pilot’s high rating on Alexa devices, it seems Amazon might have successfully translated the spacefaring adventure into a verbally interactive experience.
