Chime: The Non-Profit Music Game for Charity

Here’s a look at Chime, the first game from not-for-profit publisher OneBigGame, who plans to sell 15 titles for charity. This first one is being developed pro bono by Zoe Mode, whose previous titles include the PSP’s Crush, the Xbox 360’s You’re In the Movies, and a co-developer credit on Sony’s SingStar franchise. According to Chime’s Web site, the Xbox Live Arcade game is played by laying down blocks on the grid to create “quads,” described as solid block shapes of 3×3 or more. Meanwhile, a beat line moves across the screen, triggering audio as it passes over a quad. When this happens, the quad is stamped down onto the play field, and that area is considered covered. The goal is to cover the entire grid by laying down blocks to create quads.

Confused? I’m sure it’ll be better-explained in the game itself, due out this winter. Five musicians, including Moby and Paul Hartnoll (Orbital) are on board to provide the soundtrack. As for charity, Zoe Mode says it’ll hand over all its royalties — roughly 60 percent of the purchase price — to OneBigGame, which in turn gives 80 percent of the revenue to either Save the Children or Starlight Children’s Foundation. Next on tap, games from Shiny founder David Perry, PaRappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura and Charles Cecil, who created Broken Sword and Beneath a Steel Sky. [Chime via Joystiq]