And it Looks Like a Real Ride
Ready Player One took the world by storm with its combination of eighties nostalgia, a dystopian society, and focus on video game escapism. The first book was a global bestseller, spawned a movie by none other than filmmaking legend Steven Spielberg, and had fans clamouring for a sequel. While Cline’s follow-up, Armada, didn’t capture the world’s attention like his first book, it looks like the upcoming sequel is going to give us everything we could have hoped for.
The synopsis reads:
“Days after OASIS founder James Halliday’s contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday’s vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the OASIS more wondrous — and addictive — then even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle and a new quest, a last Easter egg from Holiday, hinting at a mysterious prize, and an unexpected, impossibly powerful, new and dangerous rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade’s life and the future of the OASIS are again at stake, but this time, the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.”
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Given the fact that the villainous company IOI was keen to monetize OASIS, it’s easy to see why Halliday would want to keep something as potentially world-changing as the mysterious technology under wraps – but given that the point of the egg hunt that drove the conflict of the first game was to find a worthy successor, it’s not clear why he wouldn’t simply make the technology available to them at the start, rather than forcing another quest. Perhaps he implemented the quest as a failsafe, in case someone unworthy managed to win? After all, IOI managed to come close to achieving their goal at the end of the first book.
As for the mysterious rival, we don’t know as of yet who they are or what they’re planning. Given that the villainous Nolan Sorrento was arrested in the first book after evidence of his crimes came to light. It could be that IOI will replace him with someone more competent – and ruthless – as the hunt for the technology kicks into high gear.
We don’t know as of yet whether we’ll get an ARG to promote the upcoming book, like we did with the first, but keep an eye out: the first hint might be right around the corner.
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