New VR game from former Microsoft creative director Adam Orth finds a publisher

Developer Three One Zero founder Adam Orth, who left Microsoft after his Xbox One "deal with it" comments drew significant controversy, will publish his first new game, Adr1ft, with 505 Games.

Three One Zero describes Adr1ft as a first-person experience (FPX) that tells the story of an astronaut in peril. You’ll play as the only survivor of a destroyed space station with no memory and a damaged space suit. You’ll explore the wreckage in search of resources and a way to fix an emergency escape vehicle that can take you back home. In short, it sounds a little like last year’s Academy Award-winning movie Gravity.

“[505 Games] have empowered us with the freedom to explore and create something special with Adr1ft, both traditionally and with VR technology,” Orth said. “It’s clear from games like Payday 2, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and some of their upcoming titles that 505 is not afraid to take chances and give gamers something fresh and new. That’s important to us. That’s what we’re all about. We’re excited to be part of that.”

Orth has said that the game is inspired by the aftermath of the comments that led him to leave Microsoft. "I was becoming the next victim of the Internet hate phenomenon. It was an absolute feeding frenzy. My public and private life was fair game," he said in a talk about the issue at GDC. "People began to distance themselves from me. I was dejected, ashamed, and embarrassed. I destroyed my career and feared being blacklisted by the industry. I went from income to no income."

Three One Zero and 505 Games have yet to announce which platforms Adr1ft will release on and when.