IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

InstantAction Rocks Out With Instant Jam

Posted August 16, 2010 by James Brightman

It's been a while since we last heard from InstantAction. The browser-based games platform kicked off its new service back in April with LucasArts' Secret of Monkey Island. Now, however, the company is unveiling an internally developed title, the first original game from InstantAction's Vegas studio.  IndustryGamers got on the phone with CEO Lou Castle, and given his RTS background, we were surprised to hear that it's actually a music/rhythm game. 

The free-to-play Instant Jam is looking to breathe some life into the guitar/music games sector, which has really waned at retail over the last year. As with all InstantAction titles, Instant Jam will be embeddable anywhere, and the unique thing about it is that it literally can enable consumers to play along to note charts from their entire music library. For now, Instant Jam is available in a Facebook Beta Program and is being shown this week at gamescom. The beta will be open to the public in "subsequent weeks" through the game’s site and embedded versions throughout the web.

The game can be played either with a keyboard or guitar controller (USB is easier, but a wireless adapter would enable wireless Rock Band or Guitar Hero controller to work too). Instant Action said that the game is launching "with thousands of note charts supporting the world’s most popular songs – more than all other console music-rhythm game franchises combined – with support for dozens of songs being added each week."  The company also stressed that each note chart is manually crafted by the design team. "Instant Jam does not simply track song beats as some algorithmically generated programs do," InstantAction stated.

Instant Jam, although playable in a browser, will offer a console-like experience with "high quality 3D graphics," the company insisted. It'll also leverage social networking features and micro-transactions. 

“We created Instant Jam because we believe people should be able to play along to any song from any band or genre they like, rather than be confined to a handful of pre-set songs chosen for the game they’re playing,” said Castle. “We also strongly believe that games – like other forms of entertainment media – should be easier for consumers to discover, try, enjoy and share. Instant Jam embodies all of this and provides music lovers with a powerful new way to interact while experiencing their music.”

“The best part of working on a AAA game that lives online is that, unlike a boxed product, we’re not done when the game goes live; we’re just getting started,” said Amir Rahimi, Executive Producer of Instant Jam. “Currently, Instant Jam has all of the game play people have come to expect from premium rhythm games on consoles. We’ll be continually adding support for new songs, major features such as fully customizable avatars, and more social elements based on feedback from our community.”

“Instant Jam gives consumers a powerful new way to engage with the artists and bands they love; it actually encourages and rewards them for purchasing music they can then play anywhere,” added Jed Weitzman, Head of Business Development for InstantAction. “Instant Jam is more than a game – it’s an open platform for discovering and experiencing music with friends through the power of social media. It has incredible potential to help artists showcase and sell their music by engaging fans in a genuine and impactful way.”

According to InstantAction, here's what's promised for the game to start:

• Your Music. Instant Jam automatically checks your music library to match your songs to suggested note charts so you can play right away with your music – be it a legendary rock classic or an emerging indie band. Or you can play your songs with any note chart you wish.
• More Music. If you see something on the playlist you don’t own, simply purchase new songs from Amazon or iTunes through the game and get in-game value in excess of the cost of the song. Purchased songs are added to your music library and yours to use anywhere you play your music.
• Your Game. Instant Jam is free to play via social features as you earn fans, plays and new virtual items for bragging rights. Level up and earn new items, or quickly purchase them with micro-transactions to enhance game play.
• Console-Quality Game play. With game play consistent with the best music games on the market, Instant Jam is playable from within any browser without long, annoying download wait times.
• Share with Friends. Instant Jam can be embedded anywhere on the Web. Simply copy and paste the embed URL into your blog or website. Share the game with your social network and challenge friends to see who jams best.
• Universal Play. Instant Jam is launching with thousands of note charts supporting the world’s most popular songs – more than all other console rhythm-music games combined. Support for dozens of new songs in a variety of genres from around the globe will be added each week. The possibilities are endless!
• Your Style. You can play Instant Jam with standard USB guitar controllers already in the market or tap away on your keyboard.
• Coming Soon. The Instant Jam team will be adding new items and features on an ongoing basis based on community feedback.

We'll be bringing you more very soon from our full interview with Castle; we talked about Instant Jam, the Instant Action business, and the industry overall. Stay tuned!

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.