Abandoned
There are three days left until the presentation (with app) of Abandoned, the game from BLUE BOX Game Studios. The work and its team are somewhat mysterious and these days players are having fun (or obsessing, it depends) to find out exactly what lies behind them. Now, at least, a mystery has been revealed: the team has explained the meaning of the firm's name; color has nothing to do with it.As you can see for yourself in the tweet below, BLUE is not "blue", but Best Level User Experience, which can be translated into Top Level User Experience. BLUE BOX Game Studios explains the concept as "unique gameplay interactions with an unparalleled user experience". Not that this gives us any kind of clue as to what Abandoned is or what is really going on.
For now, we've also found that Blue box claims "the PC community will be happy", which leads us to think the game isn't exactly full PS5 exclusive - more believable that it's a time exclusive or an exclusive console (i.e. coming to PC but not to Xbox and Switch). For now this is what the developer account reported.
The mystery deepens and we sincerely hope that it will not all turn out to be a great hoax: fans would not take the question well if Abandoned were "any" game. Also, Konami shared a shop teaser that reminds you of Silent Hill.
Have you noticed any errors?
Future of abandoned Hamden middle school in limbo; state seeks 'significant progress,' official says
HAMDEN — As the clock runs out on a developer’s contract with the town, the future of the long-abandoned Newhall Street middles school site hangs in limbo.
Hamden five years ago selected the Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut, which operates under the name NeighborWorks New Horizons, as the preferred developer of the former middle school at 560 Newhall St.
The town approved a contract setting aside land for the nonprofit organization, according to Dale Kroop, Hamden’s former economic development director. Their plan was to convert an old gymnasium into a community center and construct 87 apartments, including market-rate and affordable housing units.
But unless the town grants NeighborWorks New Horizon an extension, the agreement will expire July 22, Town Planner Erik Johnson said.
The long abandoned middle school complex at 560 Newhall St. in Hamden June 18, 2021.
Meghan Friedmann / Hearst Connecticut MediaTom Cruess, president and CEO of the nonprofit, said he “absolutely” hopes to renew the contract.
But Councilman Justin Farmer, D-5, whose district includes the site, feels the town should solicit new proposals and engage in a “community conversation” about what southern Hamden residents want for the site.
He’s not opposed to giving NeighborWorks New Horizons another chance, he said, but believes a month is not enough time for the public to review materials.
The site and surrounding neighborhood, which were constructed atop the contaminated soil of an industrial landfill, have been the subject of a decade-long remediation effort.
Part of the middle school complex was portioned off and transformed into Hamden’s business incubator, while the remaining land was slated for the NeighborWorks New Horizons project.
The long abandoned middle school complex at 560 Newhall St. in Hamden June 18, 2021.
Meghan Friedmann / Hearst Connecticut MediaWhile the organization has expressed interest in renewing the contract, it has not yet submitted materials laying out a revised site plan, according to Johnson, who said an extension would require Legislative Council approval.
Cruess said the organization submitted a letter expressing the nonprofit’s wish to extend the contract.
He was not aware of outstanding application materials but said his organization would “get back to (Johnson) and get him whatever it is that he needs.”
If the contract were to lapse, the town likely would “conduct a reevaluation of the existing site conditions,” gather community feedback and issue a new Request for Proposals, Johnson said.
“What they proposed five years ago might not necessarily be the same thing that makes sense to propose today,” he said.
For example, while Neighborworks New Horizons originally intended to convert the former school into housing units, that option might be cost-prohibitive due to environmental issues and the deterioration of the building, Johnson said, noting that demolition may be the best course of action.
The plan also should address a parking shortage in the neighborhood that stems from the popularity of nearby parks, he said.
Development delaysIt’s been six years since NeighborWorks came to an agreement with Hamden, and the site remains in disuse. But remediation efforts, including the demolition of two buildings, remained ongoing.
“The site was contaminated and required quite a bit of remediation, so I think the delay is really around that process taking quite a bit longer than anyone expected,” Cruess said. “It was not anticipated that it would take upwards of five, six years. … In order to really secure funding, we needed that remediation to be completed.”
According to Kroop, NeighborWorks New Horizons did not cause the delay. Under former Gov. Dannel Malloy’s administration, he said, the state declined to consider applications for funding until the land remediation was finished.
In this file photo, then Hamden Director of Economic and Community Development Dale Kroop, left, and State Rep. Michael C. D'Agostino, D-Hamden, at the former Hamden Middle School building on Newhall Street in Hamden in 2017.
Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media“That completely kiboshed them for at least three of the years,” he went on, adding that the project would have cost $750,000 less if site work had been allowed to occur at the same time as the remediation.
While a point-based application process makes it challenging to secure funding on sites with pending remediation, “from our point of view, we had this really important project that they weren’t being flexible (on),” Kroop said. “This was a consent order that the state of Connecticut initiated, so there was no doubt that that remediation was gonna happen.”
The Regional Water Authority, responsible for cleaning up the land around the buildings, completed the physical work last year, according to Kroop, who said the remediation officially will be completed once the state issues an Environmental Land Use Restriction.
An ELUR acts as a public disclosure to future property owners. Kroop said an ELUR is being prepared for the Newhall complex.
When asked about Kroop’s statement on the delay in obtaining funds, state Department of Housing spokesman Aaron Turner said in emails the need for remediation had prevented the transfer of the property by the town.
He confirmed the ELUR was pending and said NeighborWorks New Horizons received a letter indicating the RWA had completed the work.
Delays on the project were compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, according to Turner’s statement.
“Our hope is that significant progress will be accomplished and an application for the development of the project will be forth coming in the next Fiscal Year,” he wrote.
Neighborworks New Horizons has received a $300,000 pre-development loan for the site, according to Turner, who indicated no other state money has yet been approved.
Cruess said the organization has used the loan for architectural planning and site surveys.
Under the town’s current arrangement, NeighborWorks New Horizons would be responsible for remediation of the buildings themselves, according to Kroop, who said said the nonprofit needs to obtain funding to support those efforts.
Going forwardWhile Farmer expressed a desire to reassess site options, Turner’s statement suggests the DOH is expecting an application to be filed for the site. .
“The Department of Housing hopes that a mutually beneficial resolution will be achieved between the municipality and (NeighborWorks New Horizons/Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut),” it said. “We all share a common goal - as this project has (experienced) delays, in part due to COVID, the department will continue to be available to provide technical assistance to move it forward.”
Meanwhile, Farmer worried that his constituents’ voices go unheard in matters of development.
The town should set high standards for the site, Farmer said, contending the land is valuable because of limited space in the area.
“We should not be expecting less. We should be expecting more,” Farmer said. “My biggest concern … is because we are in a financial crisis … we’re going to sell ourselves short.”
In the past, residents have expressed an interest in building single- or multifamily homes on the site, according to the councilman, who said he wants a development plan that will help build generational wealth and ensure the land remains a long-term asset to the community.
One building he wants to see in that plan is a community center. Farmer said the former gymnasium NeighborWorks New Horizons proposed converting into a community center would need additions to meet community needs.
A plan for the community center was never formalized, according to Cruess, who said NeighborWorks New Horizons intended to seek input as the process unfolded.
“We would work closely with the town to meet the needs of the neighborhood,” he said.
The long abandoned middle school complex at 560 Newhall St. in Hamden June 18, 2021.
Meghan Friedmann / Hearst Connecticut MediaGenerally, Cruess said the organization engaged the community at the start of the process and would do so going forward.
“We’re a mission-based organization,” he said. “Building communities is really part of our mission, so we always want to make sure that whatever developments we undertake are in keeping with really the goals of the community.”
meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com