Abandoned: this is how much the trailer app would weigh

Abandoned

Up until last week we were in the middle of a surprising case to say the least. Abandoned, the elusive and mysterious new game coming to PS5 was about to show itself with something new in a rather peculiar way. The interest of many enthusiasts quickly arose around the project, who began to see us behind the hand of an unconventional marketing master like Hideo Kojima.

After Abandoned presented himself with a short teaser, the reveal of the project was expected just last week, when the guys of Blue Box Games Studios had planned to release a mysterious application that would have revealed more details on the much talked about game. Unfortunately this app was sent back directly by the head of the studio, who putting his face on it revealed that now this particular reveal is expected for the month of August.

In the meantime, however, it seems that they have appeared on the net some very first information on the app dedicated to Abandoned. Now, apparently, the application seems to already be present in the PlayStation Store. Although it cannot be downloaded yet, it is possible to notice in advance the size of that application which is 1.8 GB. We do not know what awaits us in this particular way of making a reveal, but for sure the mystery continues to thicken more and more.

According to the words of Hasan Kahraman, the head of Blue Box Games Studios, there will be wait a little longer before you know what the much talked about Abandoned will be. To date, the situation around the title has definitely calmed down, but we know how little it takes for fans to rekindle, and for sure this project has managed to attract the attention of a large slice of gamers in a very short time.

While waiting to find out the truth behind this game, you can buy Death Stranding on Amazon at this address.

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I toured 3 abandoned Detroit homes that are being auctioned off for $1,000 — see what buyers can expect

During a recent trip to Detroit, I saw many neighborhoods filled with homes that were dilapidated and boarded up.

Most streets in Detroit have abandoned homes.Frank Olito/ Insider

These abandoned homes point to the city's complicated past.

Detroit was once known as a city of industry. In the mid-1900s, people flocked to the Midwest for jobs in the auto industry, and the population boomed. In 1990, there were just over 1 million people calling Detroit home, but by the turn of the century, that number began to drop. In 2000, there were 951,270. Fast-forward to 2020, there are now only 670,031 people in Detroit. 

People left for a variety of reasons, including factories closing, racial tensions, white flight, and the 2008 housing crisis. 

As employment opportunities declined, some properties went into foreclosure due to unpaid taxes or mortgages, and they were left abandoned. Today, some of these buildings remain empty and now stand in ruins. 

In the last decade, the Detroit Land Bank Authority started auctioning off these abandoned homes for as little as $1,000.

An abandoned home in Detroit.Frank Olito/ Insider

The Detroit Land Bank Authority is an organization that works with the local government to sell these homes to buyers. In 2014, the City of Detroit, Wayne County, and the State of Michigan started transferring ownership of the homes to the Land Bank. 

'It was an effort to consolidate a mass of publicly owned properties within the city of Detroit,' Alyssa Strickland, the assistant director of public relations and strategic initiatives at the Detroit Land Bank Authority, told me. 

The homes go up for auction on the Lank Bank website, starting at $1,000. When the auctions close, the average homes sell for just under $5,000, but some could reach $50,000. A buyer is then expected to renovate and restore the home to livable standards within six months to ensure it doesn't remain abandoned under the new ownership. 

Strickland said the bulk of the Land Bank's remaining inventory is 'modest, single-family homes under 2,000 square feet.'

I had to enter the house through the back because of the broken front porch and boarded-up front door.

The back of the house.Frank Olito/ Insider

The vegetation at the back of the house was even more alarming than at the front. 

When I stepped inside, I entered a crumbling kitchen.

There was nothing left of the kitchen.Frank Olito/ Insider

At that moment, I realized these homes aren't just abandoned — they're also completely ruined by time and weather. 

The living room was completely boarded up and dark.

The boarded up living room.Frank Olito/ Insider

The doors and windows on the first floor of each Land Bank house are boarded up, so no one can break in and squat there. It's a practical move, but it definitely added an eerie feeling to the unusual home-buying experience. 

On the second floor, I found two bedrooms, but the walls were completely black from a past fire.

There were holes in the floor and walls.Frank Olito/ Insider

Each of the rooms had holes in the floors, walls, and ceilings. 

The bathroom was torn to pieces. At this point, I realized just how much work it would take to bring one of these homes back to its former glory.

The bathroom.Frank Olito/ Insider

Strickland said buyers must try to finish renovating before the six-month deadline, but the Land Bank is lenient. 

'The vast majority of our buyers require an extension,' Strickland said. 'That's fine as long as they continue to make progress on the property.' 

Otherwise, the Land Bank reserves the right to take the property back from the owners. 

The second house I visited just sold for $5,000.

The exterior of the second home.Frank Olito/ Insider

Although the windows were boarded up, the house looked in much better shape than the first one. 

Once inside, I found a kitchen with no appliances, countertops, or even a ceiling.

The kitchen.Frank Olito/ Insider

In the right corner, there were pills all over the floor, and they continued throughout the rest of the house. 

The living room was void of light, but the fireplace caught my attention.

The living room.Frank Olito/ Insider

Although the windows were boarded up, I could still see the beautiful fireplace with leaves flowing out of it. For the first time during my tour, I could easily see how the house might come back to life with this beautiful, brick fireplace as the focal point of the room.

The paint along the staircase to the second floor was peeling off the walls.

The staircase to the second floor.Frank Olito/ Insider

I stepped on paint chips all over the run-down house. 

The hallway at the top of the stairs was in terrible condition, too.

The hallway on the second floor.Frank Olito/ Insider

I imagined the cupboard at the end of the hallway could easily be fixed up as a nice vintage feature in this home. 

In the bedrooms, the paneling had fallen off the walls onto the charred flooring.

The bedroom.Frank Olito/ Insider

Although most of the bedrooms were derelict, all three were great sizes. 

The bathroom was in bad condition as well.

The bathroom.Frank Olito/ Insider

Just like the kitchen, the bathroom had various pills scattered across the floor and countertops. 

Back outside, the next-door neighbor said this house has sat abandoned for over 10 years.

Abandoned houses on the street.Frank Olito/ Insider

He explained that he's lived on this block — which has a few abandoned, boarded-up houses — for 50 years and watched as people left the neighborhood. 

'We're waiting for a new body of people who want to see change,' he said. 'Change is coming.'

The third house I visited was located next to a public school and just sold for $94,000 after a bidding war during the auction process.

The exterior of the third house.Frank Olito/ Insider

Strickland said the location of this home might have been the reason for the price to reach over $90,000. 

The home's kitchen was just as empty as the others I viewed.

The empty kitchen.Frank Olito/ Insider

At the very least, this kitchen had workable countertops. 

The living and dining rooms were dark spaces, but they had a lot of potential.

The living room and dining room space.Frank Olito/ Insider

Although the window was boarded up in the living room, I was surprised by its massive size. I could imagine natural light flooding the room once it's renovated into an open-concept home. 

The hallway to the back bedrooms was drenched in an ominous blue light.

The blue hallway.Frank Olito/ Insider

When I looked up, I noticed the entire roof was exposed because of a fire, and a blue tarp was covering the gaping hole above my head. As sunlight came through the tarp, it flooded the walkway with blue light.

The back bedrooms were basically shells of former rooms.

One of the back bedrooms.Frank Olito/ Insider

The caution tape that hung throughout the house made it feel like I was walking through a crime scene.

After touring some of the homes for sale, I met up with one woman who bought a home through the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

Cynthia Reaves in her renovated kitchen.Frank Olito/ Insider

Cynthia Reaves runs JGA Property Group, a real-estate development company in Detroit, and decided to buy a two-family home in the Bagley neighborhood through the Land Bank.

In 2019, she bought the house for $52,000 through the auction process but then got a 50% discount because her mother used to work for the city. 

During the auction process, Reaves said she ran into issues.

The renovated house.Frank Olito/ Insider

Reaves said she feels she was a victim of an investor group trying to bid up the price — she doesn't believe the home was worth $52,000.

This is a common complaint Detroiters have about the Detroit Land Bank Authority. According to Curbed, many Detroiters have complained they cannot buy the homes they want in the neighborhoods they want through the Land Bank. Some Detroiters claim the Land Bank favors out-of-town investors and developers who price gauge the auctions. 

Strickland said this isn't the case. She said, 'Seventy-one percent of our buyers are Detroit residents at the time of purchase, 74% are Black, and 64% become homeowners through their Land Bank purchase.'

She added, 'We're very proud of how these numbers demonstrate that the Land Bank is succeeding in creating accessible pathways to home and property ownership for Detroiters.'

Reaves also said the renovation process would be difficult for somebody with little to no experience.

The living room of Reaves' house before renovation.Courtesy of Cynthia Reaves

'There are very few people who can take on these projects and get them done according to the code,' Reaves said. 'You have to follow the city of Detroit code requirements, you have to follow the permit requirements, and for many individuals, that is a burden.' 

Strickland said the Land Bank has developed programs to help with these issues. For instance, they now offer discounts for certain Detroiters, and they have partnered with Home Depot for exclusive discounts to help offset the cost of renovation. Strickland said the compliance department also works closely with home buyers to navigate the tricky permit process. 

After spending $75,000 on renovating and restoring the house, Reaves now rents it out to tenants.

The renovated living room.Frank Olito/ Insider

Reaves charges her two tenants between $1,100 and $1,400 on rent.

'I love it because both of my tenants were so excited to have a house,' she said. 'They call it their forever home.'

Reaves' home is one of more than 4,200 homes purchased through the Detroit Land Bank Authority that are now renovated and occupied.

As I walked through the renovated house, I almost forgot this home was once a dilapidated building.

The renovated kitchen.Frank Olito/ Insider

Even though Reaves had to outbid an investor group, battle permit problems, and renovate on a tight budget, she was able to turn this formerly dilapidated house into a beautiful home and a great investment that she says ultimately benefits the larger city of Detroit. 

'It's important to the revitalization of the community,' Reaves said. 

After touring these homes, I realized the Detroit Land Bank Authority has the power to shape the future of Detroit — if it's done right.

A semi-renovated home.Frank Olito/ Insider

If the Land Bank continues to offer these abandoned homes to Detroiters and help them through the process, it could help further Detroit's larger revitalization process. 

From the few homes I toured, I could see there's potential in each of them — all that's needed are people who are willing to turn these houses into homes again.

'Detroit is a very vibrant city. There are pockets of beauty and wonderful homes that people can have for reasonable prices. Where else can you buy a brick home for $1,000?' Reaves said. 'Come on in. The water's fine.'