Introduction

Ever since its debut in 1999, the song Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers has continued to touch hearts and minds to this date. We've all seen the music video and most of us have wondered what the videogame portrayed in the clip must have been like were it to ever be released. 

To this day, the portrayal in the music video still makes us eager to get our hands onto a playable version of the world that was portrayed. 

Hence it seems like a well-placed, nostalgic nod to a very prominent and interesting part of our musical history if it were to be funded, produced and released to the public. 

Who could make this happen?

A very obvious question, but not unimportant in the slightest.

The most prominent parties that would be able to make this happen are of course Warner Bros. Records and the current band members of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
However, it's also important to note that the studio responsible for the video clip might still have assets from the initial production. Since they seem to have re-branded from Pixel Envy to Hydraulx, it's a guess to as whether they have kept the archives from such a long time ago. 

Not to forget Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the directors of the original video would make a great addition to oversee such a production.

Last but not least, a game developer. I'm not aware of Hydraulx having a background in actual game design and hence there needs to be a studio behind this for all game-specific development. 

A game developer

Finding a competent game developer is no easy task. Even though Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment would have direct access to all production rights (if I am not mistaken), I, personally, would prefer an indie developer to take out their creativity on this one. The reason being that I believe an indie studio would provide a much more creativity-driven process in the development phase. It just seems to fit the Red Hot Chili Peppers' image in my opinion.

What would it look like?

This is a tough one. Mostly because, in the end, it all ends up in the hands of the people responsible and there's no knowing as to what they decide to do with the concept or whether they will even consider it.

My idea would be to implement the world as depicted in the original music video inside of a demo-like experience. Not bothering with something such as a story-driven game but rather taking the environment of the music video and having the player roam around in it. As shown in the video, there's red band logo's to be collected as a main purpose. In between sections there could be room for mini-games of sorts (e.g. Chad's Snowboarding section, Flea's Sequoia National Park section, ...).

All-in-all, I wish only for it to be replicated with the music video in mind, with that same unique aesthetic which we've all come to like.

The first step

It all starts with you, fellow enthusiasts. Those who want to make this a reality. Those who say: "I like this and whether or not it works, we'll try.".
Even though the resources aren't at hand right now, they might be in the future.

That means; the more people know, the more likely it'll get picked up.

Share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.