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Randy Pitchford and Penn Jillette remaking Desert Bus for virtual reality

Entertainer Penn Jillette and Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford are working on a virtual reality remake of Desert Bus exclusively for charities.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

January 12, 2016

1 Min Read

Entertainer and magician Penn Jillette, who you probably recognize as one half of Penn and Teller, is working on a virtual reality remake of Desert Bus with Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. 

The original Desert Bus - a mini-game featured in the never-released 1995 Sega CD title, Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors - is played annually by charity organization Desert Bus for Hope, which last November raised over $600,000 by playing the game for 159 hours straight. 

According to Jillette the remake will only be made available for charities, such as Desert Bus for Hope, and will be released as part of a larger bundle.

"I'm working on a game. I'm working with Randy Pitchford, and we're going to do – and this is a big, big deal – we’re going to do a new Desert Bus and it’s going to be just for charities, so charities can use it to raise money," said Jillette, speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, Penn's Sunday School.

"We're doing a couple other games. It’ll be a bundle; we’re talking to a bunch of people. It'll probably be agnostic in terms of platform, and it’ll probably be for the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR."

To date the Desert Bus for Hope team have raised over $3.1 million for Child's Play, a charity that donates toys and games to children's hospitals around the world.

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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