Developer Vogelsap has announced that its first-person asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, The Flock, will be releasing on to Steam and The Humble Store on August 21 for $16.99

Gamers who pre-order The Flock will receive an extra key to the game for a friend. All future gameplay-related DLC will be free of charge.

When the game launches, the Flock’s population counter will be set at 215,358,979. With every in-game death of a member of the Flock, the population counter will tick down by one. When the total reaches zero the game will no longer be for sale on Steam. Only those who already own The Flock will be able to take part in the next phase of the game with an unannounced climatic finale.

“We’ve asked ourselves what kind of experience people would be getting from The Flock years after release. Hardly anyone would be online and those still playing would be either great at the game or brand new. That’s not a fun player-experience.” said Jeroen van Hasselt, creative director at Vogelsap. “So we think it’s worth sacrificing that possibility in order to try and improve the experience for most players when they are actually playing the game.”

The Flock takes place in the year 3000 on a post-apocalyptic Earth where pollution has not only prevented sunlight from reaching the surface of the planet, but also led to the extinction of humanity. The planet’s new dominant species is the Flock, a hideous race of skeletal beasts that prowl mankind’s ruins. Multiplayer matches consist of members of the Flock vs. the Carrier, a humanoid who possesses a Light Artifact whose illumination can kill any Flock in the shadows.

I gotta say, this is pretty unique concept for a game. But 215, 358,979 sure is a large number. It will be interesting to see how long it will take for that number to dwindle all the way down to zero.

For more information of The Flock, you can check out the game’s official site.