We told you back in June about a very cool enterprise that Syfy was working on with Trion Worlds that would link a massively multiplayer online video game with a TV series, such that gamers could and would affect what was happening with the TV series, and vice versa. The series and the game are therefore both named Defiance.

Variety now reports that Syfy has hired their director, and it’s Scott Stewart (Priest, Legion). As we told you in our first report, the series is to be written by sci-fi veteran Rockne S. O’Bannon (Farscape, Warehouse 13).

Here is what Syfy said about the project in a press release last summer:

Set on a future Earth, Defiance introduces players and viewers to a world where humans and aliens live together on a planet transformed by decades of conflict. The game combines the intense action of a “AAA” console shooter, with the persistence, scale, and customization of an MMO, while its TV counterpart weaves the rich tapestry of the world into a series with the scope, characters, and drama of a classic sci-fi epic. Because they exist in a single universe, the show and the game will influence each other and evolve together over time, with actions in both mediums driving the overall story of Defiance.

And Trion‘s outline of how it would work, from that same time:

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Trion and Syfy are collaborating on a massive event that will launch Defiance simultaneously as a global television program on Syfy and an MMO from Trion. In an entertainment first, the game and show will influence and depend on each other, and even feature some players’ characters on the TV shows as extras.

As always, we will keep you posted as things continue to progress.