Multiplayer horror title The Flock, which has been billed as a game that ends once its entire population dies, it’s set to release on August 21st. It’s currently retailing on Steam for $17.

The Flock is rather interesting as far as concepts go – developer Vogelsap has essentially set the number of “lives” or the starting population to 215,358,979. This means that the game world will play host to this many deaths before the game’s sale ends and it becomes unplayable forevermore.

It’s intriguing and unorthodox, especially when you consider that the basic premise entails eventual death regardless. The goal is to provide an online experience with a definitive climax that players won’t soon forget.

Though the Steam page isn’t available yet, you can pre-order the game through the Humble Store. This nets you a second Steam key for a friend to join in on the dying. Check out the official FAQ to learn more about The Flock.

Of all the unique business models that I have seen for games, this one is probably the one that intrigues me the most. Vogelsap’s first-person asymmetrical multiplayer horror game will launch by October of this year, and when it launches, players will find that they have a limited time to buy and play it- you see, each time someone dies in the game, a life will correspondingly be taken from the total population counter of the eponymous ‘Flock.’ There will be a population countdown widget available in the in-game menus, the Steam store page, and other social channels.

And what happens once the timer hits zero? Well, that’s where the interesting part comes in- you can’t buy the game any more after that point. Only those that have the game can play it, and even then not forever. Existing players will be treated to a ‘cinematic finale,’ following which the game will go offline forever. And since it can only be played online, that means you simply won’t be able to play the game after the cinematic ending… at all.

It’s a unique way to do things, and I want to see if there will be backlash for this move, or if players will be more accepting, given that this is a business model that seems to add to gameplay, rather than detracting from it.