Pro-G is the latest site to discuss Project Top Secret with Dave Perry:

Pro-G: Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us David. Can you give our readers a little background info on what exactly this top secret project is?

David Perry: The idea behind the top secret project was to really expose some of the talent that's out there. It's actually a safe bet for me since I already know it's out there and I keep getting reminded of that anytime I do anything these days. One thing I do is work with colleges to try to help their students get into the game business, and when you see the quality of what they're turning out, it's absolutely stunning - really unbelievable.

The point is, for everything you want in a game, there's someone out there who cares passionately about it.

Pro-G: Like for example...

DP: We have a game in closed beta right now, people testing it, and there's this one guy who doesn't like the balance of these daggers, and there's like 100s of these weapons, and all he cares about are these daggers. He's instant messaging me, e-mailing me, sending private messages, creating polls with other people to back up his comments, and I'm like, dude, I hear you, I get it, but I've got some other things to take care of first. But that's my point. You let these people surface, they're out there, and I think with Top Secret, we're going to reveal that there's a lot of great talent out there. And I know we have this big prize for one person, but I think a bunch of people are going to end up getting good jobs out of this.

Interesting to note the game has been already designed.

The BBC News has a piece on Dave Perry's Top Secret - his MMO-cum-American-Idol project with Acclaim that will audition ordinary gamers for development positions.  The article claims 20,000 people have signed up and here's a snip:

The original goal was to try to develop a title faster than if it was done by professional developers alone, he said.

The project, known as Top Secret, is looking for artists, writers, designers and audio technicians from the ranks of ordinary gamers.

"With 20,000 people signed up we are already the biggest development team in history.

"We will end up with 100,000 people on this team. if 1% is any good, we are good to go."

Hmmm...too many cooks spoil the broth or many hands make light work?

Dave Perry has spoken to FiringSquad about their unusual Top Secret project to develop an MMO by using a talent quest audition:

FiringSquad: Let's talk about the "Top Secret" project. First, this game, unlike some of your other Acclaim projects, is being developed based on your original idea and is starting from scratch. Can you give us any hints at all about your concept for the game?

Dave Perry: Anyone that knows me, knows I’ve been helping new talent into the business for years. I’ve tried various ideas along the way to see what I can do. I’ve spent quite a bit of time at Westwood College with students and with our local IGDA chapter. On my website www.dperry.com I connected a wiki and started inviting developers to post pet projects there, so they could find talent to work with them. So this is really that concept on steroids, instead of just hosting students and gamers, this way we will all work together and make a game. I’ll be writing to everyone soon, the goal for the first game is actually just to keep it simple (fun) and get something shipped. Then we can see who did what, and who did well. The winner will get their own MMO and they will be able to invite any of the talent they enjoyed working with to help on their game. (I’m sure a lot of close friendships will be generated.)  

Not so much of a secret, is it?  Acclaim and David Perry (ex-Shiny) have hit on a bizarre idea for a new MMO, claiming they have a full-funded team waiting for someone to win the position of game director, like some sort of MMOG American Idol.  Head here for the Flash-y site and Kotaku has some details courtesy of Acclaim CEO Howard Marks:

Top Secret is like 'The Apprentice' meets 'American Idol' meets 'The Video Game Industry'. We're giving our players a chance to work on an online game that we will actually develop and publish. Our community really loves these games and knows what it takes to make a hit. And it will be a dream come true for one lucky star that shines the most throughout the project.

And more...

Los Angeles (February 23, 2007) - Acclaim Games and video game industry superstar David Perry have partnered to present the ground-breaking "Top Secret" project. In this project, players actually get an opportunity to participate in the entire video game development process from start to finish.

In an unprecedented move for the game industry, these players will be given a chance to have their work featured in a massively multiplayer PC game that will be published by Acclaim and directed by David Perry. Perry will choose a winner from the contributors, and Acclaim will be giving them a breath-taking prize, 'A Video Game Industry Directorship', working on a new fully-funded massively multiplayer online PC game. David Perry will be their Executive Producer to help them as needed on their game, and once they complete their project, they will even earn royalties from the game sales!

"I've always loved the idea that someone, from their bedroom, reveals their passion and talent, then suddenly can have an absolutely stunning career explosion, becoming a famous Game Director with a pre-built fan base. We're going to make it happen!" says David Perry who is a Game Director and Chief Creative Officer for Acclaim Games.

David Perry will be building the new online game from scratch and is offering members of the Acclaim player community a rare opportunity to help him develop this video game in a collaborative effort with some of the industry's best talent. "We will bring in some surprise guests along the way to inspire and mentor the contributors," says Perry.

One lucky winner who shines the most during the development process will be given the top prize. "This is the only chance I know of to jumpstart a directorship career in the video game industry," continues Perry. "Everyone wins. They get to learn how to make professional games, and if they get anything in, they get a real professional credit on their resume." Perry finishes, "But, if they win, well then they get their life changed."

Interestingly, applicants don't need any prior game development experience. In fact, Perry refuses to look at resumes. "We only care about the pure, focused, passionate talent they show up with," he says.