Yesterday it was reported that new downloadable content (DLC) for Portal 2 would be released on May 8th. Now a trailer for the DLC has been released showing what the “Perpetual Testing Initiative” will look like. Surprisingly, it looks very similar to the screenshots provided in a blog post back in October.

The trailer is narrated by Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson and features the Portal series’ signature dry humor. The premise is that Johnson and Aperture Science, who are running out of money, want to con other, parallel-universe versions of Earth into building their test chambers. The best part is the subtle joke residing in the fine print accompanying an image of dozens of different Earths:

Any resemblence to Earths not residing in the public domain is guaranteed by the physical laws of multiverse theory, and therefore not actionable.

Have a look at the trailer and savor another small nugget of Cave Johnson’s mad genius:

The trailer hits its tone perfectly, implying that Valve knows exactly what it is doing by releasing a map-maker. They are outsourcing content creation to us, the players. Not that I expect many players to complain. Crowd-sourcing creative projects such as puzzle-making has shown to be one of the most effective ways of producing high-quality content. With players able to upload maps to the Steam Workshop and vote on the best designs, the community surrounding Portal 2 will use the puzzle-maker in ways even Valve doesn’t expect, and keep at for years to come.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and let me know what puzzle designs you have in mind to torture your fellow test subjects.