Despite beautiful cinematics about friendship and trust, Blizzard’s competitive shooter never received an in-game narrative or gameplay mode to match-and instead gained a reputation for terrible behavior by players.įrost Giant wants to avoid that mistake. Here the game channels the themes of a more recent Blizzard title, Overwatch. Beyond the demonic conflict, dusty ruins, and rocket packs, Stormgate hopes to hook players with an empowering vibe that builds on, instead of repeating, past hits. “We want to make sure people feel like we’re inviting them in,” he says. Ryder says the Stormgate team hopes all players can find a home in its new game. But Blizzard’s recent troubles, which include multiple allegations of sexual harassment, have tarnished the studio’s once unbeatable reputation and left fans looking elsewhere. Ryder and Neilson, like Frost Giant’s cofounders, spent years there before moving on to Frost Giant. It’s impossible to discuss Stormgate without referencing its ties to Activision Blizzard. From Starcraft to Dawn of War, hero characters help advance the story and provide players a relatable character to identify with. This will extend to the heroes, a key element that any real-time strategy gamer will crave. “We wanted a huge sandbox where we could really turn the designers loose, turn the artists loose, and say yes to the greatest ideas.” “We wanted to create a world where we could say yes to all kinds of things,” says Neilson. The setting’s blend of opposites provides opportunities to imagine unusual new missions, maps, races, units, and gameplay modes.
While the details of its monetization remain to be settled, Frost Giant Studios plans to offer the game as a free-to-play title with quarterly updates. This flexibility has implications for Stormgate’s narrative and gameplay. “It becomes this toy chest for us as artists, to be able to invent things, working with narrative, working with design.” Ryder, obviously passionate but also forced to hold back details, says conversations about how the game’s themes will play out in art and design are ongoing internally. “With this sci-fi and fantasy background, we can do endless things,” says Ryder.
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