to Shadow of War, for the way it makes you complicit in actions that, once perfectly justified, start to seem increasingly morally compromised and lost. Or we could talk a bit about what is still, after more than a decade and a half, my favourite game of all time, The Suffering, where gameplay mechanics dovetail at genius level with the moral questions the game is asking you. Good inspiration, I feel, is very much where you find it, and games have been inspiring me for a solid couple of decades, so there’s no shortage of places to look!
DO YOU WORRY THAT HAVING SUCH HIGH PROFILE CREATIVES ON BOARD MIGHT ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS THAT WILL BE HARD FOR THE GAME TO LIVE UP TO? Richard Morgan: Well, I guess... But it would be pretty defeatist to worry about that kind of thing, wouldn’t it. Like standing in the park and saying ‘Look at all this beautiful weather! Hey, what if it rains?’ I guess in the end it’s down to how confident you are
in your art. Personally, I enjoy hothouse environments, because watching highly talented and motivated people do their thing always fires my own creative engines into overdrive. There’s a kind of virtuous circle of rising energy to it; you all drive each other on. I mean, who’d trade that for something low key and safe and cut and dried?
Alexander Zoll: Our development team is unique and everyone has been hand-picked – our team leads bring in many decades of industry experience, and each of them has worked on highly successful titles and franchises. Experience and a wide understanding of how the industry works, how genres and specific titles work inside and out are important to us, especially when aiming at evolving a whole genre. At the same time, experience and track record alone
won’t form a team, so we’re paying as much attention to how each individual would fit into a specific department, and into Gunzilla overall. Thirdly, one of our most important development approaches is that we’re all open and listening to each other – of course, our team doesn’t just consist of directors and industry veterans, but of talents on all experience levels, who are united by passion. Within Gunzilla, all feedback is taken seriously and will be listened to, as that’s how we get the right take on bringing a whole genre to its next level – via experience and with as diverse views as possible.
…HOW MIGHT THAT BE AVOIDED? Alexander Zoll: The game that we’re working on clearly is a product of our whole team, and it wouldn’t be possible without all the creative input that every
single team member brings to the table. We can see the impact and progress of that during every single meeting, every single day – and especially on a weekly basis, when everyone at Gunzilla comes together to play-test the latest build of our game. Our approach of being an open studio, in which everyone’s feedback is not just welcome, but important, ensures that we’re having a clear understanding of what we’re creating.
WHAT CAN THOSE INTERESTED IN THE GAME AND ITS NARRATIVE BACKDROP EXPECT TO LEARN ABOUT IT IN THE YEAR AHEAD? Alexander Zoll: We’re currently at the crossroads for many important parts of the development, where important and defining decisions are being made. Development started roughly in Summer 2020, and given the scope of our project, this is where we’re now starting to end pre-production, and defining points for the time ahead. We’re very happy with where we are and what we have achieved, but it just needs some more time until we can go into detail for many points – so most things we’ll be sharing in the near future will still be on a rather high level, until we dive deeply into everything.
WHAT WILL BE YOUR FOCUS FOR THE COMING YEAR? Alexander Zoll: In addition to all the important development decisions we’re currently making, another big focus point is preparing the actual reveal for our game. While we can’t yet disclose where and when this is
going to happen, we can definitely say that we can’t wait for it, are very excited about sharing all the details with everyone, and once the time comes, will be very happy to present everything that defines our game.
THE INEVITABLE QUESTION: TIE-IN NOVELS, MOVIES, NETFLIX SERIES, ETC - ARE THESE BEING SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED? Richard Morgan: Oh hell yes! One of the reasons I’m aboard is because this was always planned as a general IP, not just a game. We’re creating a world here, a place players will want to return to again and again, and in time we hope to pass that passion on to other kinds of audiences as well.
Alexander Zoll: Our general approach always was and is to create not just a game, but a universe that allows for all forms and elements of entertainment to take part in it. With Richard’s, Neill’s and everyone’s expertise, that’s what we’re working on, while primarily focusing on the game, of course.
March 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 23
“Our development team is unique and everyone has been hand- picked – our team leads bring in many decades of industry
experience, and each of them has worked on highly successful titles and franchises”
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