E3 2018: Announcing Open World Action Game Generation Zero Coming Soon to Xbox One

This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Xbox Wire.

To be able to finally announce the game that you’ve been working on is not only the most wonderful but also the most harrowing of experiences for a game developer. Here is a project that you’ve poured your heart and soul into for a longer period of time, and the moment of truth finally arrives – what will the rest of the world think?

This is especially true for Generation Zero, being our first self-published action game with no external parties involved. In short, this means that we call all the shots but also carry all the risks. The creative freedom that follows along with this makes it all worth it though, as our small but brilliant team gets to truly express their passion and develop something unique. In our case, it is an open world action game that you can play alone or in 4-player co-op, where stealth elements and suspenseful exploration of a beautiful but hostile world are mixed with adrenaline-pumping explosive combat against an invading army of deadly machines. All set against a backdrop of 1980s Sweden.

When describing Generation Zero, we usually refer to it as a guerilla action game, since the odds are constantly stacked against you. While the setting of Generation Zero might look pretty at first glance, you quickly discover that it is not only deadly but also requires that you constantly scan your surrounds for any loot that can help you survive. For at a second’s notice, you might find yourself face-to-face with one of the enemies roaming the world, and then it’s up to you to quickly decide whether you fight, run, or hide. Regardless of the path you choose or how you decide to play, the actions you take in both missions and encounters will remain in the world through our persistent simulation. So even if you don’t manage to down that enemy the first time, the scars of your skirmish will remain on them even if you quit and restart the game.

And at its core, that is what Generation Zero is: the freedom to approach any situation with whatever means available to you and to utilize your and your team’s creativity to maximum effect. There is no right way, only your way, and our goal is to ensure that no two fights play out the same. Be it scars from a previous encounter, new skills, environmental opportunities, time of day or what weapons you are carrying, you never know how a situation will play out. All that’s important is that you stay alive.

And at the end of the day, that is what 10 years of developing open world sandbox games has taught me, to hand the reins over and watch the players take control. There is no point in forcing solutions or dictating how you should play the game. Instead, by simply providing you with the right toolbox of creative toys, we can watch you come up with creative solutions we would never have dreamed of. It is with this mindset that we’ve created Generation Zero, and can’t wait to see how you overcome the overwhelming odds. I hope you find the game as exciting as we do, and can’t wait to show you more.

Welcome to Sweden!