Today was the EA Play Live 2021 Spotlight on the future of FPS gaming. Our round-up will tell you everything you missed and help you prepare for the EA Play Live event on July 22nd.
The interview lasted just over half an hour and IGN’s Stella Chung was the host. There were four people with her. This included Vince Zampella (founder of Respawn and general manager of the group), Chad Grenier (game director of Apex Legends), Christian Grass (general manager of Ripple Effect Studios) and Oskar Gabrielson (general manager of DICE).
Unsurprisingly, the main focus of the event was Apex Legends and Battlefield 2042. However, the group shared some fun anecdotes about the development of other games, including beloved titles like Titanfall and Titanfall 2.
The interview made all the developers seem very human and vulnerable. For example, they discussed the agony and ecstasy of surprising players with the launch of Apex Legends. They were stressed and anxious before his release and then thrilled by the enthusiastic response from fans. But they became stressed and anxious again once they realized they needed to hurry to create new content for their growing fan base.
In short, they discussed the philosophy behind the rebranding of DICE LA into Ripple Effect Studios. The creative team involved believes the game’s major developments may come from the smallest ripples, leading to their new name.
As for Battlefield 2042, the team has discussed bringing back fan-favorite games, but hasn’t named specific maps. They also pointed out how fun Hazard Zone mode would be because it’s a more modern take on battle royale with unique features and an emphasis on special powers.
As for the development of Battlefield, they discussed the need to know when to listen to developers who have crazy ideas, how to arm tornadoes for 2042. At the same time, they need to know when an idea doesn’t work and when to move on to something else. .
They also discussed how time-consuming development of Battlefield could be, with the creation of a new map taking six to 12 months. Ironically, however, they noted that the COVID-19 pandemic made it easier to remotely coordinate different developers and teams to focus on 2042. But this was necessary because they now know how difficult it is to launch a live service game.
In addition to Battlefield, the team had a lot to say about Apex Legends. For example, they mentioned how the development grew out of their love for the Titanfall universe. This is why writers and developers constantly sneak into Titanfall references and characters in Apex Legends.
At the same time, they knew they wanted their Apex Legends battle royale to be a little slower and more predictable than Titanfall. Part of the fun of Titanfall comes from unpredictable elements like wall running and giant mechs, but it doesn’t really work when you’re trying to create something a little more linear like a battle royale.
A funny example of this came when they were arguing about players finding unexpected ways to play. A specific example was when players realized they could create a warp field and shoot through it, curving bullets and killing players in a very unexpected way.
Interestingly, they claimed that the development of Apex Legends didn’t really click for them until they realized they needed to focus on the characters (the titular legends) rather than just the gameplay and skills.
Focusing on the legends also helped them focus more on the fan community. To that end, developers love to retweet art and other creative initiatives from fans. Sometimes, they even go to great lengths to provide information to the fan community to help them bring their art and fanfiction to life in a more authentic way.
At one point, the team was asked about FPS games that influenced their sense of game design. They threw out titles like CS: Go, Battlefield 1942, Doom, Quake III, and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault,
At the end of the interview, the developers discussed the lessons from the last year. This included flexibility with regards to releasing content so they have time to refine it. They also had to find a balance between producing content for the players and taking the time to breathe for the developers. Finally, they stated the obvious: They learned that running a live serve game was an important learning experience.
In the end, the host asked the developers the big question: What do they see as the future of FPS games? Several responses included the need to pay homage to the popular games of the past while finding ways to innovate. They also want to explore the potential of cloud-based gaming. And their positive relationship with fans has shown them the need to embrace games as social scenarios rather than just competitive spaces.
What can we expect to hear from them at EA Play Live on July 22nd? We will have more information on Apex Legends, including information on the ranked arenas that will launch next season and the next legend to be added to the game.
And we’ll take our best look at Battlefield 2042, a game that could define the series and play its part in shaping the future of FPS games.
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