The big interview: that Sony port, first-person, and shrugging off Uncharted comparisons.
How many more copies couldStarfieldhave sold it also arrived on PS5?
You’re cheering already!
Was this something you initially didn’t think was going to happen?
Or did you know, or hope, this would?
And it’s happening, so, yay [cheers again].
Torvenius:It’s something we’re excited about for sure.
Presumably launching the other side of Christmas means you have further time to polish it now, for PS5?
Andersson:Yeah, absolutely.
And this is also the opportunity to mention our technology is based on id Tech.
We have our own, modified, version of id Tech, but it is originally a multi-platform engine.
So we have a great start to it already.
I’ve seen the game compared this week to Riddick, and also, obviously, Uncharted.
Andersson:Two very different games!
Torvenius:And this is a very different game also.
With Uncharted it makes sense, since Uncharted was in-part inspired by Indy.
Andersson:Yeah, it makes sense.
Torvenius:This is a very interesting question and something we could talk about for a period of time!
Yes, obviously, there’s a lot of good adventure games out there we also appreciate and love.
But what we have set out to do within Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is very different.
We very early on took the decision that, without a doubt, this is first-person.
It also gives you a framework for what weshouldn’tdo to hit the tone of the IP.
When we had those components fleshed out, we were already on such a different path to those games.
We’re doing something we’ve referred to as ‘a MachineGames adventure game’.
In the early days, we said, ‘well, this is action-adventure’.
But then we said, ‘well, it’s not really action-adventure - it’s more adventure-action’.
We’re putting the adventure first.
And we’re putting a very deep narrative aspect first.
It’s a rollercoaster, just like the movies.
We have gone through this iteration of, like, ‘What’s that game?
What’s The Darkness?
What’s Wolfenstein?’
And now, ‘What’s Indiana Jones?’
What is a MachineGames game?
It’s something that’s story-driven, cinematic, first-person, with strong characters.
What’s the adventure version of that?
We have big chunks, like the deserts of Giza, you are free to roam.
What does that mean?
Well, you have a whip - obviously that needs to be a central feature.
What are we using the whip for?
You scale walls and traverse with it, but you also use it in combat.
It helps steer the shape of the development studio from a guns-blazing approach into it being an adventure game.
What else does that mean?
That’s new for us.
We haven’t done puzzles before.
What does a puzzle look like with this kind of sensibility that we have?
Well, it’s immersive, it’s physical.
All these things have been challenging, but make the game unique as well.
That’s a very important divide.
We’re doing something we feel is very unique.
Hopefully consumers will also feel like this is a fresh dish on the table.
Andersson:What does an adventure game in 2024 look like?
What does an adventure-first title look like?
I guess we get to decide.
People want to see Indy!
But, also you’re a studio with a lot of first-person history.
Where do you think the mood is on the decision to be first-person now - are people coming around?
Andersson:[To Torvenius] Can I take this one, you usually do.
I’m sure you’ve had this question before!
Andersson:Well, in variations.
And you know, we have good answers to it.
‘It’s a first person game.
What does that mean?’
Here at Gamescom, we are showing a longer version of what that is.
The question now is not about first-person but more about ‘what’s the adventure like?
What’s the adventure look like?’
You get to be Indiana Jones.
There’s always going to be people who would have preferred to see a different kind of game.
But our goal is to deliver the Indiana Jones experience whereyouget to play Indiana Jones.
And I think we are succeeding quite well there, from what I’m hearing that people are saying.
Torvenius:It’s also extremely important that this was a very conscious decision by MachineGames.
This is the game.
This is a MachineGames game.
Andersson:And, just because it needs to be said as well, it’s notonlyfirst person.
Again, borrowing from our rich history, we pull out into third-person, we have these amazing cutscenes.
We take every opportunity we can to pull out into third-person, to show the character.
Torvenius:It’s such an iconic silhouette.
There’s a lot of nice setups [where you see that].
You’ll see plenty of Indiana Jones' face and Troy Baker’s performance.
There’s no shortcoming.
That’s been the consistent feedback throughout, and that’s really what’s important here.
How important is it to draw in newcomers to Indiana Jones, as well as existing fans?
Andersson:This is a love letter to the series.
There’s plenty of fan service, if you will, Easter eggs, and things like that.
It’s equally important.
Andersson:You have to go to that audience too, absolutely.
Whatever brings people to really appreciate Indiana Jones, is correct, right?
We can be a part of that too.
Torvenius:Very early on, we obviously had that realisation as well.
We’re obviously not making a gameonlyfor people that grew up in the 80s.
We are 100 percent making a game for those people, because we are also those people.
A few more quick-fire questions.
Can you talk a little about how health and stamina work?
Andersson:We have health, we have stamina… Andersson:It’s honestly quite traditional.
This becomes a personal preference, but health should matter.
There are games out there where you have an effect when you’re hurt but then it goes away.
Health should have a more, longer-term strategic or tactical impact.
If you’re low health, you should stay low health.
you better find bandages.
you better approach scenarios a little more carefully if you’re low health.
you’re free to upgrade it throughout the game, it’s an important part of your progression.
Gina, your ally - will she be playable at all?
Andersson:No, youareIndiana Jones.
Torvenius:Gina is, of course, a big part of the game.
I hope she doesn’t turn out to be a Nazi.
Andersson:That is a very specific question…
Torvenius:There exists a very specific answer.
How are you set for launch now, later this year?
So as we go towards the launch, people know what to expect.
Torvenius:And slow doesn’t mean boring!
Sometimes there’s confusion there.
‘Oh, it’s not action at the time’.
