GamesFPSCall of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty Black Ops legend says his new studio is an attempt to get back to “old-school” game developmentWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSCall of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty Black Ops legend says his new studio is an attempt to get back to “old-school” game developmentWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty Images Entertainment / Chris Weeks)
One last shot
(Image credit: Bulletfarm)
Instead, Vonderhaar says it’s about “discovery, and exploration, and building connections, and finding the relationships between things. I think ‘intimate’, for us, means that your relationship between you and what you’re doing is up close. You’re aware that there are consequences for decisions, it’s not just storms and storms and storms of dead bodies. We want it to be a lot more personal, a lot more connected.”
My mind goes immediately to the extraction shooter, and in particular the high-risk calculations that go into firing even a single shot in a game as tense as Hunt: Showdown. When I put that comparison to Vonderhaar, he hints that I’m “not too far off.” As much as the team has studied Hunt, however, “the worlds are way different, the amount of combat’s way different.”
“I think we need to be a little more ‘old-school’ with how we approach things”
“I think we need to be a little more ‘old-school’ with how we approach things”
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Farming it out
(Image credit: Bulletfarm Games)
“The game has got the intimate vibe, the studio needs the intimate vibe, it’s all part of the culture of the company,” he explains. “Specialists drive quality up,” he says, but they thrive most in teams of thousands, not dozens, and right now, Bulletfarm needs generalists. With so much volatility in the industry, studios like this, which are “small and nimble” but have the support of a larger apparatus around them - just like the teams that made Zombies, or Blackout - seem the safest bet, as long as the games that they come out with live up to their creators' reputations. Even then, Vonderhaar points out that for him, making those games is no longer the hardest thing he has to do. Now, that title belongs to the startup, maintenance, and perhaps long-term running of his studio.
More about fpsMaster Chief’s absence from Halo Wars wasn’t Bungie’s fault, it was a move to make players “care about everybody else” in the RTSA year on, The Finals is still the most exciting new FPS out there - here’s why
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Master Chief’s absence from Halo Wars wasn’t Bungie’s fault, it was a move to make players “care about everybody else” in the RTSA year on, The Finals is still the most exciting new FPS out there - here’s why
Master Chief’s absence from Halo Wars wasn’t Bungie’s fault, it was a move to make players “care about everybody else” in the RTS
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A year on, The Finals is still the most exciting new FPS out there - here’s why
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”