Atomfall / Rebellion
In anticipation of Atomfall’s release, the developers showed the system requirements and told us how difficult it is to organize the work of a studio the size of Ubisoft.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will not be the only big gamewhich will be released this month. Coming soon is Atomfall — a post-apocalyptic survival action game from Rebellion that is inspired by Fallout і S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The player will have complete freedom of action and will be able to kill any NPC.
Unlike AAA monsters like Shadows — Atomfall more atmospheric survival-action in the open world. The plot reveals to the player the British hinterland, which suffered from a nuclear disaster. The creators were inspired by the real-life Windscale accident in the 50s
During the game, users will face moral dilemmas, the impact of decisions on the plot, and complex characters. The developers promise not a classic shooter, but a game where you will have to survive, collect supplies and plan every battle.
Particular emphasis is placed on the mechanics of heart rate control, which is familiar to Sniper Elite fans. Atomfall also runs on the proprietary Asura engine to create large open worlds without overloading the system.
But while Ubisoft Quebec and 17 other studios are «finishing up» Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Rebellion is asking themselves how to coordinate the development of such a large-scale game. CEO Jason Kingsley shared his thoughts on the organization of large studios.
«How do you organize a game that has 2,000 people working on it? I mean, just the level of organization must be mind-numbing», — says Jason Kingsley.
Rebellion’s CEO explained that even in his studio, which employs about 475 developers, process management is quite complex. And in large teams, organization levels multiply like cells.
«We’ve got layers of organization. We’ve got producers, and we’ve got leads, and we’ve got discipline leads. But they must have several layers above that, of people who are in charge of the people who are in charge of the people», — the CEO adds.
He didn’t specifically mention Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but given that 18 Ubisoft studios are working on the game, the hint is more than transparent. Kingsley is not criticizing Ubisoft, on the contrary, he is surprisingly impressed with the scale of the work. According to him, «they (games, — ed.) cost a fortune, and they’re incredibly beautiful pieces of work. But sometimes they’re so damn big».
Atomfall will be released on March 27 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S|X. Deluxe Edition owners will receive three days of early access, additional in-game items, and access to future DLC. The game will also be available on Game Pass on release day. Previously, Atomfall was shown at the Future Games Show and Gamescom