As gothic survival shooter Hunt: Showdown turns six this month, we caught up with design director Dennis Schwarz and acting game director Scott Lussier to discuss the game’s anniversary and future.
Though developer Crytek already had experience with making first-person shooter (FPS) games thanks to its Crysis series, Schwarz told NME that Hunt: Showdown forced developers at the studio to rethink the way they were used to making games.
“Many of our devs at the time came from a boxed-product mindset, where they’d work on a game for some time, release it, and then move on to another project,” said Schwarz. “With Hunt: Showdown being intended as a live product, the plan was to improve and maintain it for years to come. We had to shift our approach to how we worked and how we interacted with our players. We also had to figure out which techniques were needed to achieve success.”
A large part of this meant listening to players more, and letting them play a bigger part in how their game was shaped. “As developers, you should listen to your players if you want to succeed and grow,” said Schwarz. “It’s important to find the right balance between your initial vision and how your community lives and breathes the game in practice.”
Looking ahead, Lussier shared that 2024 will mark a “significant milestone” for Hunt: Showdown. This will begin with a “highly anticipated engine upgrade and Gen9 console update,” along with an overhaul to the game’s user interface (UI). A “new map” with “plenty of verticality” is also on the way, while Crytek will be “doubling down on the console experience” with a revamped weapon wheel and custom button remapping.
Meanwhile, Port Sulphur Band have released a music video for Hunt: Showdown theme ‘Rise Up Dead Man’ – you can check it out here.