Developers need inspiration and are often gamers themselves. The design director of Abiotic Factor on Steam now explains how much he actually plays and why video games are important not only for research.
Who is it about? Geoff “Zag” Keene is the design director of the survival co-op game Abiotic Factor, which currently has 95% positive reviews on Steam. The developer knows how to make a good game, and for him, it clearly involves playing himself.
In an interview with PCGamer, the developer explained how he and his colleagues managed to create such a great game and why playing themselves is extremely important.
Here you can watch the trailer for Abiotic Factor:
Developers are Gamers
How have other titles influenced development? For Geoff Keene, other titles have had a direct and very strong influence on his design philosophy and thus on Abiotic Factor. The developer has spent most hours in PUBG.
There he often played with the art director of the game and accumulated over 1,100 hours. At first, the title allegedly brought the two together, but there were also elements that they found interesting for their own title. For example, hiding in bushes, looting, and surviving.
Especially, the developer likes games with edges and quirks. He finds bugs exciting and personally does not like it when games are polished to perfection until the end. As an example, he mentions Dying Light, which, in contrast to its smoothly polished sequel, had charming bugs.
Currently, the developer spends his time in ARC Raiders where he finds the staging, the “vibe,” as he puts it, fascinating. Here, in his opinion, the developers have succeeded in creating a world where players enjoy spending time.
But he is also attracted to the co-op opportunities of Halo and others. He simply loves playing with friends, which is why Abiotic Factor is also designed for co-op.
What’s his comfort game? One name keeps coming up in the interview: Warcraft 2. The developer has a great love for the classic. It is not only the oldest game on his hard drive but also the origin of his career.
The developer explains that he was already obsessed with the game as a child and still comes back to it today. Especially when he is stressed at work, he often starts the game just to relax. He says: “Instead of going to therapy, guys literally just boot up Warcraft 2.”
Abiotic Factor has become a true masterpiece for many players. Hearing that the developers drew inspiration from various games and genres shows that a good developer must also be a passionate gamer. Success also comes for a German developer: 30,000 people celebrated with a German developer on Twitch about the launch of his game – one week later he sees what it has brought
