MeinMMOs editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski interviewed Martin Hultberg from Sharkmob AB during gamescom 2025. Hultberg is the Narrative Director for the upcoming extraction shooter Exoborne. In the interview, he talked about the challenges of telling a story in a PvP-focused game.
What does the developer say about storytelling in PvP shooters? Hultberg explained that it is important for him that the narrative does not negatively impact the player experience. In his new shooter Exoborne, all events take place in an open world simultaneously.
It is therefore important that players do not unlock new plotlines when there is a risk of being killed by other players:
„This means that you are either frustrated, skip the story, or simply feel unfairly treated. The lesson with some of the narrative elements was, therefore, not to embed them too much in the PvP context. […] So if we are playing films and similar things, we don’t do that when you are at risk of PvP. We play that outside of it. That was an important point for us: to ensure that we do not interfere with the PvP experience.”
Hultberg stated that storytelling in PvP-focused games is the “complicated part“, not the creation of the story. One cannot simply interrupt players while they are playing, and therefore has no control over when and how players unlock certain content.
The game world tells the story
How is the story told without interrupting PvP? Hultberg was involved in the development of The Division at Massive Entertainment. He explained that the so-called environmental storytelling is a lesson he took from that time. “These are those in-world clips of what has happened in the world. For example, mobile recordings, CCTV footage, and so on, that you can find and that tell a story.”
In Division, you could find and listen to audio recordings in this way, where people talked about their experiences. This often did not convey relevant information for progressing in the main story, but provided in-depth insights and background information about the events that changed the world situation.
However, the game was not interrupted during the audio recordings. You could continue to stroll through the map, fight enemies, and head to the next mission point without the game being interrupted or being helpless against gunfire.
What else is important for a story? According to Hultberg, the emotions experienced while engaging with a story are particularly significant: “A story should be about emotions. It should definitely provoke thoughts in the person consuming the story. Otherwise, it really does not serve a purpose.”
Gameplay-wise, Exoborne, the new shooter from Hultberg and Sharkmob, focuses on special weather events. While you are diligently fighting enemies and collecting loot, powerful storms and lightning can change the scene on the battlefield. You can read more about it on MeinMMO: The leading minds behind The Division are making a new shooter where natural forces interfere with your looting
