Warframe is a niche title that many may have heard of but can’t really picture what it is. This is partly because Digital Extremes (DE), the developer behind Warframe, doesn’t market it as heavily as Activision does for Destiny, and also because of the development history of Warframe.
The Beginnings
Digital Extremes had been a developer studio for years that was hired by publishers to create games for them. They developed “Unreal” for Epic Games and worked on the Unreal series until 2004. They also helped develop BioShock and created the multiplayer for Bioshock 2. One of the last games they developed for a publisher was “The Darkness 2”.
Steve Sinclair, Creative Director at Digital Extremes, describes the feeling of being dependent on publishers as: “You’re not an employee in a publisher beast. You were hired and you can be tossed aside if needed.”
The Idea Emerges
In 2008, Digital Extremes released a game called “Dark Sector” on their own. The basic idea was to combine the intense action elements of Unreal: Tournament with character development and a persistent multiplayer universe. The actual “Dark Sector” could not fulfill the concept, but in early 2012, Digital Extremes decided to give the idea behind “Dark Sector” a second chance. So they passionately got to work and created a first prototype. DE had only a month to do this because James Schmalz, the head of Digital Extremes, wanted to present the prototype to publishers at GDC.
The concept trailer for Dark Sector (2004) looks more like Warframe and less like the 2008 released Dark Sector.
All publishers said “No” to the idea. Most meetings were over once it became clear that Warframe had a sci-fi setting and no one wanted to see such games at the time.
Ironically, the reality today with games like “No Man’s Sky” and “Star Citizen” is completely different.
Since no western publisher was interested in their idea, they turned to a publisher in Korea. However, this one had concerns about the game’s graphics and content. “Western player-developers can’t create free-to-play games because they can’t update them,” this publisher said. “Because they spend too much time improving the graphics and developing a game that can’t grow or change.” Sinclair added, “That was his opinion that we would completely fail because our game looked too good and that we wouldn’t be able to maintain such a title.”
The gameplay in the closed beta gives a good insight into where the journey is heading.
So Digital Extremes got to work and developed Warframe without a publisher backing them. A truly risky decision, as many employees had to be laid off as a result and the morale in the company was low.
A Fight for Survival
Without a publisher, the development of Warframe was a survival struggle for Digital Extremes. Sinclair said: “I remember that we had to buy servers because player numbers were increasing and I yelled at the people saying, ‘buy the cheap stuff because we just laid people off and we can’t spend money beyond our means.'” Luckily, there was good news as well, as the founder packages sold well and a small but loyal fanbase formed.
Consistent Content Supply
To keep players engaged, they decided to release small updates every week and occasionally bring new content into the game with large patches. As a result, existing systems are also being completely overhauled. For example, the star map has been completely redesigned, allowing players to travel through the solar system and the Void in entirely different ways.
Another significant update was the introduction of the movement and combat system 2.0. This completely turned the gameplay upside down, shaken it up, and improved it. Furthermore, Warframes, weapons, enemies, and levels are constantly being revised and updated.
However, the strict update policy also has its drawbacks. New players, in particular, find it difficult to navigate Warframe. Digital Extremes is aware of this problem, but admits that they primarily focus on adding new content rather than revamping the player experience in the early hours. Luckily, there are guides available online – and we at Mein-MMO have a guide ready for you.
The Future of Warframe
The extraordinary success of Warframe has surprised many developers and publishers. After all, Digital Extremes has discovered a way, almost by coincidence, to lead a western free-to-play game to success. Sinclair talks about 100,000 players being online simultaneously across all platforms. And this number rises with every update. As a result, many developers reach out to DE for advice. Last year, the Tennocon was also held at the request of fans. The proceeds went to the Outward Bound Canada Foundation.
With the new update “The Inner War,” which is currently still being kept under wraps, new content will be added again.
Check it Out
If you don’t own a console but have always envied Destiny players, then Warframe is worth a look. But even if you own a console, it’s worth a detour. After all, it costs nothing. By the way, Warframe is also available on Steam.
This guest post is by our reader Lucas Kaczynski.
