Interview: In Such A Watered Down FPS Market, Can Syndicate Hold Up?

We spoke with the Executive Producer at EAP and Starbreeze CEO to discuss their upcoming revision of Syndicate.

We got a chance to speak with Executive Producer Jeff Gamon from EA Partners and CEO of Starbreeze Mikael Nermark to discuss more about their upcoming remake title of Syndicate, which we previewed for you yesterday.

Complex: Syndicate has a pretty big fan following; we would almost call it a cult following. So how do you appease those fans, especially considering the drastic change in direction the game is taking?

Jeff Gamon: I think that there are many games for today's gamers. Obviously a lot of those guys who play traditional games are still today's gamers. The new Syndicate evokes a spirit of the original, but it also evokes more of the original world, the weaponry, the agents, the chicks.

It has all of those elements of the original, brought together in a whole new form. What we haven't talked about much yet (and can't really talk about in detail today) is the full play online co-op mode, which is very operative of the original game. It's a mission based structure, a lot of player progression, tech, research and such.

You’re bringing this IP back and resurrecting it, but why Syndicate in particular? I know you guys were saying that it just makes sense given that it fits within the context of what's popular today, but how did that even come about in conversation?

The idea of creating another Syndicate, certainly from an EA perspective, is not a new one. I've been at EA 15 years and we all love Syndicate and we've always wanted to revamp it. We thought, “Surely there is a way to do so.” There's been various pitches and interim attempts at getting this off the ground. And finally. partnering with Starbreeze here, we were successful.

Is Starbreeze’s connection what changed to allow Syndicate’s rebirth?

Certainly. Obviously Starbreeze has a pedigree in taking a classic IP and actually making a game out of it.

We’re in a market right now where there are so many first person shooters. Everybody says it's being watered down. How do you feel about that, and how does Syndicate fit within that market?

I would agree. The first-person shooter genre is a very crowded space to be in, but I also think there's a lot of room for innovation more so now, today, as compared to a few years ago. I think also that Syndicate is more than just a first person shooter, with the progression and action/adventure elements, but it also brings a new beat to the rhythm of the shooter with the chip-enhanced gameplay. The ability to use your breaching powers strategically set all within the rhythm of the shooter.

Syndicate immediately reminded me of the context of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Have you heard this a lot today?

Yeah, if only we were 2 weeks earlier coming out. It's quite ironic because the original Deus was compared to Syndicate as it's inspiration. So here we are, full circle. I think that Deus Ex is a great game, and it's set in a similar world, in a similar kind of future. I think their technology in terms of physical augmentations is kind of different. But take away the setting and it's a very different game to what we have. We have a much more full-on first-person action shooter.

Why do you think that that's so popular these days? That whole controversy between different corporations, technology and augmentations.

The more credible and real you can make any science fiction feel - whether it be books or movies or games - the more accessible it is. A world of corporate governance where people's lives are controlled...I'd hate to think of a future like that. It doesn't take much of a leap to see it going wrong and see the world turning into that. In the end, I’m not so pessimistic as to argue that it already is like that, but some would think.

What does that say about us? That it almost seems to be a realistic future?

Potentially realistic! It's storytelling, isn't it? It plays with our emotions. I think it’s a super high sci-fi in a future, distant galaxy. It’s just pure escapism at that point. This is a story about something that feels real and credible. It gets you more emotionally hooked into it.

What's been the most difficult thing throughout the development, from discussing the remake to start the rebuild to your current progress now?

There isn't any one difficult thing. It's been a long project for all of us. We've been through so many prototypes and ideas and directions. Certainly we mechanically have where we wanted to take it. So we'd say it's difficult, but it's been a right and proper process that we've been through to get to where we are.

Mikael: I think we gave it time to actually get to the game we wanted to make, and to what we see today. Otherwise, if we would have rushed through development, it’s not going to be the game we wanted it to be. Given that opportunity to redevelop the IP, to get it right  takes time. We had a smaller team for a very long time. When we decided on the path we wanted to take, then we added on more to the team.

How big is the team now?

Mikael: Today? Eighty people.

And what did you start with?

Mikael: Started with six.

Jeff: Only a few!

[Both laugh]

What happens when you start with six people with certain ideas in mind, and then bring other creative minds on board?

Jeff: Yeah you have to throw your babies out!

Mikael: That's why a good collaboration takes some time to make it happen and to get through to the end result where you want to be. And you have to, as Jeff said, throw your babies out and say, "What can we do better?" That’s what we all really want.

Jeff: There’s definitely some distillation. It's got all of those ideas. For every white box that gets thrown out the door, that mechanic might have gone, but the essence of it remains and that goes into the next game.

Were there any babies that got scrapped that you were particularly attached to?

Mikael: We can't get attached. Because this is game development. Iteration is the game. So there's been a lot of different good ideas that came up, but you can't get attached.

So what were one of the better ideas? Or potentially good ideas?

Jeff: You can see those in the next game!

Be sure to look out for the game on February 21, when it releases in North America. 

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