How does Microsoft highlight an action RPG created by a team of 11 people as the launch title for its next big console? Well, apparently, making it great.
This month’s Heaven32 First, we’re offering exclusive light on The Ascent, a cyberpunk-themed RPG that plays a bit like a mix of Diablo and a double-stick shooter made by the small but extremely experienced team of Neon Giant. After their big Inside Xbox revelation, I spoke to creative directors Tor Frick and Arcade Berg about how they made a deal with Microsoft to be at the forefront of the next generation.
It turns out that the story is quite simple. About a year ago, Microsoft visited the Neon Giant studio in Sweden to see a first version of The Ascent. Frick says that what they had to show at the time was still very early in development, as the team had only been working on it for about a year so far. Despite this, he always impressed and Microsoft was immediately interested.
"They were immediately very excited," says Frick, explaining that the study encouraged them to keep their cards close to their chest, because Microsoft felt they almost certainly had something special in hand. They started talking well about teaming up and possibly planning their launch with the X series. According to Frick and Berg, it was the game itself and the ambition of the studio that made it happen. case.
"We try to push things as far as possible," says Frick. Everything from the looks of the game to the feel of weapons had to go further. This can be clearly seen in the early gameplay sequences of Ascent, with lighting effects, smoke particles and sparks, and ambient destructibility which aims to do more than what games are generally supposed to be like that.
Berg says the Neon Giant team, a new study made up of industry veterans, is trying to take advantage of his experience of working on big, smooth games with teams of 500 and apply it at The Ascent, despite the fact that Neon Giant has roughly 2% of the workforce. As a result, Berg remembers that "Microsoft (definitely) loved the visual fidelity, the destruction and the strength of the kernel", even at the initial stage, they had first seen it.
This quality, combined with the clear ambition of their team, gave Microsoft the confidence to plant a flag early, and Berg and Frick told me that the intention to team up was clear from the start, even if the actual official paperwork was taking a bit. more closure (as paperwork often does). "We keep talking," says Berg, "and they never stopped loving him, and we never stopped getting excited."
Frick says that part of his ambitious nature is that his team likes to push technology to the limit. This makes the opportunity to work with the Xbox Series X as soon as possible extremely exciting. "We really want to use cutting edge technology, cutting edge hardware, because we like it," says Frick. "This is exactly what we are." Becoming a launch title is therefore not a one-way street at all, as it offers Microsoft an exciting addition to its lineup and Neon Giant has the ability to use the best technology possible to make The Ascent even better. better. .
And even though neither Frick nor Berg are new to announcing new games, this week's revelation last week was special to them. Frick says it was "much more personal" due to the small size of this newly assembled studio, for example, where the revelations of trailers inside a large studio are a cool thing to watch, they literally made this trailer themselves, and Berg told The Impact. The emotional thrill of finally showing it to the world was far greater than any previous game I have ever worked on.
We will have even more information on The Ascent (including how Neon Giant is excited about the Xbox Series X) later this week, as well as even more exclusive gameplay next week. In the meantime, watch 12 minutes of play here, and you can catch up on all of our exclusive Heaven32 First covers around The Ascent here.
Tom Marks is associate editor of Heaven32 magazines and resident pastry chef. You can follow him on Twitter