48 million players, 179 countries and more than 70 updates. These are some of the numbers that display the growth of Crytek`s free to play competitive FPS game. Released on October 21st 2013, the title has just gone through its fourth anniversary.
To celebrate the occasion, the publisher My.com uploaded a video (above) on the official Warface channel on YouTube, displaying what players can expect from the game’s next expansion, which will become available in December.
The Pripyat Update:
The developers expect it to bring a unique experience to the Warface community. In an exclusive interview with GameSkinny, Michael Khaimzon, the creative director of the game, spoke about the new content and shared some insights:
“It has been in production for almost a year, so there are lots of new things coming. New environment, new enemies, new boss fights, and a new chapter in the Warface- Blackwood duel. Let’s not forget, though, that, in addition to this mission, the update will also include new weapons, achievements, and many other things.”
Apart from the items listed by Michael, the package will also feature a new narrative-driven cooperative mission (above) held in Pripyat, Ukraine, at the heart of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. After decades of isolation, players will explore the ruins left by the worst nuclear disaster in history.
The mission will mark the next chapter in the conflict that drives the universe of the game, wherein the world is facing its most severe financial crisis. While most people on the planet dive into poverty, a group of capitalists holds most of Earth’s wealth. They hired the paramilitary group Blackwood to protect their facilities worldwide. Players join the Warface squad to take down the monopoly.
With this premise, the expectations from developers to deliver a unique experience are high. While they give the final touches to the Pripyat mission, the material My.com has shared online allows us to start having some thoughts about the arrival of the Warface arsenal in Chernobyl.
First Impressions:
The trailer shown previously in this article is not the first media My.com has shared about the Pripyat mission. In the past month, the publisher uploaded three other videos: Soon in Warface: Special Operation in Chernobyl, Next in Warface: Welcome to Chernobyl and Pripyat: Behind the Scenes.
Through the footage available, we can have a glimpse of what type of experience the developers of Crytek have created.
Chernobyl may seem as a familiar environment to some players, thanks to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007), but the developers of Warface made sure to add new elements to the old formula.
As the image above displays, players of the Pripyat mission will travel through environments that combine the desolation of a post-apocalyptic setting with the high-end technology of Blackwood. The result is an interesting contrast of old versus new, which can create unique and memorable locations, as Horizon: Zero Dawn (2017) and the Fallout franchise have proved.
It is also worth mentioning the effort Crytek put into bringing Pripyat to life. The company sent 30 developers to the real-life location to study how to best reproduce it in Warface. As consequence, the team added to the mission 230 furniture models, 6 kilometers (approximately 4 miles) of terrain, 800 objects and 400 textures, along with 30 buildings and constructions from real life.
These numbers show that Crytek emphasized the ambiance and the immersion of the new mission, staying true to the source material, while adding new elements to the world, such as the Blackwood buildings. Whether Crytek will hit the right balance between old and new, we will only discover in December.
However, we can claim that, by creating a version of Chernobyl we have never seen, the Pripyat mission has the potential to become one of the grandest experiences a player can have in a Free to Play shooter, thanks to its unique setting.
Apart from releasing new footage on the upcoming mission, My.com and Crytek also found other means to thank the fans of Warface for their continued support throughout these four years.
Player Rewards:
On October 19th, My.com announced (above) that players would receive many bonuses during the four days in which Warface celebrated its anniversary. According to a press release, the giveaway included:
- Four gift cards, one for each day Warface celebrates its anniversary, with the chance to get various prizes, including the Black Hawk axe;
- From October 19th through the 22nd, players can obtain a golden random box every day for accumulating 100 kills in any game mode. The boxes may yield various items and even permanent weapons. Only one box can be obtained per day;
- Special anniversary skins for the Fazil UE3, AP-84 Custom, Anatolia RK-102, S60B3 and Abada 266 mm for players in every day that they play;
- From October 19th through the 22nd, every player will receive a 400% bonus to all their gains, including Warface dollars, Crown Points, XP, and VP.
- Increased VIP booster on October 22nd to wrap up the celebration.
As Crytek and My.com celebrated the fourth anniversary of Warface, it is normal to look back at accomplishments from the past, but we must also wonder about what lies ahead.
What the Future Holds:
In this regard, Michael Khaimzon claimed that his team is studying methods to bolster the storytelling of the game. Therefore, it would be no surprise to see future missions of Warface featuring deeper plots.
However, the Creative Director pointed out that this is not an easy task. Due to the fast pace of the game, it is difficult to find a mean to convey a narrative without interrupting the action.
Storytelling, however, is only one of the aspects that Michael and his team aim at perfecting. Crytek’s free to play title will continue to expand, with new missions, features and weapons. To stay updated on the progress of Warface, as it marches forward, make sure to join today on the game’s website.
Published: Oct 19, 2017 09:07 pm