Avalanche Studios, the development team behind the Just Cause series and Mad Max (and also working on RAGE 2 with Id Software), has announced their first self published title new open-world game titled Generation Zero.
The game takes place in Sweden in the 1980s, where players will play the role of teenagers facing off against swarms of deadly robots with explosives and guns. The teaser trailer showcases some of the action planned for the game, purposefully invoking a vibe similar to the popular Netflix TV show Stranger Things.
This is likely purposeful, as Generation Zero also invokes similar vibes as the tabletop RPG Tales From the Loop, which was an inspiration for Stranger Things and other properties like E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HaH_IH72zY
Avalanche noted that the game will contain seamless co-operative multiplayer, letting players deciding if they want to go it alone or with friends online. According to game director Emil Kraftling:
We often talk about Generation Zero as a guerilla action game, because it helps paint the picture of how the odds are stacked against you. The world of Generation Zero might be pretty to look at, but it is deadly to trek through and you need to be on the lookout for every car, shed or house that might provide the loot you need to survive. You never know what might wait over the next hill though and it could just as well be one of the enemies roaming the world looking for you, forcing you to decide whether you can take the fight or trust in your hiding skills. But whether you take the fight and win, take it and have to run away, or don’t take the fight at all – the game will never outright fail you and tell you to start over because you played it wrong. The persistently simulated enemy continues to roam if it wasn’t destroyed, keeping all of the scars of your encounter and letting you come back to finish the job later, and mission objectives are tied to the same persistent world, and will remain where you left off.The game is being developed in the Apex engine and will be the first self-published title from Avalanche. The studio itself has had a good year, recently co-developing with Id Software on Rage 2, and were recently acquired by Nordisk Film, who had previously been a notable stakeholder in the company after a $10 million investment in 2017.
No release date or platforms has been announced for Generation Zero, but Avalanche is promising to show off more of the game in the coming months.
What are your thoughts on Generation Zero? Looking forward to the game? Leave your comments below and be sure to check out the rest of our E3 2018 coverage here.
