14 DAY TRIAL // Noted video game designer Cliff Bleszinski has confirmed the first actual gameplay details about Project Bluestreak, the current title he's working on with his new studio, Bosskey, and how it's built around skill and story.
Cliff Bleszinski worked for a long time at Epic Games and brought forth a series of high-quality games, from the first Unreal Tournament titles to the Gears of War franchise and much more.
However, last year, Bleszinski resigned from Epic and took some time off before coming back to the games industry.
Now, the designer is back and has confirmed that he's forming his own studio called Bosskey and that the first project is called Bluestreak, a free-to-play arena shooter, which could borrow heavily from previous works like Unreal Tournament.
Bleszinski has just shared some details about Bluestreak in a recent Reddit AMA session.
First up, Bleszinski has emphasized that he wants skill to be the major differentiator in the competitive experience but not so much that professional players are immune to regular ones.
"I want to make a skill based game whereas someone who is really, really good is seen as a player with nearly godlike abilities. Sure, once in a while the person who sucks might get lucky with a stray shot and take that person down, but I want to craft a game that has weapons and moves that are easy to learn but to really make them sing takes thousands of hours of play just like a professional athlete would."
Bleszinski has also mentioned that the characters in the game will cater to all sorts of players, not just those who he described as being in the "BroZone."
The designer has revealed that there's going to be an emphasis on story but not something that's told to players directly. Instead, various details and other fiction will be offered about the weapons or the characters in the game.
"There will be an emphasis on story, but not in the traditional sense. Weapons will have manufacturing corporations, players will have lore/history, and the world will feel there and lived in," he added.
"We also want to make live action shorts quarterly to help tell more about the universe outside of the game. If you're doing a Sci Fi IP you need as much of the fiction to come through in other mediums (and with lore) so people care about Plasma Rifle 3 or Player X."
Project Bluestreak has also received its first piece of concept art, showing off a storm ravaging Los Angeles.