Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Xbox One X & Games with Gold Interview

Interview with Robert Bäckström, Producer at Fatshark

A staple I do in all interviews in order to start things off is to ask that you elaborate a bit about your game that people might not know?

Robert: Fatshark have during their 10 years as developers covered many genres.  Our first stint in the online multiplayer world was  Lead and Gold : Gangs of the Wild West (PC, PS3) a 3rd person wild west shooter and a true gem. From there we went into puzzle games with Hamilton’s Great Adventure - a family friendly adventure that was our highest rated game on Metacritic prior to Vermintide’s release. We also helped Capcom with the sequel to Bionic Commando Re:Armed (BCR 2). We continued our exploration into multiplayer and melee action in both War of the Roses (Paradox) and War of the Vikings, which provided us with a lot of insights that we then utilized during the development of Vermintide.

With Vermintide getting Xbox One X Enhanced, could you briefly go over what improvements the enhanced update brought to the game?

Robert: The native 4K textures provide a much crisper look to the game, especially with the high definition shadows and improved aliasing. The powerful CPU in turn helps generate a higher and more stable framerate.


What was the process behind this update and was the new hardware difficult to work with?

Robert: The id@xbox team is a pure joy to work with and they provided us with early XB1 X prototypes to develop on and make sure we were ready for the retail launch of the new console. XB1 X’s tools is consistent with the rest of the Xbox family, thereby making the transition for the team seamless.

In your opinion what area of gameplay did Vermintide get the biggest boost from with this new hardware, general resolution or just a better looking world?

Robert: Both the native 4K and the smoother framerate is great for the game and the immersion we are trying to create.

After working with the Xbox One X, what do you feel will be the biggest benefit of having that additional power present? Will it bring just better looking games or perhaps more detailed worlds going forward?

Robert: As with all new console generations (or generation updates) we will see better and better games come out from them as the OS and the devs improved over time. And it is likely to be both visuals and gameplay that benefit from this . One thing that one might not think about is that with the XB1 X, the step between a high end PC and the console is much smaller which makes development easier.

With Vermintide being on the Games with Gold program for December 2017, how do you feel about the timing and do you believe the game is a good fit for the program?

Robert: Games with Gold should suit us perfect. As an indie developer with indie marketing means we need to be creative in finding ways to reach new players. And a large player base is key for a multiplayer co-op game such as Vermintide.


For the new players that will be checking out the game during the Games with Gold period, do you have any tips for them to easily get into the game or neat things they should try while playing?

Robert: Take your time and don’t rush. Try to team up with a veteran player. There is a lot of depth in the gameplay that you will find over time, but allow yourself to unravel the story and the maps for the first time. We have put a lot of love and effort on them and we hope you will be able to appreciate it...and oh - don’t forget that you can block and revive simultaneously :).

Are you able to tease any details about Vermintide 2 and will this Games with Gold promotion be a good introduction for the sequel?

Robert: Yes, it should give you a good sense of what the sequel will be all about. The core mechanics are there but the enemies and the maps are greater, bigger and tougher. There will be more options for your characters to evolve into their different career options.

Lastly I would like to leave a spot for you to say something or go over anything I might have missed during the interview?

Robert: Make sure to try Vermintide when it comes to Games with Gold. If you like it you will have many hours of satisfying hours ahead of you. And Vermintide 2 is just around the corner.

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