Page 53 - PC Gamer - UK (February 2020)

EACH OF THE DEVELOPERS I SPOKE added a clumsy MOBA-like veneer on top of Microsoft’s
Podbielski tells me he will never forgive Halo 5, which
TO HARBOURED A DEEP PASSION stainless formula, leading to widespread fan revolt and a
trip back to the drawing board for 343 Studios. It’s the
FOR LOCAL MULTIPLAYER sort of game that represented an unseemly tipping point,
where a thirsty emphasis on commodification superseded
the legacy of a classic franchise. Obviously, it’s impossible
endlessly re res ing suite o to match the unlimited resources bequeathed to Master
corresponding thresholds of loot. Sometimes, when I miss Chief, but, thankfully, indie developers have picked up the
a new game in its first week of release, it feels like I’ll slack and have spent this decade constructing a decent
never be able to catch up. facsimile of the reasons they fell in love with videogames.
Landon Podbielski, designer of Duck Game, says his Call of Duty isn’t returning to its split-screen roots any
aesthetic true north is the euphoria he felt as a kid playing time soon. But surprisingly, the past ten years has taught
ToeJam & Earl, TimeSplitters, and Halo: Combat Evolved us that a duck with a shotgun does a decent job of
TOP: Who would’ve – three games that arrived before the living-game summoning the same feeling. “Someone will always be
thought that singularity. “I wanted something new to play with my pumping out that delicious bubble gum pop, but there will
Brawlhalla could friends,” he remembers on his time toying around with always be people who’ve chewed too much gum and want
create its own Smash
Bros ecosystem GameMaker in 2013. “I showed him a platformer game I a new thing,” finishes Podbielski. “As long as we make
on PC? was working on starring a duck. He told me I should what we love it’ll make us happy above all else, and when
make it so we could fight each other. I added a second culture wraps around again in a decade or so, our weird
duck and a shotgun, and Duck Game was born.” shit will be relevant again.”

SEP T 26, 2017 NOV 9, 2017 NOV 17, 2017
FORTNITE EA BU YS STAR WARS
BAT TLE ROYALE RESPAWN BAT TLEFRONT II
Co-op survival game After two Titanfall A particularly
Fortnite releases an games, EA snaps up egregious
experimental new the studio. Less than implementation of
mode based on two years later, the loot boxes brings the
PUBG’s ‘battle royale’ investment pays off issue firmly into the
gameplay. The rest, with the release of public eye, triggering
as they say, is history. Apex Legends. mass outrage.

FEBRUARY 2020 53