Machinegames has ventured into uncharted waters with "Indiana Jones and the great circle". The studio, which has made a name for itself by successfully reviving the shooter series "Wolfenstein", is significantly scaling back the pace and violence when the classic film archaeologist embarks on adventures around the world.
The idea came in 2019 from American gaming profile Todd Howard at sister studio Bethesda, who thought Machinegames was the right studio for the task.
The team was super hyped when we found out about it. There was jubilation in the corridors, says Alex Torvenius, who as creative responsible for sound, visuals, and animations.
"A bit too big"
He and director Jerk Gustafsson don't hide the fact that it's been a turbulent process. There has been a pandemic, actor strikes, and the parent company was acquired by Microsoft.
To be honest, I'd say that the Indiana Jones game we've made now is a bit too big for the studio we are. It's something we need to work on in the future and see how we can handle, says Gustafsson.
The development time has been delayed by a year, and the last few months have been marked by overtime for the employees. Although Gustafsson claims it hasn't been as bad as before previous game releases.
Crunch (a period of heavy workload and overtime, ed. note) has become a bit of a forbidden word to use, because it's "toxic". But there's something positive about it, especially when it comes to team spirit and camaraderie, working towards the same goal.
Uncertain times
As the game is now being released, it's happening in a time where a failed game release is enough to shut down an established studio – which has affected sister studio Arkane Austin and Sony competitor Firesprite this year.
What affects us the most is the anxiety among employees. There are many who ask: Will it happen to us? The thing is that you never know, says Gustafsson.
It's a lot about having a mindset where failure is not an option. You need to focus on doing the best we can, says Torvenius.
There are two paths to success – either reaching a large audience or pleasing the critics. Gustafsson describes the critic scores as almost the most important, and waiting for them as entering a "fog of terror".
There's a nervousness. You're always a little worried. What do people really think, will they like it as much as we do?
Developed by Swedish Machinegames, with headquarters in Uppsala and a small satellite office in Sundsvall, which is behind the new "Wolfenstein" games.
The game is being made on behalf of owners and publishers Zenimax/Bethesda, which in turn is owned by tech giant Microsoft.
Indiana Jones is voiced here by voice actor Troy Baker ("The last of us"). Alessandra Mastronardi plays Gina Lombardi and Emmerich Voss is played by Marios Gavrilis.
The game will first be released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on December 9. Next year, it will also be released for Playstation 5.
