Firebreak Developers Share Inspiration and Challenges Behind Their First Multiplayer Game – PlayStation.Blog

Sure, let’s give this a whirl. Here’s the reimagined version:

You know, as things start to heat up for the release of Remedy’s FBC: Firebreak on June 17 for the PS5 PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, I got a chance to chat with some of the masterminds behind it. And, as you might guess, the stories they shared were a strange cocktail of amusing and insightful. So, picture this: I’m sitting down (well, virtually) with these creative minds—Communications Director Thomas Puha, Lead Level Designer Teemu Huhtiniemi, Lead Designer/Technical Maestro Anssi Hyytiainen, and the guy seemingly juggling multiple hats, Game Director/Lead Writer Mike Kayatta. What they spilled? Well, it’s kinda hilarious and fascinating.

First off, we jumped into the tech stuff, because who doesn’t love the nitty-gritty details, right? Puha spilled that they’re making 3D Audio a thing and pushing for that silky 60 FPS on PS5. He tossed in some tech jargon like FSR2 for 1440p on the regular PS5, and something called PSSR for 4K on PS5 Pro. My brain kind of melted a bit there. But let’s talk DualSense magic! Those adaptive triggers are going to make each weapon feel different. Like, imagine one gun feels like squeezing a ripe lemon, while another’s more like pulling on a really old doorknob. That kind of vibe.

Then we veered off into what inspired them. Kayatta mentioned some curveballs here, pulling in the likes of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Seriously. I mean, you wouldn’t think reality TV would mesh with shooting games, but here we are. Plus, the odd satisfaction of cleaning led to PowerWash Simulator coming into play. Cleaning… while zombies? Say what?

When it comes to challenges, Hyytiainen talked about the struggle working on a game where you can’t just test solo. Like, you ever try explaining theater to someone through a keyhole? Exactly. You need everyone on board to make sure things look the same on their screens. Otherwise, pure chaos and "What are you shooting at?" confusion.

Favorite moments? Really, I think it was Huhtiniemi who hit it home. You know that feeling when all those disjointed puzzle pieces finally click together and make this weirdly beautiful picture? Yeah, development’s like that. Kayatta talked about that nervous jump from internal demos to public trailers. It’s like standing on a cliff, looking into the abyss, but then there’s a parachute and—wait, nope, stay with me here—it’s actually thrilling when you get a positive wave back from the crowd.

We got a tad philosophical too. They kept asking themselves the big question: "What makes this distinctly Control-ian?" Or maybe, can we make it that way? Among all the other multiplayer shooters? I mean, a bazillion others are out there. But they kept pivoting back to their unique, slightly-bonkers universe. Which, let’s face it, is where the magic is.

Embracing chaos was clearly a theme. Huhtiniemi said something about the game feeling overwhelming on purpose—which, whew, wouldn’t that be an understatement? At one point, they were looking at the silly chaos of Overcooked as inspiration. They’re just throwing you into the fire and saying “good luck, buddy.” It’s a vibe.

Naming the game? Oh boy. Kayatta explained the Firebreak part comes from this real-world concept of cutting down trees to stop wildfires. But also, it’s this topographical thing in their ‘Oldest House’ setting. The FBC? Just a neat nod so that they could have something familiar without tying player’s brains back to playing Control first. Cool, but also not entirely just a Control spin-off. Apparently, at one point, someone pitched calling it ‘Housekeepers.’ Housekeepers! Makes you think of vacuuming ghostly halls, doesn’t it?

So there you have it. FBC: Firebreak is dropping on PS5 June 17, and trust me, you might just want to check out where this wild ride ventures.

There we go. Enjoy!