Robert Bowling is ready for his close up. The former Activision/Infinity Ward Creative Strategist – who resigned from that position in March, hesitant to spare harsh words – recently landed at the helm of his own studio, Robotoki, and expressed the desire to create a “people first” developer atmosphere around the premise of quality over content.
Little over a month later, the world is already getting its first glimpse at exactly what he meant, with the reveal of zombie-apocalypse exposé Human Element.
One of the many mysteries surrounding Robotoki when it first formed was how closely Bowling’s first game would resemble the stylings of Activsion’s Call of Duty series. Indeed, Human Element just so happens to be focused on one of CoD’s greatest assets in recent years – the flesh-eating undead – but gamers might struggle to draw any parallels beyond diets. In an interview in the next edition of Game Informer revealing the game (which was teased on the magazine’s website) Bowling intimated that Human Element runs deeper:
“Their greatest strength is the fear that [zombies] instill in us, the survivors, that unreasonable fear. Unreasonable fear that leads us to do unreasonable things to survive.”
Where games like The Last of Us are also predicated on portraying the inert danger of humanity, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, Human Element seems to draw – perhaps from Bowling’s time spent working with Call of Duty – on customization and class-based gameplay options. Players will start the game choosing between three distinct character classes – Action, Intelligence, and Stealth – and then proceed to modify their place in the game world with three different identities – Survive Alone, Survive with a Partner, and Survive with a Young Child. According to Bowling, these choices can impact the entire experience:
“How you choose to start in the world will determine how you can engage and impacts the scenarios you will be presented with on a physical and morality level.”
Typical of a newly-announced project, the game is still being painted in very broad strokes. Will it be a first person shooter, the style of play lived and breathed by the developers at Infinity Ward? A third-person RPG that stresses character appearance, customization, and intimate interaction with a detailed environment? Based on the first artwork release for Human Element, the latter seems like a better guess, but nothing was confirmed right off the bat.
Just as interestingly, though, Human Element is reportedly poised for a 2015 release on next-generation consoles, PC, mobile devices, and tablets. While there’s been no shortage of developers commissioning their next-gen workforces recently (Bowling’s former studio, Infinity Ward, was found to be hiring last week), each and every one has stopped short of divulging a specific title. It’s one more morsel of insight on the inevitable approach of Microsoft and Sony’s new systems – and on the longevity of the undead as pop culture darlings.
Ranters, what’s your take on the reveal of Human Element? With the zombie apocalypse narrative and survival-based gameplay, can it manage to break out as a profoundly unique experience? What possibilities are in store for it as a next-gen title?
Human Element is scheduled to release in 2015 for next-generation consoles, PC, and unspecified mobile and tablet devices.
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Follow me on Twitter @Brian_Sipple.
Source: Game Informer
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Although I do like his ideas, I just have to say enough with damb zombie games. I mean there are so many right now and coming up that it is really getting repetitive. But I do like his views and ideas for the gameplay.
The zombie and survival genres are getting stale, if they’re not there already. I think Robotoki’s first game should’ve been something else, maybe an open world action game. And by 2015, The Last of Us will have released, along with Black Ops 2 (which will bring more zombies) and The Walking Dead Episodes 2-5. Not to mention Class3, and maybe even Class4, as well as Asylum and Dead Space 3. Also, Anna, Deadlight, and Resident Evil 6. I’m sure there are many more that I don’t know about. We really don’t need any more zombie/survival games after these games release, but apparently Robert Bowling doesn’t care. My guess: Human Element will fail, because it will be a brand new IP in an oversaturated genre made by a brand new developer.
Those are my opinions, anyway.
It’s release is 3 years away, you shouldn’t have it pinned on failure already. Wait until you see the game in action.
I don’t have it pinned on failure. I just told everyone my guess. I think it’s very possible that Human Element could turn out to be a great game. It’s just that I’m guessing it won’t.
I think it it very well may be a great game, too soon to tell yet, but you make a good point, the market is over saturated and this is a new IP, that is an uphill battle
Thank you.
Battlefield fanboy has an opinion on former COD employ’s new game wow didn’t see that one coming…
Lol he’s not a fanboy. He simply knows that quantity is not quality.
You don’t know me. You know nothing about me except that I like BF3 and my name is Matt. So how can you call me a BF fanboy? I’m not. I have/play a lot of other games. Also, of course I have an opinion. Everyone has an opinion. You’re stupid.
Personally I can’t wait to play it
Go Robert Bowling lol
Should be interesting, most zombie games are bad. Ones I enjoyed are Dead Island, Undead Nightmare, and of course, COD’s Nazi Zombies. I want to try DayZ because that looks like the most realistic one.
If he can manage to pull in his audience and make them frightened like “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” did, then the survival part will be stressed, and this can be a hit. If it’s another run and gun zombie game like the CoD Franchise has made popular, then it will bomb, or if it gets too easy and repeated like Dead Island and Dead Rising after about twenty minutes in. Good to see some of Activision were not straight up money grubbers, but I can’t imagine this game being the next big thing unless he really pulls the gamer in with personalities, soundtracks, and of course good gameplay.
For me zombie games wont get stale. They are just really fun to play. This Direction he has with the Survive alone,with a partner, or with a child thing is just mind boggling for me. I really want to see a teaser from this game soon.
Then you really do not have a sophisticated mind.
lol
All these damn zombie games, what we need is a proper, non tied in game of Terminator set in the future.
That is no better.
So instead of zombies you want robots? In a sense, they’re not too different unless done correctly.
Maybe get Gearbox to do it. What, ppl hate Terminator now?
Nobody said that but swapping out zombies for robots really wont make much of a difference.
im saying, all this damn zombie talk. its time for robots to get some shine.
hi there yeah next gen consoles xbox 720 playstatio in 2015 will be going too a customized like pc wich gamers can chose cpu ram storage options soo gamers will like have countless options too chose from
I DOUBT the next-gen consoles will be customizable or upgradable. It would defeat the purpose of releasing a console, Sony & MS will lose money UNLESS they’re the only ones releasing the upgradable parts.