Game Rant recently sat down with Paweł Miechowski of 11-Bit Studios to talk about the studio's history of subversive and groundbreaking games, its upcoming Frostpunk expansion On the Edge, and the future of the studio as it moves forward as both publisher and a developer. One of the most fascinating points that Paweł brought up was how likely it is that morally tough, emotionally challenging games like the ones that 11-Bit is known for will soon achieve the scale and success of some of the most famous triple-A titles in modern gaming.
There is a long history of indie games that cover difficult subject matter or force the player to make tough choices, but it is quite rare for a game like that to have the budget or scale of the likes of Assassin's Creed or Red Dead Redemption. 11-Bit just keeps increasing in size though, and it has also entered the sphere of publishing, helping other developers put out games that are in line with its unique vision. When asked whether there were any growing pains as the company expanded, Paweł had this to say:
... the first big problem is communication. Up to 70 you can recognize everybody by name.... Now we're 140 and it can take a while to recognize new people. You also lose a flat structure. Beyond a certain point you need vertical structures, senior managers, and so on.... but if you look at huge projects like Red Dead or Ubisoft games it's attainable.
It seems very real that a studio like 11-Bit, with its litany of quality titles, many of which have received heaps of critical and popular acclaim, could reach that scale eventually. Even so, there is a very big gap between thought provoking, emotionally challenging titles like This War of Mine and a massive blockbuster like Red Dead Redemption 2. This War of Mine and Frostpunk were both very popular and have had some noticeable impact, but nothing on the scale of the industry-shaking success of Red Dead or AC Odyssey.
Red Dead Redemption 2 does have a morality system and allows the player to make both good and bad choices, but as Paweł discussed later in the interview, part of the key to making a game truly emotionally challenging is not to moralize the players' choices or tell them what the correct decision is. The goal of a game with a powerful message is to allow the player to feel remorse on their own, which just makes the satisfaction of making a good moral choice all the more sweet. This allows the player to make their own story, but it is a formula that definitely doesn't work for everyone and is often relegated to more niche titles.
That inspired the question: is it possible for games like 11-Bit's to reach the scale of AC or Red Dead? Or are they too emotionally challenging to have that wide of an appeal?
I think there is room in this industry for everything that is simply good. A really great example is another Polish game: The Witcher. A really massive, successful game, yet they managed to squeeze in a lot of interesting and mature stories with some tough choices. It’s no wonder to me why that game was such a success. Another example is Hollywood movies. There’s room for both The Avengers and The Irishman, but both can be a huge success.... So yes, we can and we will have amazing triple-As with a lot of those mature stories. I expect it.
Paweł's point about The Witcher certainly holds true. Likewise, there are plenty of massively popular games out there that rely on high difficulty to draw in their audience. If there's any studio to watch for a deeply emotional triple-A game with a powerful message, it may just be 11-Bit. Later on in the interview we talked about several of the upcoming projects that 11-Bit is working on both as a publisher and a developer, and there is quite a lot to be excited for, including their upcoming DLC to Frostpunk- On the Edge, which is set to release this year.
Frostpunk is out now for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. On the Edge is set to release this summer.