Off the Grid is a cyberpunk-themed third-person Battle Royale video game with a strong focus on narrative. Promotional Off the Grid cinema footage and official video clips revealed so far introduce players to elements of its weapons, world setting, and characters, including the cyber-enhanced Zeros who players join. Until now, little was known about how the game's online multiplayer PVP and player-story-driven PVE works, its cross-play support, and how it might utilize Unreal 5 Engine plus other exclusive and exciting features.
Game ZXC recently interviewed several team members at Gunzilla Games about Off the Grid and its development, including CEO and co-founder Vlad Korolev, chief visionary officer Neill Blomkamp, and chief technical officer Timur Davidenko. Game ZXC learned more about what Off the Grid has to offer players, with more surprises no doubt on the horizon. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Why did you decide to make a Battle Royale-style game with a core focus on the story?
Korolev: Our initial decision to create a Battle Royale game came from our love of the genre. We took inspiration from games like PUBG, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and The Division to create a game encompassing all our favorite elements.
As our idea developed, we realized we wanted to add more depth to the experience than just your typical Battle Royale game. We knew this could be done by taking it one step further with action-packed story-telling elements, as we had seen in Uncharted.
We were on the brink of creating something that had never been seen before. We knew we had to give our future players a reason to immerse themselves into our universe, explore its depths, and affect the outcome of their matches beyond just winning or losing.
In Off The Grid, players will get the chance to feel invested in their character and the world they are playing in, where every match has the potential to advance the story in meaningful ways.
This approach has allowed us to explore new ideas and storytelling techniques in a way that we may not have been able to if we had solely focused on the competitive aspects of the game.
Q: Could you tell us more about Off the Grid’s approach to the cyberpunk genre compared to other cyberpunk video games?
Blomkamp: Off The Grid aims to explore the cyberpunk genre in a tropical setting with a dystopian twist; this makes things a bit different.
Players will be able to encounter new conceptual structures, like a space elevator, which will be realistically portrayed and explored.
We are obviously going crazy with weapons and accessories, like other cyberpunk games. But what sets our game apart is the HUGE importance we place on cyberlimbs. Cyberlimbs are crucial to gameplay, each enhancing the player with unique abilities.
Q: The OTG Youtube channel showcases a few of the game's weapons, including the Experimental LMG created from metal alloys mined from other planets, and talks about device production for the space states. Could you tell us more about the game’s vision of space exploration and what this might tell players more about its cyberpunk world setting or timeline?
Blomkamp:Off The Grid is set in a distant dystopian future where many new advancements in material sciences are because of metals brought down from outer space. The cyberlimbs and some of the weapons players will encounter on Teardrop Island are built from metals found in distant asteroids and moons.
The space elevator brings down massive wealth by harnessing unlimited amounts of rare earth materials or superconducting materials. However, this space elevator has created mass wealth and mass social stratification.
People who come to the island are looking to get rich quickly, but really it’s the main corporations that profit. Everyone else on the island is in varying degrees of poverty.
Q: The OTG Cinema clip Vincent showed Cascadia Global Board member Vincent Roberts speaking with what looks like a sentient AI or cyber mind who may be really pulling the strings and using Zeros like Kevin Chandler for other means. What kind of importance or role does AI have in or beyond the game in its portrayal of a dystopian future with technology?
Blomkamp: Voyance is that AI, the leading "board member" of one of the mega-corporations.
In essence, this Mega Corporation has assigned all big decisions to this AI, hoping it makes wise business decisions and obviously leads to greater profit. However, it doesn’t take long before it becomes clear. It also has other things on its silicon mind.
Q: The OTG Cinema Switcher part 1 cut scene reveal showcased some impressive bionic limb capabilities involving rockets, swords, and lasers. What kinds of bionic abilities or cybernetic enhancements can players expect to use as a Zero in the game?
A: As seen in OTG Cinemas’s SWITCHER, players will be able to obtain 25 different cyberlimbs upon launch, some of which can be seen in the episode. More will be added every month.
Q: How do 150-player PVP skirmishes work in the game compared to other Battle Royale video game experiences?
A: We respect the traditional approach of the genre; in Off The Grid, only one squad of 3 players can win the match.
Even those who didn’t win can finish the match with loads of achievements, such as the successful extraction of high-tier valuable loot into their hideouts or accomplishing a narrative mission taking place on Teardrop Island while the rest of the players complete the match. These missions will include immersive cutscenes and interactive NPCs.
We also created a player-driven shrinking mechanic; in every session, one of the squads will have the power to choose the final stand zone.
Q: Could you explain more about how players can influence and progress PVE storyline missions in a player-populated world and what kinds of experiences this adds for players?
A: Every narrative mission; (known as Mirror Missions), has three different outcomes based on the side of the conflict that each player chooses, and the individual decisions the player makes.
More details will follow soon – stay tuned.
Q: What can players expect from crafting, customizing, and trading in items, described on the Off the Grid website as a core part of the experience and narrative?
A: We aim to make weapon interactions as exciting as they can be. Our game will launch with more than 260 unique weapon combinations, not including skin customizations, which is more than any other existing Battle Royale game.
There is a limited number of each weapon that all players will have a chance to loot across Teardrop Island. The rarity of each weapon is not only based on its look but also on the individual stats it possesses. Players then have the opportunity to trade their weapons and their attachments in our marketplace if they choose to do so.
Q: In what ways has using Unreal 5 game engine been advantageous for making Off the Grid?
Davidenko: One of the key benefits of using Unreal Engine 5 is the introduction of Nanite technology, which allows for rendering high-quality graphics and textures at unprecedented levels of detail. Paired with tools like World Partition and Geometry Collections, we can create a massive and detailed open world that includes incredibly realistic environments, characters, and objects without sacrificing performance or using excessive amounts of memory.
In addition, Unreal Engine 5's Level of Detail (LOD) models allow us to optimize our game's performance by reducing the level of detail in objects that are far away or less important to the player.
Finally, Unreal Engine 5's Lumen technology allows us to achieve stunning lighting effects and dynamic lighting scenarios, making our game world more realistic and immersive. With real-time global illumination, our game's environments will come to life in previously impossible ways.
Overall, Unreal Engine 5 provides us with the tools and capabilities to create a groundbreaking and immersive gaming experience for our future players. We are excited to continue exploring the possibilities of this powerful engine and can't wait to see how it enhances our game development process.
Q: Are you able to say if Off the Grid is likely to support cross-play?
A: We understand that gaming is an important social activity, and cross-play allows players to connect and compete with friends and family who may play on different platforms. We are thrilled to announce that Off The Grid will be available for cross-play on PlayStation and Xbox.
By enabling cross-play, we aim to create a more inclusive and connected gaming community, breaking down the barriers that previously separated players based on their choice of console.
Our team has worked hard to ensure that cross-play will not affect gameplay balance and that all players will have equal opportunities to succeed.
Q: What's Switcher Part 2 about, and how long is it?
A: In Gamescom 2022, we gave players a first look at OTG Cinema with SWITCHER: Part 1. Now, with SWITCHER: Part 2, we are ready to reveal the outcome of the hectic battle that unfolded throughout the first part of the episode.
OTG Cinema is filmed with Unreal Engine 5, using in-game characters and assets. Essentially, it feels like we dropped a camera in the game!
Q: What kind of new content or information does Switcher Part 2 introduce?
A: SWITCHER: Part 2 introduces us to the concept of replaceable cyberlimbs within the session, which players will also be able to do within the game. At the end of the episode, players can also get a glimpse into one of the most important aspects of our game – decoding a HEX.
HEXES will be collected by players across the island to be extracted into their hideouts, where they can decode them and 3D print an in-game item. Each HEX will contain one of the following: a weapon, a cyberlimb, weapon attachments, skins, or character customization items.
Off the Grid is in development.