(Image provided by 10 Chambers)
Swedish independent game developer 10 Chambers Collective – formed in 2015 by a small team of veterans previously known for titles such as PAYDAY: The Heist and PAYDAY 2 – is developing GTFO – a 4 player co-op action/horror FPS aimed at hardcore gamers. Today, they’re releasing 9 minutes of gameplay from a real game session the developers had and invites you to spend this Halloween alpha testing GTFO – that aims for Early Access release late 2019.
10 Chambers Collective – an independent nine-man Swedish development team led by the game designer behind the PAYDAY franchise, Ulf Andersson – impressed a lot of people at E3 and Gamescom last year, when GTFO was playable – and collected awards such as “Best Cooperative Game”, “Editors’ Choice Award” as well as nominations for “Best of E3”. That was also the last time we got to see real gameplay directly from the GTFO developers, something that changed today when they decided to release uncut gameplay from a play session the developers had at their game studio.
“We’re making GTFO for the hardcore gaming community – a community I would like to say we’re a part of as well – and I know I prefer real gameplay over cinematic trailers that aren’t showing anything from the actual game you will be playing”, says Simon Viklund, member of 10 Chambers Collective. “It’s also the best way of communicating what GTFO is: How important communication and teamwork within the squad is, which is why we’re also including the voice chat audio from the play session.”
The 9-minute long gameplay video shows how the developers cooperatively work their way through the Complex – the underworld that is GTFO – in look for a “Hydrostasis Unit”. The game gives little help on the direction and the crew needs to fend for themselves, for example via using computer terminals and watch for signs on the doors. Comparing to the latest gameplay footage released by the nine-man team in 2018, the improvements are visible in everything from fog and lighting to the actual design of the tools and weapons.
“Since the playable demo at E3 and Gamescom 2018, we’ve upgraded the game across the board. Graphics, gameplay, optimization and huge improvements to the fog and lightning – you will notice the difference”, says Simon Viklund.
Since GTFO was first announced, the team has emphasized how it is targeted at hardcore gamers. The difficulty level is high and you will need to have a tight team with rapport and shorthand, as well as a will to cooperate and coordinate. The fact that the game is hard is made apparent by the fact that even the GTFO developers wipe during this attempt.
“Communication is key in GTFO. Running away from your team and trying to be a gun blazing renegade, will never work. You need to cooperate and have a well thought out strategy – as a team – before daring to go into a new room of the expedition. Work together or die together”, says Simon Viklund.
Over the years during which GTFO has been in development, it has attracted a large and very active community with a lively Discord and many thousands registered as Ambassadors for the game. These Ambassadors were invited to play GTFO for a limited time during the alpha network test early this week. If you missed your chance, you can sign up as an Ambassador at www.gtfothegame.com and get invited to the next alpha test – which, suiting, will take place during Halloween weekend (between Thursday the 31th of October and Monday the 2nd of November).
“Our enthusiastic community has given us a lot of energy during the development of GTFO, and these fans are also the reason why we really want to make sure that we deliver on our promise: The hardcore co-op experience they’ve been longing for”, says Ulf Andersson, founder of 10 Chambers Collective. “This Halloween, we’re giving them a chance to get a taste before our planned Early Access release late this year.”
GTFO is set for Early Access release late this year (2019), but the product page is already up on Steam.