Owlcat Games’ upcoming RPG, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, has undergone a rigorous approval process by rights holder Games Workshop, according to a recent interview with the game’s developers. Executive Producer Anatoly Shestov revealed that a lot of content required Games Workshop’s sign-off.
According to the interview, this close collaboration ensured adherence to the lore and established setting of Warhammer 40,000 (40k). Shestov acknowledged the benefits of this process, stating that the amount of knowledge and information for the setting is so huge that it’s hard to account for every given piece. He also mentioned instances where Owlcat’s initial concepts differed from Games Workshop’s vision, leading to valuable revisions.
“We not just consulted, we were having every piece of user-side content–basically everything aside from tech that comes to the audience–approved by GW. There isn’t a piece of the game that our Nottingham friends aren’t aware of or didn’t agree on.”
Anatoly Shestov
Some specific areas requiring approval included depicting everyday life within the Imperium, communication between different species, and even the in-game music for Imperial pubs. Shestov noted that Games Workshop’s feedback often helped refine the concepts, such as clarifying that alcohol and smoking are not social vices in the Imperium but commodities for the elite.
The approval process extended beyond lore elements to gameplay mechanics as well. Shestov mentioned that the economic system in Rogue Trader, which deviates from the typical loot-based model due to the immense wealth of the player character, required special development due to the lack of a precedent in the setting.
The developers seem satisfied with the outcome of the collaborative process. Shestov believes it has resulted in a game that faithfully captures the essence of Warhammer 40,000 while offering a unique RPG experience. He also highlighted the challenges of designing a game around such a powerful protagonist. He said that it changed his entire perspective on the game.
While the interview focused on the approval process, it also touched upon other aspects of Rogue Trader’s development. The developers discussed the design of space combat, the morality system, and the approach to character builds. They also acknowledged the presence of bugs in the current build and promised a major patch to address them.
The interview shows how serious the Warhammer 40k makers are about keeping the lore of their game accurate in all iterations. It’s nice to hear since lore seems to not matter so much when comics or other game series are turned into TV shows and movies.
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