Here is the rest of our interview with Sniper Elite 5 developer Jordan Woodward.
GB: This is the 4th Sniper Elite game to be set in WW2 Europe. What is it about this setting that makes it compelling to return to?
JW: World War 2 is one of, if not the biggest and most iconic events in human history. There are so many stories to tell, and an awful lot left to explore. We use these historical events and reference as the inspiration for the narrative and structure of the Sniper Elite games but we then take an angle of what could have happened and what was feasible at the time rather than following the real world events to the letter.
In Sniper Elite 5 Karl finds himself behind enemy lines in France where he uncovers a Nazi plot, called Operation Kraken. If it is allowed to come to fruition, then Operation Kraken threatens to turn the tide of the War back to the Nazis. It’s now up to Karl to stop it and eliminate the people behind it.
This is not a recreation of real-world events but based on what would have been feasible given the technology at the time.
GB: Are there any features or mechanics that had to be cut due to budget/time restraints, or playtesting?
JW: Obviously the game is being scoped and changed throughout the project, but I do not think there is anything major that was left out. We still have lots of ideas and plans for the future, but we are extremely happy with Sniper Elite 5 and hope the fans will be too.
GB: Has development of the Zombie Army series informed development on Sniper Elite, and vice versa?
JW: You learn and iterate with every project and our Asura engine powers both Sniper Elite and Zombie Army so the advancement in one game naturally leads on to the other.
Although it’s a different experience we saw how much the community enjoyed the weapon customisation in ZA4 and that became the starting point for the weapon attachments and customisation in Sniper Elite 5. Obviously, the weapons are balanced for a different experience when compared to Zombie Army but it encouraged us to implement more heavy weapons into the Sniper series.
Zombie Army 4 also allowed players to adjust their loadout during a mission which was something that received good feedback so we implemented a similar system by using workbenches in Sniper Elite 5.
We also learn from things that did not work so well. For example, auto-pickups from the floor in ZA4 did not feel rewarding or interactive. This encouraged us to create a more ‘connected’ and much better experience for Sniper Elite 5 when you interact with objects, the world and pickups.
GB: Have the current ongoing events in Ukraine affected any gameplay, marketing and/or release decisions?
JW: The thoughts of everyone at Rebellion are with the people of Ukraine. The events have affected the game’s promotion and messaging to an extent, but the gameplay remains the same. We feel the series reflects historic events, rather than being set in the modern day so that gives us some distance.
We’d like to thank Rebellion and Jordan Woodward for taking the time to answer our questions. Sniper Elite 5 is now available from the GameByte Shop for £43.95.
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Featured Image Credit: Rebellion Developments