Sniper Elite: Resistance has been released for a little while now, and with it, fans have flocked to the latest release in the franchise in their droves. It may be a different experience in personnel (more of that below) but the basics of the game are the same as the entries that have come before it. We were lucky enough to speak to Beck Shaw, the Lead Level Designer of Rebellion’s Sniper Elite: Resistance, with a few of our burning questions, getting some very interesting answers.
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| Due to this being a written interview, some answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. |
Sniper Elite: Resistance Doesn’t Mean It’s Over for Some
During our brief interview with Beck Shaw, we had to ask the question that everyone has had since Sniper Elite: Resistance, and the new protagonist Harry Hawker, was revealed. Read on for all the info!
Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions! Would you mind telling us who you are and what you do?
Hi, I am Beck Shaw, the Lead Level Designer on Sniper Elite: Resistance.
The elephant in the room. Fans were shocked when you announced Karl Fairburne wouldn’t be returning in Sniper Elite: Resistance. What prompted this decision after so many adventures with him?
With Sniper Elite: Resistance we wanted to tell a different story, away from the mainline Sniper Elite franchise. As Karl has always been the protagonist of the series, it felt fitting to pass the torch, so to speak, to one of his companions (Harry Hawker) who has become a cult hit in his own right.
When are we likely to see him again?
I am sure Karl will be popping up again in the not-too-distant future!
With Harry Hawker formerly being the character model for Player 2 in previous games, will we see a new companion for Fairburne now?
There haven’t been any decisions around this just yet, but Harry is a fan favourite so I think it’s safe to say he will appear again in some guise.
And does this represent a change in release strategy, with two characters and two sets of stories? Alternate year releases perhaps?
The decision to tell a story away from the main Sniper Elite entries, wasn’t so much about changing our release strategy. When we finished Sniper Elite 5, we felt there was so much more to explore in that setting, particularly around the hidden war being waged by the Resistance deep within occupied France. So, Sniper Elite: Resistance was more about addressing that sense of unfinished business.
And with that in mind, what are you proud of in Sniper Elite: Resistance compared to that of other entries in the franchise?
I think Sniper Elite: Resistance is really a love letter to the series. We had such a positive reception after Sniper Elite 5 that Sniper Elite: Resistance was about offering fans more of what they loved.
What does it offer for die-hard fans that the other entries don’t?
The Propaganda Challenges in Sniper Elite: Resistance are a series first. These are short arcade-style challenges based around sniping, shooting and sneaking. We hope fans will have a lot of fun locating the bespoke Propaganda Posters scattered across missions to unlock these missions, and trying to beat each other’s high scores.
The number of different weapon attachments is massive, but how many combinations are there, do you think?
That is so hard to say! One of the things we love about watching the community play the game is that they always find unique combinations and ways to utilise the in-game arsenal that we had never even considered!
With the huge open-world levels on offer, it’s a sandbox rife for playing around in. Do you think we’ll ever see mods made available, especially for consoles?
The sandbox style levels have become central to the Sniper Elite experience – it helps give the player an increased sense of freedom about how they go about achieving their objectives. We don’t have any immediate plans around mods, but nothing is ever completely off the table.
Other than the currently announced Lights, Camera, Achtung! What other post-launch support can players expect?
We have a pipeline of DLC planned which includes 3 campaign missions, along with weapon and skin packs. I can’t speak too much beyond that yet, but we will be announcing more on this soon!
Is there ever a possibility of including 4-player coop during the campaign?
We have tried to keep co-op during the campaign as a more intimate experience – we love seeing instances of two people closely working together to try and overcome the odds! As I said, nothing is ever off the table, but for now I think our focus is on keeping that feeling going.
How do you ensure you don’t become ‘just another shooter’ in a market full of them?
We try to do this by really doubling down on the series’ ballistics and sniping mechanics. We want people to relive that cat and mouse vibe that is synonymous with the World War 2 setting, which no other franchise offers. Players really recognise this and it’s why features like Invasion Mode have become so popular.
In fact, what does the future of the franchise look like? As consoles get more powerful, should we expect the levels to get bigger, the sniping to get more realistic and the amount of enemies to increase?
We always look at how we can push ourselves and enhance the Sniper Elite experience for the player, and we’re really lucky to be working in an environment where the tech is always improving – it’s exciting when planning a new game to consider all the options that weren’t perhaps possible the last time around. The weapon ballistics and enemies are something we always try to improve on during each installment, as these are central to Sniper Elite. And, time will tell as to what other enhancements will look like.
We’re sure we’ll be speaking to Beck Shaw and those at Rebellion again soon, be it for the next entry in the Sniper Elite franchise, or the next add-on that is released for Sniper Elite: Resistance. The news surrounding Karl Fairburne should be enough to perk anyone’s ears up though, and we’re looking forward to stepping into some more familiar boots with the next entry in the franchise.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our review of Sniper Elite: Resistance, or how long it should take you to beat the game.
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Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
