Back 4 Blood: Creating a Better World During a Pandemic

So there I was in December 2018 sitting with the Turtle Rock Studios team presenting a game story about the unthinkable. A global pandemic: how would people react? Who would they become? We had seen a thousand stories of how humanity had turned against itself, but we wanted to tell one of how they came together. We wanted to tell a story of camaraderie. Where people met the dark with friendship and jokes on their lips. In fact, our mythical collapse brought our development team together like never before, working together to build something new from the past.

Fast forward to March 2020 – the world is suddenly faced with an uncertain future and everyone faces challenges they never expected to see outside of a movie. And there, suddenly, we were all working from home, alone.

Making games is a highly collaborative and challenging endeavor that requires coordinated teamwork at all levels of an organization. Video conferencing became second nature. It is a credit to the team and personalities at Turtle Rock Studios that the ship not only held steady, but went full steam ahead!

I don’t look back on that year as a struggle, and as in all things, there were struggles. But just like our Cleaners, I look back and see our triumphs and what we overcame to get Back 4 Blood in the hands of the players. There is no better feeling than bringing something into the world that brings pleasure to other people, and after the past few years, we could use the friendship and support that our cast of Cleaners provide.

Speaking of cast, the highlight of 2020 for me was the voice direction of our amazing artists. Those sessions allowed me a daily connection with some of the most incredibly talented people I have ever worked with. I like to think that in this strange new world of video conferencing and remote recording, we find the voices of our characters speaking to us more clearly than ever.

I am now writing this to celebrate the release of Back 4 BloodBut we must celebrate everyone who has made it through the past year with a renewed sense of purpose and hope. Those people who worked in incredibly difficult circumstances; there are stories of bravery and tragedy on every street that we will never know. So thank you to the creators who brought us joy, to the caregivers who cared for us and our loved ones, and to all the frontline workers who took risks day after day. Let us carry the message of hope and friendship from our cleaners and we will overcome anything that comes our way.

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