FBC: Firebreak developer Remedy is pushing back against what it’s observed to be a rise in games being developed with “FOMO,” that is, fear of missing out, in mind. Speaking to GameSpot, game director Mike Kayatta said the team tried to design FBC to become a manageable game that places an emphasis on “controlling the value space.”
That is to say, Kayatta believes some games that give off vibes of being “enormous in scope” can lead to a couple potential outcomes from players. One is that a player might go “all the way in” and dedicate lots of time and money. A second category of players might find the perceived time sink to be too enormous and simply play something else instead.
FBC aims to be a game that people can pick up and play in short bursts, at a modest price point ($40). The game is also included in Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus from day one, which in theory should help it reach a potentially larger audience.
“The game is made by middle-aged dads for middle-aged dads,” Remedy’s Anssi Hyytiäinen told VGC. “That was something that we talked about a lot. We wanted to make the game easy to pick up and throw yourself in there and have fun with your friends.”
Kayatta, meanwhile, said FBC’s session lengths were deliberately designed to be played in as little as five minutes. Even for a completionist, the game might take 30 or 40 hours to play as opposed to “thousands of hours.”
“So we’re not like Monster Hunter for sure. And that’s been conscious decision also in that this we don’t want it to be like almost predatory design practices of trying to suck all of your time out of your life,” he said.
Kayatta told IGN that FOMO design concepts have “infected a lot of modern games,” and that Remedy intentionally tried to reduce FOMO with FBC.
On the subject of FOMO, former Call of Duty veteran developer Mark Rubin recently said Activision is resorting to manipulation tactics, including FOMO, to encourage people to play Call of Duty.
FBC releases on June 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For lots more, be sure to read GameSpot’s recent hands-on preview and interview with Remedy.
