VGTimes Interview with Stygian: Outer Gods Game Director at TGS 2024: What to Expect from the New Lovecraft Game

Our editor-in-chief, Rodion Ilin, managed to visit Tokyo Game Show 2024. Taking on the role of a correspondent, Rodion talked to many developers, including Sergey Korolev, the game director of the new project in the universe of Howard Phillips Lovecraft — Stygian: Outer Gods.

VGTimes: Please tell us about your project in general: what kind of game is it, what is it about, what are its main features?

Sergey Korolev: Our main project is Stygian: Outer Gods — a survival horror game based on H.P. Lovecraft with RPG elements. The main feature is that the game offers a lot of freedom. It is non-linear, you can play it in different styles depending on your level, and it has a very interesting scenario.

There is Stygian (Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones) — another part. We are making a game in the same universe. The mechanics are different, but the world is the same. It is about the same as with other game series, like Resident Evil and so on. Accordingly, we are ready to offer a new experience to players. I think today there are quite a few games of this kind and with such a combination.

We use Unreal Engine 5, Lumion, Nanite with all the advantages: graphics, physics and other various features. At the moment, the game has been in development for a little over a year. We plan to launch early access in the first half of next year, since it is being made by an experienced, well-coordinated team, and we have quite a lot ready.

At Tokyo Game Show, we are showing a short demo, but it has all the basic mechanics that are presented in the game — dialogues, crafting, leveling. There are difficult choices that cannot be changed, difficult moral dilemmas.

According to the scenario, we get to Kingsport Island, where some incomprehensible thing is happening. Here the place is frozen in space, and we are trying to save some people. In the game you can level up in combat, shooting, and stealth. The game is played in different styles. You can vaguely compare it to Resident Evil Village and Dishonored. But still, I think this is a pretty unique combination for today. We are just trying to make a game that we would play ourselves.

VGTimes: Can you call yourself a gamer?

Sergey Korolev: Of course, yes-yes. I am a fan of the genre. In fact, our studio specializes entirely in this genre — survival horror. We have tried to study all its nuances over several years in order to convey this experience as well as possible. At the same time, the main emphasis is not on screamers, we practically don't have them, not on horror, but on suspense, that is, tension and mystery. You make your way through some kind of darkness, but at the same time you are very interested in what awaits on the other side. This is what our games revolve around. Even if you don't understand what is happening, the game is still interesting to play. This is not a walker simulator, this is gameplay, as we like. To some extent with immersive elements.

VGTimes: Has it been in development for a long time? Where are you located? Where is the team, what is its composition?

Sergey Korolev: Actually, I am the game director of both projects (we will talk about the second project later — editor's note). That is, I set the boundaries and direction in which it develops. The development team consists of 20+ people. We have all been working remotely for more than 5 years. Our HQ is now in Kazakhstan. As I already said, we develop on Unreal Engine and have a lot of experience in this. We started with outsourcing and gradually began to make our own games. Now the development is in full swing, it will be published by Fulqrum Publishing, since they own the original IP.

VGTimes: They are also investors?

Sergey Korolev: The main funding was provided by the publisher, yes.

VGTimes: Let's talk about the pressing issues. You are in Kazakhstan for obvious reasons, right?

Sergey Korolev: Yes, of course.

VGTimes: How is the development going now, what problems do domestic developers have?

Sergey Korolev: Basically, there is a multi-layered crisis now. It is both at the level of the global conflict and at the level of the industry itself — a lot of studios are closing, there are a lot of layoffs, and there are global trends that also have an effect — the investment climate has fallen. Our strategy is very simple — we try to focus on one genre and build up our expertise in it. That is, instead of spreading ourselves thin, we try to go as deep as possible and become one of the best in our genre. I hope that we will succeed.

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There really hasn't been anything good in the Lovecraft universe for a long time. Stygian: Outer Gods has great prospects. We are looking forward to a hit from our compatriots and believe that all their ideas will make it to release.

Interview conducted by Rodion Ilin.

VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and during this time has visited dozens of exhibitions and festivals, where our journalists have collected many exclusive materials. For example, in 2019 we got to a closed screening of Cyberpunk 2077 at gamescom, in 2017 we prepared a photo report from WG Fest, in 2020 we were at the largest gaming event in Central Asia CAGS, and also visited IgroMir several times, where we saw Hideo Kojima and other famous developers.