Interview with "Satisfactory" developer: "We have opened the door"
Fun or work? The factory game "Satisfactory" is finally "finished". Heise online spoke to the developers about the new story and future plans.
Whether alone or in co-op: building a factory in "Satisfactory" is a major project.
(Image: Coffee Stain)
"Satisfactory" is one of the biggest success stories in the modern games industry. After more than five years in Early Access, version 1.0 of the hit factory game will be released on September 10. In the run-up to the release, heise online met several developers from the Swedish studio Coffee Stain at Gamescom for a chat. Art Director Torsten Gunst, World Designer Hannah Beuger and Game Designer Conrad Stroebel explain the difference between work and fun, why Coffee Stain gets on well with the "Factorio" developers and how "Satisfactory" is set to continue in the long term.
You opted for the Early Access model for "Satisfactory". This meant that players were able to buy the title and give feedback during active development. Our thesis: Without Early Access, "Satisfactory" could not exist in this form. Do you agree?
Conrad Stroebel: One hundred percent. The way we developed "Satisfactory" and experimented with updates would not have been possible without Early Access. We really relied a lot on the regular feedback from the community. The Early Access strategy also allowed us to take the necessary development time and keep the team comparatively small. We started with ten to 14 people and are now a few more than 30.
That would hardly have been possible without regular income.
Torsten Gunst: Yes, that was important. We opted for security at the beginning and had a temporary exclusive deal with Epic Games. This allowed us to develop the core of the game. After that, we continued in Early Access with the community. Without all of this, it would not have been possible to get this version 1.0 up and running.
"Satisfactory" has received countless small and large updates over the past five years. Is version 1.0 still a big step?
Torsten Gunst: Quite a big one, actually. There's a new tech level, everything is being polished up, holes are being plugged – It's a proper version 1.0.
Conrad Strobel: Our previous updates were self-contained. With the 1.0 release, we've combed through the entire game again.
And then there's a completely new story. How long did you work on it?
Hannah Beuger: We worked on the story for seven years. But the story we had in between didn't work for several reasons. We kept reworking the story, which was a real challenge for us. The question was: "What else can we do that doesn't require a crazy budget or put massive pressure on the team?" We found a solution that fulfills our original goals. The story isn't as grandiose as we originally intended, but it's still a nice addition. You now have a goal in mind, everything has a bit more personality.
Other game elements were tested by the community and could be changed if necessary. The story, on the other hand, has to work straight away.
Hannah Beuger: That's really scary! We've never done anything like that at Coffee Stain. But we already had a beta in which the story was quite well received. Many people said: "Yes, the story is okay. But I'm not really too interested in it because I'm concentrating on building." And that's perfect! The story shouldn't be a distraction, it should run alongside it.
Baldur's Gate 3" was also in Early Access for a while, but only really exploded after the 1.0 release. In contrast, it feels like everyone who is interested in "Satisfactory" has already played it. Do you still expect a large increase in players?
Hannah Beuger: I'm very excited about that. I regularly see people who watch our videos and streams but haven't bought "Satisfactory" yet. They are simply interested in the development process and are waiting for the game to come out. Hopefully we'll get a few more of these people imported.
Conrad Strobel: Our current audience has no problem playing an early access game knowing that there's more to come later. But now that we have a version 1.0, of course we hope to reach new game fans. Perhaps people who have previously played other factory games will also try out "Satisfactory".
"Other factory games" – such as "Factorio". A new DLC is coming soon, just a few weeks after "Satisfactory" 1.0.
Hannah Beuger: That's really funny, even the announcements were on the same day! But we didn't coordinate it. A few years ago, we met up with the "Factorio" developers for dinner at an Unreal Fest, when factory games weren't so trendy yet. Of course we had to get together, after all we belong to the same niche. We've had a friendly relationship ever since.
Torsten Gunst: I've seen a lot of funny reactions to both announcements. Fans say: "Damn, now I have to take so much time off work! And pay twice because I need both."
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A big difference to "Factorio": In "Satisfactory" you don't have to defend your base. You have explained in videos that this would detract from your intended gaming experience. Did you remove any other mechanics that didn't quite fit in with the game concept?
Hannah Beuger: Very early on in the development process, we experimented with a third-person perspective. But that only caused trouble because the camera and the sense of scale got mixed up. We also had a stamina bar at the very beginning that you had to manage. At the time, we thought that the game was developing a bit in the direction of survival. But then we realized that it was incredibly annoying to run through the factory and constantly run out of air.
Conrad Stroebel: We definitely didn't want to restrict the players' creativity. At one point, we had a limited number of paint canisters in the game that you could use to color walls and platforms. We've removed that so that players can now change the color of objects without restriction. Why should we penalize players for being creative and making mistakes? Instead, we want to reward players for experimenting.
Torsten Gunst: We also had plans to expand our combat system. We then realized that the opposite approach was the right one and added the option of completely passive opponents. Our game is chill. And that's okay! Other games can entertain their players with fights and constant pressure, but we don't need that.
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It's not just "Factorio" and "Satisfactory" anymore, factory games have developed into a real genre. Do you feel partly responsible?
Torsten Gunst: Absolutely. There are definitely games that are more reminiscent of "Satisfactory" than "Factorio". I really believe that "Satisfactory" is good enough to serve as inspiration for others.
Hannah Beuger: We've pushed the door open a little bit. "Factorio" can be intimidating because it's so successful. Why would anyone play my little game when "Factorio" exists? But "Satisfactory" has shown that it works if you stand out a little. And that's why other developers are also realizing that they can make it if they go their own way.
Is the "Satisfactory" success story now over with version 1.0?
Torsten Gunst: By no means. We won't be leaving "Satisfactory" behind. It's too good for that! We like it too much and people like it too much. It would be crazy not to continue. We still have lots of ideas and are sure that the game can live on for a long time.
Conrad Stroebel: We definitely want to develop "Satisfactory" further. But we don't know exactly how we're going to do that yet. For now, we want to get version 1.0 finished and then wait for the feedback.
The fans love "Satisfactory", "Factorio" and other factory games. But when you tell outsiders about them, many say: "That sounds like work". Why are "Satisfactory" and co. still fun?
Conrad Stroebel: You can live out your imagination and create something. You're building a factory, but there are none of the negative sides. You work through your checklist, create a new factory line or a new factory design. You can play around and be creative without stress. And it's always fun to watch the numbers get bigger.
Hannah Beuger: And you don't have a horrible boss.
Torsten Gunst: You're in control. You can stop at any time. You can make mistakes and no one will shout at you. But the crucial factor is that work is not a bad thing. Bad experiences with work usually have to do with salaries, superiors or customers from hell. But work itself, creating something, is beautiful and enriching.
(dahe)
