“There are so many things you can do with a Nazi and a hatchet.”
These beautiful words, spoken by our Executive Producer Jerk Gustafsson, I think sums up many aspects about this crazy, wild ride of a game. When Creative Director Jens Matthies and I started working on the storyline for the game many years ago, he stormed into my office one day like a whirlwind (I don’t think he did exactly that, but it sounds nice) and wrote a single word on my whiteboard: CATHARSIS. This concept would be the glue that held everything together thematically. This was going to be a story about releasing and purging what’s been pent up inside. A violent and emotional journey through hell and back, like a raging forest fire that makes way for new things to grow and thrive.
I met Jens for the first time when I started working at Starbreeze Studios in 2006. Sure, it’s a cliché, but I don’t think it’s far-fetched to say that Jens in many ways exemplifies the “crazy creative genius” type. Almost from the start, I think we sensed a connection there that made our collaboration just click. We’ve had creative arguments many times throughout the years, of course, but underneath it all we share the same kind of respect for telling a good story, creating characters that you love and care about, being honest to the story you’re telling, and respecting the player’s motivation. The New Colossus is, I would say, the very finest culmination of all that we’ve learnt and all the mistakes we’ve made throughout the years.
I’ve never had this much fun writing the story for a game. Throughout the project, I’ve gone through a series of creative highs and plunged into the uncharted territories of game storytelling. Following the relationship of B.J. and Anya as they fight the Nazi occupation in America. Exploring the war-torn ruins of New Orleans to find remnants of the American Resistance. Seeing all the crazy, warmhearted, funny, weird, and inspiring people of the Resistance form bonds of friendship and love, but also being torn apart by suspicion and doubt. Sometimes it’s been almost an overwhelming process, but throughout it all, a feeling inside of me kept coming back again and again: this game will blow people’s socks off.
A game like this could not have happened without MachineGames’ incredible world-class talent from all the different departments, who put their hearts and souls into this game. Without all these creative people, from coders to concept artists, working on making the world of 1960s America occupied by the Nazis come alive, this wouldn’t have been possible. It’s a collaborative effort that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Like I said, it will blow people’s socks off. I keep thinking of the theme of “catharsis” that Jens came up with when he was driving his Jet Ski down Lake Mälaren outside Uppsala (again, no idea if that’s how it happened). How catharsis unites so many aspects of this game, both in terms of story and gameplay. How the ferocious drive of the story pushes you through the game. How the gameplay encourages you to put caution in the backseat and just go wild, whether it’s by shooting Nazis with a high-powered laser beam or dismembering them with an axe.
In the end, I guess it all boils down to a hatchet and a Nazi. A chance to release all that pent-up anger towards what is arguably the absolute embodiment of all that is evil and vile and corrupt. A chance to let you fight back against the dark forces that unfortunately continue to be ever present in our society. To put a virtual hatchet in the face of those who are fighting against the freedom and beauty and love in this world.