One of Xbox’s biggest secrets for the Xbox Series X is a game being developed by the new studioThe Initiative. The Initiative was first revealed at E3 2018, a studio based in Santa Monica under the banner of Xbox Game Studios. But little was said about the studio’s plans or projects beyond that it’s ambitious. A new leak, however, may reveal the first details aboutThe Initiative’s mysterious project.
The LinkedIn page of a technical designer at The Initiative who left the company in February reveals several unannounced details about the new game. One of the designer’s key bullet points for their work at The Initiative is that they are an “Expert in Blueprint programming in Unreal Engine 4.” The heavy implication being that The Initiative’s new game is being built using Unreal Engine 4, theengine used forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,The Outer Worlds,Gears 5,Borderlands 3,Days Gone,Sea of Thieves, and more.
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Unreal Engine 4’s use doesn’t actually paint a picture of what kind of game The Initiative is making, however. It just means that it has the potential to really impress, since so many cutting edge games use the engine. It also means that Microsoft is able to swap ideas and tech between studios to help The Initiative get a quick start, since Rare, The Coalition, and others are using Unreal Engine 4, too. There’s even a rumor thatForzadeveloperPlayground Games is using Unreal Engine 4 to make a major RPG.
Luckily, there’s some more specific information aboutThe Initiative’s projectfurther in the designer’s profile. One bullet point lists that they worked on “various weapons, gadgets, and a camera surveillance system” for an unannounced project. That likely implies that the game is set in either modern or futuristic times, given the requisite technology necessary for a camera system.
Another bullet point adds that the designer worked on “various world interactibles” including doors, destructibles, hazards, triggers, and much more. This implies a level of interactivity beyond certain genres, but perhaps short of others. For example,Call of DutyorHalogames rarely care about doors, andRPGswould likely require a much longer list.
As for The Initiative’s project is, the new details only begin to explore the game’s mystery. It’s an Unreal Engine 4 title with a some destructible environmental aspects, doors, and a camera surveillance system. That could lend itself from games including stealth titles likeSplinter Cellto action shooters likeMetal Gear Solid. One popular theory is that The Initiative is making anUnchartedorGod of War-likePerfect Dark. It’ll be exciting to find out just whatThe Initiativeis putting together and hopefully that will be sooner than later.
