Explaining Why Companies Can’t Make a Good Extraction Shooter

(Intro)

A lot of game companies are trying to sink their teeth into the extraction shooter genre. And a lot of them can’t seem to get it right. And there’s a good reason for that: the extraction genre isn’t meant to be something that you just make and ship out. There is a ton of considerations that need to be thought of well in advance if you want to have a game that looks, feels, and plays correctly. Over the years, as the rise of this genre has become more mainstream, different companies have tried their hand at making an extraction game that is both engaging and fun to play. But many of these attempts are marred from their very concept. People aren’t willing to take risks; playing it as safe as possible to try and broaden this niche market. There are tons of ways you can make a successful extraction game. And there are even more ways to screw it up so badly, the game won’t survive its initial launch. With everything that is currently happening with games like Marathon, where that game seemed to be doomed from the start, and inversely, games like Arc Raiders which seems very in tune with not only the genre itself but the audience that might play it, I wanted to go over some examples of games that either got it right or look to be getting it right that are still in development, and other games that never hit the mark, and were basically failures before they even released. I’m all for more companies trying to make more games in this genre, but there’s only one way to make these games; the right way.

(The rules of the extraction genre)

The extraction genre is one of the hardest genres to get right because it goes almost entirely against the philosophies and desires of AAA modern gaming. But if you as a developer even miss a single one of these unwritten rules, your game is simply going to struggle. The first and arguably most important aspect about extraction games is that there needs to be a tangible level of risk and reward. The gear and equipment you can use and acquire needs to be lost upon death and the sting of having to gear up again with more stuff from your stash must be felt. One of the biggest issues I’ve personally noticed over the years with some extraction games is their inability whether intentional or not, to make the player feel uncomfortable with losing. Shying away from that and trying to create a game that is almost clinical and devoid of failure is a sure-fire way to make the player feel bored. I’m not saying the loss needs to be they have to reset or start over from scratch, it doesn’t need to be that drastic, but the ebb and flow and acquiring and losing gear is what makes this genre so compelling. You’ll have days where you pop off, go on a hot streak and fill your stash until it's about to burst. And there will be other days where you lose again and again, to the point your stash looks desolate. Probably the best example of doing this wrong was DMZ from Call of Duty. It had some genuinely interesting ideas about how the player will navigate the world and engage with it and other players, but the biggest sin that game committed was making death not sting when it happened. If my memory serves me, the only thing you really lost was whatever weapon you loaded into the map with. Considering most of the other parts of your load-out were acquired while on the map, it meant that dying was more of an inconvenience that you didn’t need to learn from. There was no internal reflection about how you could’ve played that better, or how the timing of those sequence of events was unfortunate, or if you just got unlucky. No, you lose a gun or two, and you just load back in. The loss was much more equivalent to a battle royale game and not an extraction one; where you just dust yourself off and queue back in. Extraction games and especially extraction shooters, need a sense of genuine, tangible loss that hurts whenever it happens. Whether it’s because of the gear itself or you were about to finish a mission or quest for a bunch of rewards and you now need to start over, if losing doesn’t hurt, your game is destined for failure.

(Purpose in playing)

While loss is definitely a core part of the extraction DNA, the most profound part that games somehow still get wrong is playing with purpose. What are you doing when you are in the game? Are you just running around an open, vacant and empty world, or do you have goals you are trying to achieve? From what I’ve personally seen with Marathon because I didn’t get a chance to play it, strictly speaking about the game and not about any of the other controversies surrounding it, the game’s world just feels... empty. It doesn’t tell a story or provide any feedback when you engage with it. It feels more like a box you simply play in and then when you win or lose you go to play in one of the other boxes. Also, sidenote, only having three maps at launch with a mystical fourth one coming and a ranked mode post-launch is just really bad. Especially if these maps are devoid of any life to them. Tarkov got away with only having a couple maps for so long because the ones it provided were large, varied, and had a ton of character to them. Plus, the learning process for each of these maps took a lot of time. With something like Marathon, I’d imagine after playing on it two or even three times, you would know your way around it. There needs to be something for the player to do, work towards, or complete. Otherwise, their time spent in that world is pointless; these games can already be frustrating enough when you lose your gear. The last thing an extraction game should waste is your time. As a Tarkov player, the amount of time I have lost to loading screens, waiting around to get into a raid only to die in the first eight seconds of a match is uncanny. But the experience is worth that time sink because you will have raids and moments that reinvigorate you desire to keep playing even if you are in a slump. No other game has the highs and lows that EFT does; it feels scientifically impossible a game can illicit the kinds of emotions that Tarkov does sometimes.

(This genre is not “casual”)

The most important part of this genre that developers need to simply understand and accept, is that the extraction genre is not a casual genre. There is no getting around that; people that play these kinds of games are looking for a challenge. They want it to be difficult, they want to figure things out, and they want to feel the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles and getting that rush of conquering the game and its world. Going out of your way to foster a game world that doesn’t just lean into the difficulty and trying to make this genre easier for people to cast a wider net is going to leave you empty handed. At that point, you might as well just play a battle royale because you will have a much more enjoyable experience with that gameplay loop. And the newest extraction game on the block, Arc Raiders seems to completely understand that sentiment. I really want to play that game and see what it’s about. All I’ve been doing is watching footage to try and understand what has people talking about the game in such a positive light. And from what I have gathered, it’s a simpler but refined experience that still has layers and gameplay moments that can’t be fabricated. It’s easier to jump into without sacrificing the challenge it provides and understanding what is being asked of you doesn’t take a fan made Wikipedia open on your second monitor. The best part? It works; really well in fact. The addition and embracement of VOIP allows people to create their own stories, moments and share them with their friends. Or potentially create new friends in the moment by talking to them whilst in game. It has a style, personality, and isn’t afraid to take risks with the user experience and have you lose. The universe is interesting and beautiful and already seems so refined. It’s only going to get better with time, and hopefully I can try it at some point because I really want to, but for now as an outsider looking in, this game understands what makes this genre fun. I also appreciate the fact that it’s third person; a lot of people don’t like it, but as a third-person PUBG enjoyer I don’t mind it at all. Either way, Arc Raiders looks to be phenomenal entry into this genre, and from what I’ve seen, that alone is already promising enough for me.

(Outro)

This genre is a tough nut to crack. Like any good video game, it needs to understand the genre it’s trying to be, while also iterating on the formula to provide something, anything that is either a fresh or new take on something that is established. And while the extraction genre is something that is fairly new to the world in the format we currently experience it, talented people are still finding ways to make extraction games feel like a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, the same can be said in the opposite direction; ideas being cobbled together without any real rhyme or reason with the intention of using said game as an on-ramp for future macro-transactions down the line. And it’s trash like this that is so insufferable to watch crash and burn. I understand ground floor employees have no say in the matter, and I feel for them so much. But to any executive or suits trying to capitalize on this relatively new genre, do yourself a favor and go waste money somewhere else. This genre isn’t something you can just put together and call it a day; there is an insane amount that goes behind a successful extraction game, and again, while some new titles understand and respect this notion, others don’t. Maybe one day we will be able to have multiple games in this genre that rival how legendary EFT is despite all that is wrong with it and can provide and experience that is easy to get into, tough to master, engaging, fulfilling and satisfying. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts about the extraction genre, what you want from a game in this genre and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the rise, success and fall of a variety of games in a genre that shouldn’t be touched by poorly ran and greedy triple A companies. I hope to see you in future ones.