Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 4 director has a simple recipe for making a game's open world delightful. Two elements are key
What elements are most important for a successful open-world game? A veteran Ubisoft developer has the answer to this question.
The trend for large open worlds is in full swing, although I get the impression that there has been a slight fatigue with this type of games recently. Creating an interesting and engaging production in this formula is not an easy task, however, one of Ubisoft's veterans seems to have a proven method. He considers two elements to be the most important: appropriate humor and player engagement.
Recipe for successful open worlds
Alex Hutchinson worked at Ubisoft in years 2010-2018, and is currently working at Raccoon Logic studio, which he co-founded. He formerly served as the creative director of two major Ubisoft open-world titles, namely Assassin’s Creed 3 and Far Cry 4.
In an interview for Edge magazine (via Gamesradar+), he revealed two elements that, in his opinion, are crucial for creating a successful open-world game. It's about the characteristic, slapstick humor and giving players some control over the narration. The created world should be satirical, and the situations that players encounter - bizarre and leading to exaggerated consequences.
I think in open-world games, specifically, once you give up the idea that there's authorial timing, and you say that, no, the player is in charge of the timing - and it's like slapstick, and you're just setting up the opportunity for jokes or scenarios that are funny - then suddenly it becomes the interactive comedy, and then that's funny again.
It cannot be denied that such an approach is in opposition to the way games are designed, where every moment is pre-planned by the developers. Hutchinson seems to believe that the essence of open-world gameplay is simply a bit of chaos, resulting from the combination of various systems.
Players, engaging with them, generate situations that no one has previously predicted, and as a result, they gain a sense that they are the authors of the narrative. Such moments undoubtedly remain in memory for much longer. A bit of slack and absurdity is therefore highly recommended, and additionally it generates situations with potential for YouTube and social media.
On the other hand - there are as many opinions as are players. Not everyone may like this play style. The elements indicated by Hutchinson may therefore be accurate, but they are not likely a universal recipe for success.
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Author: Martin Bukowski
Graduate of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Gdańsk University of Technology, who decided to dedicate his life to video games. In his childhood, he would get lost in the Gothic's Valley of Mines and "grind for gold" in League of Legends. Twenty years later, games still entertain him just as much. Today, he considers the Persona series and soulslike titles from From Software as his favorite games. He avoids consoles, and a special place in his heart is reserved for PC. In his spare time, he works as a translator, is creating his first game, or spends time watching movies and series (mainly animated ones).
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