FBC: Firebreak Inspired by “Surprising” TV Show

Finnish video game developer Remedy Entertainment is known to wear its inspirations on its sleeve. Its critically lauded third-person shooter Control is clearly inspired by the works of the late great David Lynch, with some storytelling influences from FromSoftware’s beloved Dark Souls franchise. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t unique – it’s quite the opposite. Although its influences are obvious, the studio always manages to create wholly unique worlds that are truly bizarre but incredibly fascinating. Its upcoming cooperative first-person shooter FBC: Firebreak is no different.

FBC: Firebreak is set in the Oldest House, the mysterious office setting from Control. As such, the artistic influences are the same. The seemingly mundane hallways of the Federal Bureau of Control’s offices and the menacing Hiss all return in the first-person shooter. Although the trailers thus far have presented a more light-hearted experience compared to the 2019 release, Game Director Mike Kayatta ensures that it won’t deviate far from what is expected of the Oldest House.

“Of course, we’re part of Control, so we share a lot of those artistic influences because it’s really important to make sure we do that so that we can stay consistent,” explains Kayatta. “Even though we present a little differently, our tone comes across as a different mix, we are part of that world. It’s very important to us that we stay part of that world and to not disassociate from that.”

With that being said, FBC: Firebreak won’t have players treading unfamiliar territory. Sure, certain facets like the giant sticky note monster may be surprising, but the environments will feel right at home in the Control universe. However, there was one “surprising” influence Kayatta mentions that is based on a hit Apple TV show.

“Actually, the show Silo had this episode in the first season where the main character is a mechanic and she has to fix a generator,” Kayatta says. “And it’s so exciting for like 45 minutes, doing this blue collar work. I remember watching that and saying, ‘We have to capture that idea! Why is it interesting to hit things with a wrench, life or death, for 45 minutes?’ That episode was quite impactful.”

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The tone of Control was already known, but cooperative first-person shooters like this are few and far between at the studio. Rather than artistic influence, FBC: Firebreak‘s 50-person team looked more at gameplay influences. And while there are heads of creative at the studio, everyone is making their own contributions to the game, spawning a “melting pot” of ideas, and resulting in something that is “special and unique.”

“For us, what we really looked for was gameplay influence more than tonal and narrative influence,” explains Kayatta. “It’s just because we’re already drawing from Control, which is already an amazing and fleshed-out space.”

“Of course, there are creatives who direct and set the tone, but just looking at the people here, everybody is contributing on the team in their own different ways,” adds Communications Director Thomas Puha. “So, it’s like this collection of influences from different games. It really ends up being a bit of a melting pot in the end.”

“The main thing is that when it comes through the melting pot it comes out something that is ours,” Kayatta says. “We can have these influences, but ultimately, we really want to make it special and unique for people every time.”

FBC: Firebreak launches for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC this summer. When it releases, it will be available via Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra subscriptions.

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