GameSpot spoke with the development team behind the Sniper Elite series to find out the real reasons behind their popularity on Steam for over a decade. They have a wonderful description of their working method: “a few very stupid ideas”, which may not seem precise enough or avant-garde enough, but they leave a deep impression on players in every game.
Bullets, bullets, bullets are the original core of “Sniper Elite”!
The team emphasized in the interview that from the first game to the present, the core fun of “Sniper Elite” has never been the gorgeous scenes or movie-style cutscenes, but the “bullet physics” itself, from the recoil of the weapon, ballistic descent, wind direction impact, to the extreme slow-motion effect after the target hits. These gun simulation details are the core triggers that make veteran players want to keep coming back. They view making a good gun as a craft, not a functional requirement.
“Users help you debug for free” is a gift in the eyes of this team, not a trouble.
The development team has a very special attitude towards feedback from the player community. They will actively collect bug exploits discovered by players and use these as material for future updates. Because in their opinion, the interesting flaws these players found themselves can better illustrate the real reactions than any internal testing. This approach allows the community to always feel that they are “co-developers” rather than just “product consumers”.
Instead of pursuing covering all players, it is better to serve this group well
The team admitted in the interview that there are many choices in the FPS market, and many works will choose to make a fuss about accessibility so that more novices can get started quickly. But the route they chose is completely opposite. If you are a fan of deep shooting games, “Sniper Elite” will make you feel respected; if you are a novice, you may find this system too cumbersome. This strategy of not making all-employee products has made it the most memorable brand in this vertical field.