Treit and True:

Visiting the Home of Shadowrun—FASA Studios

Published May 9, 2007

My visit to Shadowrun™ developer FASA Studios began by dozing in an armchair in the developer's lobby. I had inadvertently arrived an hour early for my meeting with studio manager Mitch Gitelman, and it only seemed natural to catch up on some shut-eye. I perked up quickly after Mitch showed up and a necessary cup of coffee from the cafeteria. Then, it was off to his office and down to business.

The team's on the move.

A Spirited Discussion
It's always refreshing to meet and talk with someone, who even after years of game development, is still bursting with enthusiasm for not only his most recent game, but gaming in general. With every feature Mitch touted and every story he told, it was clear that he dearly loves his job and the game he has toiled over for years. There were a few highlights I took from our discussion:

• Opinionated Employees: Mitch is adamant in his preference for hard-nosed, opinionated employees who care deeply about their role in development. He has no use for "yes men." For the most part, good things come from conflict as artists and engineers butt heads tackling problems. Games are pushed to a higher level by employees fanatically devoted to their role in the process.

This opinionated employee has a point to make.

• PC vs. Xbox 360: In an effort to allay worries about cross-platform balance, FASA Studios set up a match between the staffs of PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine playing on their respective platforms. When all was said and done, the matches were nearly even, and the only reaction was, "Wow, you did it."
• Gamer's Perspective: A recurring theme throughout our conversation was that Mitch and the Shadowrun team are ardent gamers, and when bold decisions are made, it's from a gamer's perspective. For example:
• The decision to remove leaderboards was made to prevent the average gamer from having to deal with griefers intent on exploiting their way to a top ranking.
• The Party system is a marvelous tool for players looking to get together with their friends and find matches swiftly. It should be a standard of modern multiplayer gaming.
• Shadowrun keeps players together at the end of the match, because, well, why in the world would you want to make players struggle through the menus to find another match when they're already in a perfectly good one?
• Love of the Game: Mitch related a story that speaks directly to the team's passion for Shadowrun. When an employee suggested that a process needed to be changed during development, Mitch pointed out that the process had existed for years and had worked just fine for previous games. The employee's reaction? "But I love this game." Enough said.
• Instant Evolution: The beauty of a multiplayer game is the team's ability to drop everything and play together at a moment's notice. It may sound like fun and games, but it's an essential tool for development. After several matches (and some heated discussion), the team can immediately work on every noticed imbalance, and then push a new build to test their rapidly completed work.

A little heated discussion can be a good thing. Really.

Only 3 Million
One story serves as a great example of the ethos at FASA Studios. After years of working in marketing, an employee suggested a dramatic interest in game design and jumped at the chance to take not only an entry level position, but a massive pay cut as well.

"Are you kidding? I just dropped
three million dollars on his education."

After paying his dues and learning his trade, Mitch offered him the opportunity to step up to the plate and design a project. Three million dollars later, the project was canceled and the team went back to the drawing board.

When asked by a colleague whether he was going to fire the designer, Mitch responded with, "Are you kidding? I just dropped three million dollars on his education." Though the project wasn't successful, the designer's contribution on Shadowrun has proven invaluable. To Mitch, it wasn't money wasted. It was an investment in talent and one that's paying off big time right now.

Tester's Delight
It may be refreshing to talk to an executive still clearly in love with his work, but it is even more invigorating to find a tester that's equally excited about their game. As a former tester, I know a little something about the frustration and tedium of playing the same game for months on end. Even brilliant titles swiftly lose their shine under a tester's eye.

I was shocked, then, to walk into the test lab for a few rounds of Shadowrun only to find myself surrounded by a room full of testers eager to talk up their game. They're worried that the game's finer points might be lost on the press who write previews based on only a few short hours of gameplay.

Don't anger a tester.

After all, the magic and tech upgrades combined with each race's native strengths and weaknesses make for hundreds of gaming options. Each intricately designed map can still reveal surprises even on the fiftieth playthrough. The foundation of Shadowrun may be understood after an hour or so, but its subtle beauty can only be seen after hundreds of rounds of play.

I walked into FASA Studios to learn more about Shadowrun, and while I certainly did, the value of the visit was really in spending time with developers who care so deeply about what they do. Gaming is my favorite pastime and I love every moment I spend with a great title. It's nice to know that the folks that make some of my favorite games feel the same way too.

Article by Ryan Treit