Avalanche to make self-publishing debut with Generation Zero

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Avalanche Studios, which has now announced the launch of its self-publishing business, starting with new title Generation Zero.

Set in Sweden in the 80s, Generation Zero is an open-world shooter (which can be played solo or in co-op) that involves robots invading the country and what seems to be a pretty rad soundtrack. This first self-published title is due to release on PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2019.

Tobias Andersson, executive producer for self publishing at Avalanche, wrote a blog post talking about the inception of the project, in which he explains that Generation Zero comes from years of discussions on “how to learn from our mistakes and build a future proof strategy for producing self-financed and self-published titles within Avalanche Studios.”

Christofer Sundberg, CCO and co-founder of Avalanche added: “This is the first action game under our own publishing label. Generation Zero is built by a small but experienced ‘triple indie’ team with a lot of creative freedom. It marries the stealth and tactics of our self-published hunting games with the explosive, emergent nature of our publisher-backed triple-A games in really unique way. To me, it marks an exciting new chapter for Avalanche Studios as a publisher.”

This announcement comes on the back of several big reveals and changes at the Swedish developer. Avalanche announced it was working on Bethesda’s Rage 2 alongside id Software mid-May, a few days before revealing it was also opening a second studio in Malmö, to focus on “relatively small and flexible projects which rest on a solid foundation of triple-A production values.” Avalanche also announced last week that it had been acquired by Danish film and entertainment studio Nordisk Film. And then this morning, Just Cause 4 leaked via a Steam ad (see screenshot below, thanks Polygon!). So it looks like things are going to get busier and busier at Avalanche.

Avalanche’s game director Emil Kraftling said a bit more about Generation Zero in a blog post: “As our first self-published action game, there has been no big publishers, license holders or other external stakeholders involved. This is the studio’s game, the team’s game, and my game to an extent that we maybe haven’t had before. We are calling all the shots, but we are also taking all the risks. Some would probably say that an action game with tactical elements set in rural Sweden is a risk in and of itself, as opposed to – say – making a zombie survival battle royale game or something.”

He continued: “We often talk about Generation Zero as a guerilla action game, because it helps paint the picture of how the odds are stacked against you. The world of Generation Zero might be pretty to look at, but it is deadly to trek through and you need to be on the lookout for every car, shed or house that might provide the loot you need to survive. […] But whether you take the fight and win, take it and have to run away, or don’t take the fight at all – the game will never outright fail you and tell you to start over because you played it wrong. The persistently simulated enemy continues to roam if it wasn’t destroyed, keeping all of the scars of your encounter and letting you come back to finish the job later, and mission objectives are tied to the same persistent world, and will remain where you left off.”