Hello again!

In this post, we’d like to talk about the main sources of inspiration behind our game. There aren’t that many MMORPG shooters out there to borrow ready-made concepts from, and Broken Frontier was born from a mix of ideas across very different genres.

Grounded but distinct factions

At the heart of Broken Frontier is the never-ending faction PvP over territory, resources, and influence. We wanted the factions to feel ideologically distinct, yet grounded so you could genuinely see yourself standing shoulder to shoulder with them to survive and thrive in this new world.

Games like Fallout: New Vegas and Gothic were strong inspirations for how we approached the faction system. Instead of a simple two-sided conflict, we went with a three-way struggle for power, where every group is at odds with the others, with some internal disputes brewing as well. Ideologically, the factions are wildly different, and their leaders each have their own vision for the future of post-apocalyptic America. We also wanted the clashes between factions to feel massive, similar to Warhammer Online, but with guns.

To push these ideas further, we decided there’s no place for a clear-cut good-vs-evil narrative. Each faction’s structure and motivations should be complex enough to feel relatable and sometimes even reminiscent of the real world. The key difference is that in Broken Frontier, the balance of power is entirely in the players’ hands.

A post-apocalyptic world that feels alive

Broken Frontier is an open-world MMO, and while PvP is a major focus, we want exploration to be just as thrilling and progression to feel truly rewarding.

You start as a complete nobody, and wandering too far from your faction’s territory into some distant forest will almost certainly get you wrecked by a mutant porcupine or an isolated tribe of… questionable humans. But that’s part of the experience. It’s your mistake, and learning from it is what makes it exciting. In that sense, we’ve drawn inspiration from games like Kenshi, where the freedom you’re given throughout your journey is incredible.

The world we’re building is harsh, but far from desolate. We want to highlight both the brutality and the beauty of life, including humans, animals, and even plants, all evolving to survive in these conditions.

Good old mechanics

We strive for as much realism as possible in the game, and gunplay is no exception. Expect recoil, impactful feedback, and a variety of ammo types in Broken Frontier. At the same time, movement is supported by a straightforward stamina system and cooldown-based abilities.

It’s not a hardcore arena shooter, but we’re aiming for a combat feel similar to what you’d find in smaller-scale multiplayer games. Our main inspirations here are Apex Legends and, more recently, ARC Raiders.

We also chose a third-person camera to enhance the sense of scale and give players better situational awareness during intense, crowded faction encounters, vehicle gameplay and suprising ambushes.

— Frontier Division Team