Inside the Xbox Series X | S Optimized: Zombie Army 4: Dead War

One of the biggest benefits of all of this hardware performance is giving developers the freedom to create games that are for the Xbox Series X | S are optimized. This means that they have the unique features of the Xbox Series X | S have made full use of both for new titles that are native to the Xbox Series X | S development environment, as well as for previously published titles that were rebuilt specifically for the console. In our Inside Xbox Series X Optimized series, these developers will share behind the scenes how they got their titles for Xbox Series X | Optimize S and what this means for the future of gaming. Today we’re talking to Steve Archer, Senior Producer at Rebellion, about optimization Zombie Army 4: Dead War for Xbox Series X | S.

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Xbox Wire: “What do you find most exciting about developing and delivering? Zombie Army 4: Dead War brought to life on next generation hardware? “

Steve Archer: To be able to bring the realistic 4K graphics at the speed of 60 FPS. Prior to this new generation of Xbox consoles, we had to compromise the visual quality in order to reach 60 FPS or we could allow the player to keep the visual quality high but with a cap of 30 FPS. The sheer power of this new generation of hardware enables us to eliminate this compromise. This is a huge plus for our game and for our players.

Xbox Wire: You not only benefited from the power and performance of the Xbox Series X | S for faster loading times, etc. Which features of the Xbox Series X | That’s what you loved most when you were using it in the development of Xbox | Zombie Army 4: Dead War?

Steve Archer: After all my years in the games industry, every change in console generation remains an exciting undertaking. I have the privilege of picking up new hardware and discussing with colleagues how we can approach this new beast. In case of Zombie Army 4: Dead War, We took into account the needs of our players and what we can do with the time we had before our planned release date. The experience of playing in ZA4’s The visually rich game world with 60 FPS and super responsive controls should not be underestimated. The constant frame rate makes the action feel so fluid. Cross-generational saves ensure that players can seamlessly jump back into the action on every generation of consoles they play on. This is the beginning of our journey and we look forward to harnessing the newfound powers and functions of this new generation.

Xbox Wire: How do these improvements affect a player’s experience? Zombie Army 4: Dead War?

Steve Archer: Coupled with the great audio already included in the original version, we hope that the resolution and FPS boost will keep players further immersed in the game. The responsiveness of 60FPS and 120FPS games gives the player a huge advantage over 30FPS for many gamers, and you can really feel the difference when the zombie hordes roll up – you will need all your skills to fight your way out of this tight situation!

Xbox Wire: Why did your development team choose to focus on higher resolution and higher frame rates as areas of improvement for? Zombie Army 4: Dead War?

Steve Archer: Based on user feedback, this was the obvious choice. At first we only wanted to support 4K at 60 FPS, but when that went relatively smoothly we thought about 120 FPS. As a producer, I can ask the team these questions and they have strengthened and delivered. The user base for 120 Hz TVs is currently relatively low, but we plan to have long-term support for ZA4This helps future proof the game in this area.

Xbox Wire: How do you expect fans of Zombie Army 4: Dead War It will be with these improvements to playing on Xbox Series X | S react?

Steve Archer: As a package, the reduced load times of the SSD, the atmospheric graphics, the booming explosions and the responsive controls offer the player an improved Zombie Army experience that is new for this generation of consoles. Now with the game on Xbox Game Pass, more players will have their first experience of the game, which is very exciting for us.

Xbox Wire: What’s it like on Xbox Series X | S to develop?

Steve Archer: Once we made up our minds, the Xbox Series X | The project came together quickly. So far, the experience has been great with Microsoft providing support when needed. At this stage, we’re just scratching the surface of the consoles’ future potential. These initial improvements have put us in a great position if we continue to support Zombie Army 4 with additional content and improvements in quality of life. In the long term, we look forward to incorporating these changes into the development of our future titles.

Xbox Wire: What improvement did you look forward to the most to study leverage? Zombie Army 4: Dead War on Xbox Series X | S?

Steve Archer: That’s a good question. Now that we’ve met our original goals, we need to see what we can put into this year’s roadmap before we make public commitments. The team I’m working very hard on is creating content for the third season which is coming out soon.

Xbox Wire: What made the development of the Xbox Series X | S in current or future projects that you couldn’t have achieved with the previous generation of consoles? “

Steve Archer: For me as a gamer, the ultimate goal is a title with zero loading screens and beautifully rendered environments. Loading screens can be informative (a place to give tips to the player), but they break the storytelling and immersion of content you’re playing and hope it gets relegated to the story.

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Thank you Steven for taking the time to speak with us today. You can play Zombie Army 4: Dead War today on Xbox Series X | S and Xbox One with Xbox Game Pass. You can also pick it up for purchase from the Xbox Store today. With our Inside Xbox Series X | S Optimizes series is available on Xbox Wire for future developer roles.