The recently announced next-generation continuation of the Commandos franchise will be sticking close to the core gameplay of the originals.

Speaking with SegmentNext in a recent interview, developer Claymore Game Studios stated that it has been granted absolute creative freedom by publisher Kalypso Media for the new installment. Even though development is in pre-production right now, what Claymore Game Studios has already planted its foot down on is to have the new Commandos “stay true to the core gameplay loop” of having to deal with a steep difficulty curve.

That being said, Claymore Game Studios hopes to add new features as well to enrich the overall gameplay experience. However, those said features such as a split-screen option will have to be first evaluated at some point down the road.

Since it’s an iconic franchise and you guys have a daunting task of bringing it for the modern era. This comes with some pressure, right? So how are you guys feeling about that? Confident enough?

It is correct that working on this franchise comes with a substantial amount of pressure. We are very aware that there are high expectations in the gaming community for a true Commandos successor. On the other hand, the team is extremely motivated and proud to be able to work on this iconic franchise and write the next chapter of its history. Everybody in the core team has the utmost respect for the franchise, but also the necessary confidence to turn this pressure into motivation and productivity for the game development process.

I know the game is still in early development, but can you give us two things that you are already sure of that will make the game feel like a next-gen commandos game?

It’s too early for specifics, as finding the right answers to this question is exactly what we are working on now! We also want to ensure that we take enough time in this early phase of production to flesh out the key elements of the game.

What platforms are you planning to develop the game for?

The plan for now is to develop our Commandos for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X. We will have to see if we will expand to any other platforms during the development process.

I see that you guys have selected Unreal Engine for the development. Any specific reasons for that?

The main reasons for that are on the technical side. We want to have the best possible platform for a project which is targeted for the next generation of consoles, and the right tools at hand for us to achieve the desired visual quality. The features which UE4 offers for lighting, shading and visual effects are exactly what we need to create the look and feel and the atmosphere that we’re looking for.

Will the new game only stay to its roots or it will have new mechanics the modern tactical games have to offer?

We will stay true to the core gameplay loop of facing challenging mission objectives with a squad of experts, which can be solved step-by-step based on different tactical approaches for a connected feeling of victory with every successful mission. In addition to that, we will evaluate several additional features to see if they can enrich the gameplay experience. But again, it’s a little too early to get into details.

Have you guys decided on the plot yet? What sort of setting we can expect to see in a new Commandos game?

We have not yet made any decisions on the plot. So far we can only confirm that our game will take place in WW2, but we will make sure that fans of the series can expect some pleasant surprises and unexpected encounters.

Can we expect any sort of multiplayer for the new Game or it’s just going to be single-player?

I can’t confirm any specific features at this early stage for sure, sorry.

What release date you guys have planned. Of course, I am not asking about any specifics just a rough idea like will it be able to release in 2021 or may be 2020?

As we are still in pre-production with many open questions to be answered, it is too early to talk about a release date today.

How many people have you hired for the current project and how many people do you think you would need to work on it?

We have started with a core team of 6 people and plan to grow the studio to 20-25 employees in Darmstadt, plus some external service providers.

Many gamers these days miss the split-screen gameplay. I am sure that if you guys manage to include that feature in the new game, that would be a very welcome feature. So any plans for that?

Split-screen gameplay is of course on our list of features to be considered, but it is still too early to confirm any detailed features just yet.

Last but not the least! What’s the stance of Kalypso Media about Microtransactions and crunch culture? Will they allow you guys complete freedom or they will be the ones to dictate the monetization terms?

I know that Kalypso does not feature microtransactions in any game, and I’m not aware of any plans to change that. Claymore Game Studios was specifically founded to take over the development responsibility for the Commandos franchise and Kalypso is allowing us complete freedom for the creative vision and the overall positioning of the game.