One of the biggest problems gamers have is that some games aren't available on their platform of choice. Swedish developer Fatshark is about to remove that problem from their most popular game, Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide.
In an exclusive interview with GameZone Fatshark's CEO, Martin Wahlund, told us that they will have a few announcements about the console versions in the coming weeks. Though much is still being kept secret Wahlund had this to say about the console versions
"In the coming weeks we’ll have a few announcements about it. What I can share about the consoles are that we have been working on them at the same time as the PC version, it’s not that we started with it later on. We decided that we did not want to just make a port, we wanted to make a well polished console game, it will be with the Vermintide feeling but made for consoles. There’s a lot to consider, like how fast you move a character, how fast he turns, to aim, the melee, the pacing, it all works differently when playing with a controller on a console than it does when playing with mouse and keyboard… And of course, making sure that the game works with a controller as well! We want people to be able to pick up the game and understand it quickly."
This is news that most console gamers will appreciate — that the PS4 and Xbox One versions won't be simple ports but games made for consoles. The fact that it has taken about six months since launch without a console version is due to the fact that Fatshark is a smaller studio and don't have the same amount of recourses as the bigger studios.
While on the topic of console versions we asked Wahlund if Fatshark had any thoughts on making cross-play between platforms available, and the answer was yes, but no. They can do it, but maintaining it would offer some difficulties. Wahlund was actually a bit afraid of making a cross platform game
"The problem is maintenance. We want to maintain the game on all platforms. If we have it on too many platforms then we have to update and maintain them all at the same time, every update will be a huge project. If one platform goes out of sync with the others then it won't be able to play with the other two platforms. To maintain a cross-play game is my biggest fear, that’s what worries me most."
The will to make Vermintide cross-platform is still there, but Wahlund pointed that there are many factors to consider before implementing cross-play "We have played internally console vs PC, so it can be done. The problem is that the game will feel different. It could end up being easier for one of the other platforms, so there are many factors to consider."
