Grounded 2 was one of the few first-party surprises at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, especially since it’s coming to PC via Steam Early Access and Xbox Series X/S via Game Preview next month. But why develop a sequel instead of continuing to update the original?
Speaking to IGN, executive producer Marcus Morgan said, “We started Grounded on the original Xbox One. And we were running out of room to actually physically get things into the game. And so if we wanted to add any more content, we actually would’ve had a hard load to expand the game. And that ruined the concept of being really immersed and really being in this continuous space.”
There was also a desire to tell a new story (since the first game concluded well enough) and add mounts known as Buggies that also help in building and combat. “We had already prototyped out making multiple creatures in Grounded 1. The challenge was that we didn’t design all the spaces to match that new style of play.
“You change the speed of traversal, you have to spread out your distance between [points of interest], how you handle over lands, how you handle interior spaces, how you handle environmental hazards. All that stuff wasn’t really thought through, so we needed to build a whole new space to really let those things land. That’s why the game’s so much bigger.”
Obsidian isn’t working on the game alone. Eidos Montreal (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Shadow of the Tomb Raider fame), is on as a co-developer “in the truest sense,” says Morgan. Several developers were big fans of the original, and as a result, the studio designed the premise and villains for the sequel.
Grounded 2 launches on July 29th in early access for $29.99, though expect the price to increase as development progresses. The first zone is “nearly as big” as the first game’s entire backyard, and players can look forward to improved combat, new hostile bugs, and more. Obsidian will share a roadmap when early access goes live, so stay tuned.
