Though it was little more than teases last week, Bethesda’s RAGE 2 has gone from intriguing to highly compelling thanks to its recent gameplay reveal. With id Software’s first person shooting expertise and Avalanche Studios’ open world design, it appears to be a match made in heaven.
Id Software studio director Tim Willits actually spoke to German publication GameStar and revealed some rather interesting tidbits about development. When asked why RAGE 2 was happening now, Willits said, “We at id and Bethesda have always loved the Rage world and the basic idea of the game. And then there was the opportunity to work with Avalanche and with it the opportunity to do what we always wanted to do.”
Willits also noted that even though Avalanche has the bigger team, “It has never been such a ‘develop a game and then show it to us’ opportunity between us.” The game has always been a collaborative project, featuring “id-like first-person shooter action. And at Avalanche is the Open World expertise.”
It seems that the games-as-a-service model is being followed in RAGE 2 and Willits noted that the studios want people playing the game for longer. However, he further noted, “We think we can bring some fun stuff that makes it possible, but we’ll talk about it in more detail as we move closer to the release of Rage 2.”
Of course, if games-as-a-service is a thing, will there be loot boxes? Willits stated that there won’t be. “We have this novel approach: You buy the game and then you play it,” he said, laughing.
RAGE 2 is currently slated to release in 2019 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It features the Walker, the last of the Rangers, battling the Authority and bloodthirsty gangs in a futuristic wasteland.