Tango Gameworks, recently purchased by ZeniMax Studios, had their work cut out for them with The Evil Within. Helmed by veteran Shinji Mikami, who recently spoke to 4Gamer, The Evil Within “is about surviving in a world full of psychos and the goal is to break through such a world.” This influenced the game’s original title “PsychoBreak”.
“Actually, the genre wasn’t survival horror to begin with, but due to circumstances, it changed entirely after going through various planning phases. Ever since becoming part of ZeniMax, we’ve had several meetings with staff members, where the words ‘I want to make a survival horror game’ were repeatedly heard.
“I believe that the enthusiasm shared by the staff is one of the main reasons we’ve decided to go with the genre.
“Survival horror games as of late consist of many action-focused games. I’d like to make a game that can bring the focus back to the horror aspect of the genre. With those feelings in mind, we were able to shape up what we have today.”
As to whether there was a balance in place for people who were too scared to keep playing, Mikami stated, “Personally, I’d be okay with people stopping because they’re too scared.”