CI Games admits “big mistake” in chasing AAA with Sniper Ghost Warrior 3
Studio promises to continue supporting game but plans new, more focused tactical shooter
Polish developer and publisher CI Games has essentially apologised for the quality of its most recent release, attributing this to an overly ambitious aim to compete with AAA titles.
The company released an odd press statement reiterating its future plans, including the development of a Lords of the Fallen sequel and further updates to Sniper Ghost Warrior 3.
It also intends to develop a new tactical shooter - almost certainly Sniper Ghost Warrior 4 - that will be more focused than its latest title.
"We've learned a lot as a team over the course of development for Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, much of which I believe has shaped the talented individuals within CI Games and the entire studio for the better," said CEO Marek Tymiński.
"When we began development of SGW3, we decided on such a relatively large scale of the game with its open world that now we realise it was just too ambitious versus what we could have been able to deliver in any reasonable amount of time. We simply made the wrong math considering the size of our team and the originally given timeframe. By positioning the game in a AAA category, it took us away from what we could have done great. Instead we spent too much effort trying to catch up with other AAA titles in terms of their production values and features. That was a big mistake."
Tymiński continued by claiming the studio would talk about its next game "without any tag attached".
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 was released back in April to less-than-stellar reviews. Its Metacritic score hovers between 56 and 58 depending on the platform. It managed No.2 in the UK charts, fended off by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, before dropping out of the Top 10 in second week.
CI Games' statement is no doubt intended to preserve a little good will towards the studio as it embarks on its next project. Given the scale of Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 compared to its predecessors, the budget will no doubt have been higher and more difficult for the studio to recoup, placing more pressure on Lords of the Fallen 2 and its next tactical shooter to perform well.