What is Tempest Rising?
Tempest Rising is a new Real Time Strategy game, developed by Slipgate Ironworks (Ghostrunner, Graven), and 2B Games, in collaboration with 3D Realms (Duke Nukem, Ion Fury, Prey, Max Payne) and THQ Nordic.
The game is taking place in a fictional 1997, war-torn world, taken over by a mysterious plant which many call “Tempest”.
After a few years of peace, the Tempest Dynasty has been scouted at valuable Tempest sites. Intel suggests that the shadowy and unknown leaders of Dynasty and their allies are going to use Tempest to heavily increase the footprint of their forces.
The Global Defense Forces (GDF), are the maintainers of the majority of Tempest sites, and are protecting many of these due to the dangerous nuclear radiation and yet unknown potential of the Tempest plant and its electrical properties.
Both forces will soon end up in a world spanning conflict in order to secure the Tempest and forcefully apply a single world ideology.
What kind of RTS is Tempest Rising?
Tempest Rising is an RTS rooted in classic RTS formulas, following the foundations set by games like Dune, Command & Conquer, StarCraft, and others. We are reaching back to the roots of classic RTS games starting with the fun moments and gameplay that have created an enduring love for the genre, and bring along the best of what we’ve learned along the way to create a first-rate gameplay experience that marries the best of the old and the new.
Tempest Rising is a high octane cocktail containing 3 parts classic, over the top bombastic, base building, tanks-and-soldiers RTS fun, mixed with one part modern control and innovation for a refreshing mix we think is sure to resonate with genre veterans and new players alike.
Is Tempest Rising similar to Command & Conquer?
Back in the earliest days of planning and development, our team bonded over a mutual love and appreciation for many core gameplay systems which Command and Conquer created, and incredible experiences it provided. We certainly draw inspiration from the Command and Conquer franchise among others, but we are creating a unique experience with Tempest Rising.
Tempest Rising is an entirely new entry into the RTS genre, built upon the structure of classic mechanics that many of us have loved for more than 25 years.
We specifically designed the reveal of Tempest Rising, to focus on some of these classic aspects of the genre, as a starting point. In the following months, we’ll dive deeper into many of the new mechanics and innovations in Tempest Rising
How come GDF seems close to GDI? Which universe does Tempest Rising take place in?
This is a good question, and purely a coincidence.
Tempest Rising takes place in the same universe as several other 3D Realms games (Such as Ion Fury). The GDF is the leading faction in many of these games, and the name and logo was designed in its original incarnation, all the way back in 1995.
Tempest Rising takes place around 100 years before Ion Fury, following many events leading up to the rise of Dr. Jadus Heskel, and might even answer some questions about Shelly Harrison’s background.
Who are the good and bad guys?
In Tempest Rising, there are no good or bad guys. Both Singleplayer factions (The Tempest Dynasty and Global Defense Forces), fight for what they believe is right. No one is truly good, and as a player you’ll have to make many tough decisions throughout both campaigns.
Who is making the music? Is it purely Heavy Metal?
We have four composers involved with the incredible Tempest Rising soundtrack currently, including Michael Markie, Hexenkraft, former The Witcher composer Adam Skorupa, and Sigurd Jøhnk.
The soundtrack is largely in the category of “Dark Ambience / Industrial”, with some orchestral tracks, and a few hard hitting metal tracks. We’ll reveal more down the line!
Who is the team behind Tempest Rising? Isn’t Slipgate known primarily for First Person Shooters? And who is 2B Games?
The team behind Tempest Rising was established over 3 years ago, and operates completely independently from the other Slipgate teams. We’re over 100 people on the Tempest Rising team, working actively on the game, with several RTS veterans on board.
It was very important for us to establish a world-class team as early as possible. This includes several RTS community members as designers and consultants, with decades of experience with the RTS genre. The Lead Designer on the game, Brandon “Wayward Strategy”, was an important addition for us as well. 2B Games are also collaborating with us on the game, and have extensive technical experience with the RTS genre.
How far is the game in development? 3 years seem like a long time!
The game is very far into development. The original concept was created back in 2014, while active development started in 2019. We wanted to make sure that we revealed the game at a point in development where we actually have a lot to share and talk about.
Who is the third faction? Is it Alien?
The third faction will be revealed at a later date.
But it’s not who you think it is. And the Tempest plant is not what you expect.
Is the game going to have custom Mod and Map support?
Mapping and Modding is something very important to us at Slipgate and THQ Nordic/3D Realms.
We’ll have more news on this down the line.
What is the pacing of the game like? Will non-competitive players’ feedback and playstyles be relevant?
Absolutely. We want to accommodate people who only play campaigns and skirmishes, as well as both casual and high-level multiplayer fans. Tempest Rising is explicitly designed with an eye towards marrying accessibility with depth in its gameplay. While several units do have player-activated abilities, these abilities are crafted to be easy to interact with for casual players while providing mastery opportunities for RTS veterans. We look forward to sharing additional details about our units, structures, and support powers soon.
You mentioned on the Steam store page that there will be army customization. Can you elaborate?
The game will feature RPG-like elements, some of them already hinted at, in one of the screenshots from the GDF Command Compound. The upgrade and customization system is something we’ll dive deeper into at a later date.
It is important to note that in multiplayer, there will be no out-of-match customization options: all of the player’s choices will be available to them at the start of the game.
What can we expect from cutscenes? Full-motion video, fully CGI or just slideshows?
All cutscenes are actually built in-engine, using our game assets. One of the goals of Tempest Rising was to raise the visual fidelity to a level which would allow us to do this, without any significant downgrade in visuals and performance.
Will there be a big box release, or any sort of collector’s edition like previous 3D Realms’ games?
Nothing to announce officially yet.
Will there be any early access or beta?
The game will not be released into early access, however we do plan on several rounds of closed beta tests. We’ll inform you about the details later this year.
Which platforms will the game be available? Any plans for a console release?
Currently, we only plan for a PC release.
When is the game coming out?
For now, 2023 is all we can say.
How much is the game going to cost?
The digital version of the game is going to cost $39.99
Will there be co-op in the campaign? And how many are you gonna be able to play in multiplayer skirmish?
We’re big supporters of co-op in general, however we’re not ready to talk specifics in terms of co-op in Tempest Rising yet.
Which languages is the game going to support?
Supported languages will be announced soon
When can I pre-order the game?
Tempest Rising is not up for pre-order just yet, but you can wishlist the game by visiting the following page: Store.steampowered.com
"the shadowy and unknown leaders of Dynasty"
(Abel)
"Who is the third faction? Is it Alien?"
(the scren)
seriously though, this game is looking pretty good!