Biomutant will take THQ Nordic to the ‘next level’

Biomutanthas been one of the big new announcements at this year’s gamescom, and THQ Nordic’s PR and marketing director Philipp Brock has said it could be the title to take the company into the publishing big leagues.

“In the immediate future, I think we definitely have titles that have the potential to kick us up a notch again,” Brock told MCV@gamescom. “Biomutant is definitely one of those. This title could be the hallmark to take us to the next level.”

The new IP, which is being developed by Swedish studio Experiment 101, is an open world RPG with a free-flowing, kung fu-style combat system, allowing players to wield guns and swords simultaneously as they fight to save the world from a deadly plague. Players needn’t be altruistic, however, as they’ll also have the option to let the world rot.

“We’re glad we grabbed that one,” Brock said. “Experiment 101 pitched the game to quite a few other publishers as well, but somehow we ended up in bed together. The whole thing was very striking. Open world games nowadays aren’t something that make you go ‘wow’ anymore, but the whole setting and combat system feels really fluid. You can do loads of nice stuff there, and I think that’s one of its very strong points. The fact you also get to play as a racoon character makes it very unique in that way.”

Biomutant’s RPG DNA runs deep, too, as players can morph their rodent hero into any size or shape they please, their chosen form affecting final stats and attributes. Every weapon and piece of gear has its own stats as well, and players can craft them into all sorts of different combinations to suit their play style – making gamescom a great place to show off the game’s potential, said Brock.

“It’s home turf, and what I miss about gamescom are the major announcements. So we thought, ‘Well, why not do it?’ So we did, and you can play it right now in our entertainment booth.”