Ben Cousins wants to reinvent the touchscreen FPS with The Drowning

Touchscreen need not play second fiddle to physical controls in the first person shooter sector, DeNA’s Ben Cousins argues.

And the former exec intends to prove it with upcoming release The Drowning.

The game will shun virtual joystick controls in favour of a gesture-based affair. Shooting is handled by the player tapping the screen with two fingers. Bullets are fired at the central point between them. Players can move by simply tapping the location they wish to travel to.

The video below certainly suggests that the design offers a level of fluidity not seen in such games before, although some concerns remain – most notably the touch-to-move mechanic which has a chequered history on touchscreens.

The game is free-to-play, incidentally. It’s due out some time early” this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAKdyxIB1cE