GRAY ZONE WARFARE : THE BEST MIL-SIM ACTION GAME 2024 ?

Gray Zone Warfare is a game that has been the talk of the town and the envy of many in recent weeks, particularly with its strategy of focusing almost entirely on videos created by content creators on YouTube and TikTok. At first glance, this game appears to be the offspring of a marriage between Squad and Escape From Tarkov. Set on a fictional island in Southeast Asia spanning 42 km² (for comparison, the island of Altis in the game Arma III is 270 km²), this island is named the « Democratic Republic of Lamang ». It is on this playing field that three playable factions of private military companies will engage in various operations.

This is what MadFingers Games, a Czech studio that has thus far only released mobile games, is selling us. A game with several promises that have captivated many. Notably, a unique health system aiming to accurately reproduce the human body and the different injuries one could sustain in a combat zone. A realistic weapon system that aims to be highly customizable. And many other features that are enticing.

You may recall earlier we mentioned the game’s link with Escape From Tarkov, and at this point you may wonder beyond the fact that the game is a realistic tactical FPS. Well, this game also has an inventory management and loot system very similar to EFT, all operating on a server basis. On each server, the three factions can engage in a heated conflict, gathering resources from defeated players or those scattered across the map such as helicopters.

The game promises breathtaking realism, with graphics that could put certain AAA productions to shame. But is this really possible? In an interview with Game Rant, Marek Rabas, Gray Zone Warfare’s creative director, indicates that the game was originally planned for mobile (MADFINGER Games being, before Gray Zone Warfare, a company exclusively dedicated to mobile games and hasn’t released on any other platform).

« We were a mobile studio and were thinking about what our next game would be. We did some research about what we should do. We knew that big guys were coming to the mobile space because of the success stories of PUBG, Fortnite, and Call of Duty. We started to make a little bit of a unique design, which was mostly focused on PvE plus PvP.

Then, we made the design so sophisticated that we found out it wasn’t possible to do it for mobile—it would be a disaster, basically. »

Marek Rabas, Gray Zone Warfare’s creative director – ON A INTERVIEW FOR GAME RANT

Thus, the game is destined to be released on PC but not only that. Indeed, in the same interview, Marek Rabas confirmed that a release – although not immediate – is planned. Firstly, we can question the playability on consoles given the resources the game will demand, as well as compatibility. Such games often require a plethora of keys that make even the most forgotten keys on our keyboard useful, and that doesn’t seem possible with controllers!

« We are planning it, you know. We want to support consoles. We won’t do it immediately because we need to stabilize it first. We need to do everything on the PC, do the first updates on the PC, and if the game will be suitable to put on consoles, we will do it. Even during the Early Access, we will try to do Early Access on the consoles. Because I love consoles, I play a lot on them. I think it’s a big space there. There are not so many tactical shooters there. »

Marek Rabas, Gray Zone Warfare’s creative director – ON A INTERVIEW FOR GAME RANT

The game is highly ambitious, but the project can legitimately be intimidating given the studio’s inexperience, although some are former 2K Czech employees (Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, Hidden and Dangerous). Moreover, a game of this style costs a lot of money, although the studio plans to replicate EFT’s economic model by offering several editions at different prices with in-game advantages for a faster progression curve for the wealthiest players. If the game delivers on all its promises, it has the potential to become one of the major games of the year.