Competitive gaming is crowded market with a lot of good arenas vying for players’ time. It can be hard to stand out from the stronger bunch. However, during E3 2019, Midwinter Entertainment’ Scavengers grabbed our attention in an incredible way and made us giddy for what we can expect in the future. It may very well be one of the most interesting competitive games to watch come 2020.

For us, Scavengers was an unknown commodity coming into E3 2019. It made a brief appearance at the 2018 Game Awards with a cinematic trailer that didn’t tell us too much outside of the fact that players would be part of a squad going down from space to an icy planet to… well… apparently scavenge. You can check out the more recent E3 gameplay trailer below.

For E3 2019, Midwinter Entertainment finally unveiled a playable build of Scavengers into which we got to take a deep dive. Moreover, we got to talk with Midwinter Entertainment co-founder and Scavengers Art/UX Director Daryl Anselmo about the upcoming plans for the game, the push towards community involvement, and what players can expect when the game launches and beyond.

What's to Scavenge in Scavengers?

In Scavengers, a meteor has hit the moon and ricocheted to Earth. The dust and debris from the moon blocked the sun enough to create a permanent winter on the planet while a virulent force from the meteor debris infected nearby wildlife. Some humans escaped to a colony run by an A.I. known only as “Mother,” but it seems Mother is curious about the state of the planet. She wants her humans to go back to the surface and recover samples of the infection agent. To this end, several teams of three are sent down to the frozen Earth to contend with bandits, wildlife, infected creatures, and the wintery cold to collect as many samples as possible before escaping safely back to the Colony and Mother. You’ll also be fighting against other human controlled teams because Mother only appreciates those among her children who do the most work.

The set-up creates a player-vs-player-vs-environment scenario which Midwinter Entertainment has dubbed “Coopetition” - a term Daryl Anselmo goes into more detail on.

“That's the word that we've adopted and created,” Anselmo explained. “We started a made-up word that describes the blend between PvP and PvE. It’s the intersection where you're going to need to work together at the beginning with teams that you're ultimately going to potentially need to betray because there's an overall shared objective in the match. If the teams don't work together, they're not going to meet that shared goal, and things can turn sour at any point.”

Indeed, what began as an isolated venture with our single squad, looting abandoned buildings and attacking bandit camps to get gear, became far more desperate as things progressed in our play session. You start with next to nothing and have to collect weapons, ammo, healing supplies, and heating elements before you can start tracking down viral samples. It’s a frozen planet full of bandits and wildlife after all. If you don’t find food, medicine to ward off viral contamination, or stay out of storms, several meters will cause your health to drain and eventually kill you. That in addition to collecting at least rudimentary firearms and melee weapons to ward off danger on your way.

We eventually attacked one bandit camp too many, drawing the attention of other teams. They ambushed our squad as we were fighting the camp and, unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it out okay. Meanwhile, the other teams took what they needed and ran away before more casualties could occur. Did those teams mean to cooperate? Debatable, but the instance led them to pick us and the bandits off as the weaker targets before they escaped with the goodies to heal themselves and get one step closer to their objectives. Anselmo claimed this type of fight/flight, coop/betrayal gameplay is right along the lines of what Midwinter is going for.

“That's the type of behavior that we want to see emerge through the game,” said Anselmo “Whether or not you're going team up with another team and potentially get backstabbed later - or be the backstabbers - we think that's fertile ground. A lot of really interesting and dynamic gameplay can really happen with that, so it's kind of emotional.”

What Tools Does A Scavenger Have At Their Disposal?

We mentioned that you go down to the planet with little to nothing, but you’re not completely defenseless. One of the team dynamics of Scavengers is that there are character classes. Each character has an activatable ability. For instance, one teammate could deploy a healing field that would heal our wounds without having to use up precious. Another character could cloak themselves for a short time and get the drop on enemies.

Furthermore, classes have special weapons only they can craft. Our character could craft a combat shotgun with a bayonet. Another character was able to put together an assault rifle with explosive rounds. Yet another could craft special melee weapons. Each class plays a part in the overall group effort. Some will obviously be better suited towards one situation or another, but the team definitely has to work together if you’re going to outlast the competition. Anselmo spoke a little bit to how these classes have emerged thus far in the game’s development.

“At the very beginning of our production when we decided to embrace a class-based game play, it started by saying things like, ‘Okay, we're going to need a DPS character,’ ‘We're going to need a healer,’ and ‘We're going to need somebody that's going to basically be close-quarters combat.’ And, as we developed those, there was a period in time where we realized we really wanted to go deeper on their special abilities. We started to tweak and tune and move the knobs and dials of balance. Then we invested in visual effects, and now each of their moves are a lot more readable. You can see clearly what's happening. Valora for example has an Aegis Shield that you can see through both from a distance and close up. From inside that, not only is it a shield that protects you from damage from the outside coming in, but it also allows you to shoot from the inside out. It also protects you from the ice storms in a pinch [which can freeze you to death otherwise].”

In essence, some characters will be far more useful in combat or scouting while others will provide utility to the team as you scavenge, interact with, and traverse the dangerous environment. Eight classes will be available when the game launches and more are planned to bring variety to your teams and allow you to figure out what works best.

The Threats To A Scavenger

Part of what made Scavengers so interesting to play was the myriad of threats to a squad in addition to the other squads vying for the same goal. Bears and wild dogs might attack you, but you can craft food and defensive gear from slaying them. Across the map as well are various threat zones with numbers attached to them representing their threat and bounty. A six meant we could take it on as one squad with basic gear. A twelve meant either getting some better firepower and armor or cooperating with another squad to take it down (risking sabotage in the process).

Bandit camps featured soldiers, melee bruisers, and armored leaders to contend with while infected zones spawned zombies, explosive biomatter-flinging creatures, and other more heinous atrocities warped by the meteor. All of these threats come in addition to the randomized weather. Storms ravage the planet, traveling across the terrain. If you get caught outside without cover, warmth items, or player skills to protect you, the storm can freeze you up and do terrible damage to your health. These threats both big and small add to the risk/reward that comes with outperforming other squads. Do you take what you can get and leave immediately when the dropship arrives or do you lie in wait near the ship and try to ensure your victory by ambushing another team?

“You're at major risk right at that point,” Anselmo clarified. “You can decide, ‘Hey, I want to engage in some PvP near the end of the match in order to steal as many resources as I can before I get on that ship.’ That would give an extra edge up later. So basically, you kind of leave the planet with more loot than you would have had you not engaged in that PvP. The downside to that, is obviously the risk of death. If you decided to pick a fight right at the end of the match and then end up losing that fight… Well then, it's almost like racing for pink slips. You’ve lost out on that match and you don't get to go home with as much loot as you would have, had you been able to win that fight or had you just decided from even earlier to just leave with what was in your backpack.”

Every step of the match will be weighing the outcomes. What can you gain vs what you stand to lose? That immersive gamble is a huge part of what makes Scavengers feel refreshing among the competitive marketplace.

Building Community To Make It Competitive

Of course, to have a competitive game, you need players. To that end, Midwinter is also working feverishly. Alpha and Beta testing will be coming down the pipe throughout 2019. Heading to the Scavengers website will allow you to sign up for playtesting and further sessions as the game progresses. Furthermore, you can follow Scavengers and Midwinter Entertainment on Twitter and YouTube for further information and goodies.

From a fan suggestion we just posted #ASMR Snow Sounds in #ScavengersGame https://t.co/ak0XyrnZhI Just the sounds of one explorer walking through the snow. No wolves, bears, Outlanders, or Scourge on the track. Enjoy! #ScavengersCommunity

— Scavengers (@play_scavengers) June 19, 2019

A Scavengers Discord server is also already up and ready. Players who want to dig in, be part of the growing conversation around the game, and get the latest updates fastest can join up and follow along on the Scavengers Discord.

Scavengers is slated for a free-to-play release on PC in Early 2020. While PC is the current priority, console is definitely something Midwinter Entertainment wants to pursue. “We have an eye to console down the road,” Anselmo confirmed. “We are absolutely looking at like multi-platform strategy with Scavengers.”

It’s not often we see a game that shakes our expectations for what a competitive game can be, but Scavengers was an absolutely brilliant gem among the offerings of E3 2019. If the community helps Midwinter to continue to make the game better and better, even upon the stellar slice that we saw of the game, then Scavengers is going to be one to keep a sharp eye on when you’re looking for your next competitive pursuit in 2020.