Blizzard’s “Odyssey” Survival Game Is Nearing Completion

We now live in a world with more than a few companies having flagship franchises, and many have more than one. This kind of development could lead to the legitimate concern of not getting a lot of variety in games, but fortunately, that rarely happens.

Most gaming companies seek a way to excite audiences and get them into a new franchise. One company that is going back to the drawing board is Blizzard with their new Odyssey game. Another significant leak revealed that Blizzard’s “Odyssey” survival game and several other details are nearing completion. 

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Summary

• Blizzard is coming out with an all-new game that will be a fantasy survival fps.
• A new leak from Jez Corden has revealed quite a bit about the game, including that the name will be an Odyssey.
• These leaks have shed light on a better idea of what the game might be about and what it will be like when we play it.

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We know that Blizzard was working on a new game for some time, but they kept a very tight lid on it. We have gotten a second look at the game through a leak from Jez Corden. This detailed leak gave us some vital details that, combined with what we already knew, gave us a good look at the game. So let’s see what we have learned and what the game might be like in total.

Last year, we discovered a job posting that hinted at the upcoming survival game from Blizzard. Now thanks to the current leak, we know a lot more, so be sure to come back here to see what is new.

The leak came from Jez Corden on the Xbox Two Podcast, and while he didn’t give us a ton of details, what he did tell us spoke volumes about the game. He covered everything from the game’s name to the art style it will use.

 

One of the first things that Jez went out of his way to clarify was the game’s name. Until now, we had only had the game’s working title, Odyssey, but now we can call it by its actual name. Its actual name is Odyssey, so they either always intended to call it Odyssey, and that name was leaked, or they just could not come up with a better one.

This name is a little strange, given that the name is very simplistic, especially for a Blizzard game, and there are other games called this. This saturation means that their brand and advertising team will have to work hard to try and make this stand out. It is not impossible by any means but an added degree of difficulty.

Jez confirmed that he had heard the term multi-platform being thrown around, and that is where the game was being aimed. He was also careful to stipulate that he had limited knowledge of this and that it could change at any moment. This change and lack of certainty would seem to be due to the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger, which could affect the game.

It is possible that the merger could cause the game to become an Xbox and pc exclusive title. It might even be tied to the Xbox and PC game passes after that happens.

Jez also commented that the game would not be high resolution but instead focus on a more cartoon orientation. He brought up Overwatch as an example, giving us a good idea of what we can expect from the game.

It is not like this is terrible because Overwatch has a nice art style, and it could work well in a fantasy setting, but we will talk more about that in a little bit. This graphics style also gives the game a solid benefit that many don’t initially realize, and that involves a specific console setup.

Now many would not automatically think that this would be an upgrade, but if a game can run on the Xbox Series S, it can run on almost all types of hardware. This technical level is excellent since the game is aimed to have multiple players, and fewer details mean a better gameplay experience. It could be quite taxing on most systems if it were trying to render a lot of detail in addition to the actions and activities of multiple players. Plus, being available to the Xbox Series S makes it available to a wider audience than it naturally would have been.

It is true. Not much is known about the game, so what we know we are going to use to try and figure out what the game might be about. The basics can at least give us an idea of what the devs think.

The most basic thing we know about the game is that it will be survival. That means we will look at much exploration, crafting, and resource collection. This style is a perfectly fine type of game, but the funny thing is that it is one Blizzard has not really messed around with before. So it will be interesting to see how their interpretation of these systems could affect a standard form of gameplay. Some of their other games have had these elements, but this will be the first time with them at the forefront.

Now we are getting to something Blizzard knows well, fantasy worlds. We don’t know what this world’s name will be or its dynamics yet, but it is said to have a fairy tale styling to it. Whether this means we will get something like a traditional world with elves and dwarfs or something populated with odd fantasy characters is unknown. We don’t even know what race the player will necessarily be able to choose.

We do at least have a little idea of what the players will interact with because there will be both magic and technology. We know that magic will at least have a combat application as it will be one of the things that you can attack with. We also know that some form of technology will be described as akin to steampunk. These two facets give us a better look at the world and what we can do. Harnessing magic and king new pieces of technology will likely be branches that players can follow.

We have already gone a bit into the details of the game world, which lets us know a little bit about the gameplay that we can expect, but there is more to it than that. The game is a fantasy-based survival FPS that will have multiplayer elements. That still leaves much to learn about the game, but we know a few more details.

It will not be an MMO, and it will instead be closer to games like Conan Exiles.

Despite being listed as a survival fps game and a fantasy game with multiplayer elements, we know this will not be an MMO game. Instead, this game will be more akin to Conan Exiles, where you will have a limited number of players on a map that will struggle for resources and survival. This goal and direction mean that the game will more than likely put a lot of stress on conflict and cooperation.

This goal and style appear to extend to the possibility that players can make and trade items. So while raiding and fighting can be a part of the game, it sounds like the fact the players can exchange items could eliminate this. It might be possible that lightning might not need to happen at all on a given map if players can negotiate and trade.

Of course, realistically, there will be fighting, and their implantation of magic and technology will likely be important. While only a bow, arrow, and magic have been listed for combat, we can expect a few other items. I would be surprised if there were no melee weapons in a game like this. Swords and axes are fantasy staples and are often used by non-magical builds. From the mention of steampunk-style technology, I wouldn’t be surprised if guns were to be an unlockable item. Fable did this, and it blended into the game very well.

Due to how most franchises work, it would be a fair question for people to ask if this was connected to other Blizzard properties. How you feel about that can affect your opinion of the game and how much you might be able to enjoy it. The good news is that we do have an answer to this.

The answer is no, this will not be attached to any of the other currently existing Blizzard projects or franchises, and it will be its item. This franchise independence is an interesting choice but one with some potential series if used correctly. I know some would have hoped for a connection to Warcraft of some of the franchises, but there is a good reason why this might be better.

Most might be wondering how this could be a good thing, and the answer is that it frees the devs from restrictions tied to another franchise. Whenever a new entry comes out for Diablo or Warcraft, it is bound to follow the same logic and rules as its predecessors. But with a new franchise, it is an open sky as far as the devs can see.

Giving creatives a blank canvas on which to create and complete new works has given us some of the greases games ever. Whether it was Mass Effect’s first honest attempt at integrated voice acting, story, and choice mechanics or something like the intense accuracy of the Arkham series to their comic inspiration, this is the key to some of our more memorable games, and it would be cool to get to see something new.

Now the downside of this is that the game has no established audience, so it will have to win players over with good advertising and to make a good game. This risk is why many companies prefer using the simplicity of an already-established franchise. It is easier than having to dump all the time and money into a game without guaranteeing a return on investment.

Activision Blizzard has not had the best of times within the last few years between multiple controversies and setbacks to its coming Microsoft merger. Over the last few years, they have also taken some heat for game decisions. So with a clean slate for this new game, I think it would be fair to say that they are hoping for a home run. Only time will tell if they can achieve it and bring a new successful IP for the company.

We will keep an eye on this in the future and let you know about any more news we may hear or see—things like if it ends up being a multi-platform game and some other gameplay details. So keep an eye out for any more updates from us so that you can be best informed. 

That is all we have on the fact that Blizzard’s “Odyssey” survival game is nearing completion.

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