Grounded 'Pond Update' interview: What's next for Microsoft's little big adventure

Grounded Pond Update Koi Source: Obsidian Entertainment

Grounded is an open-world take chances by Xbox Game Studio'south Obsidian Entertainment. Obsidian is renowned for games like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, but now, the studio is finding success in the survival genre with its unique sandbox sim, set in a contemporary modernistic-24-hour interval backyard. The twist? Yous're shrunk to the size of an emmet.

Grounded has already found some real success on streaming platforms despite being in an early access state, and Obsidian isn't taking that early on popularity lying downwards. The studio is difficult at work on the game's biggest update so far. Grounded'due south Swimming Update in early November will add a fully-featured biome in the Koi pond, adding new beasties, new crafting opportunities, and new areas to explore. We spoke to Adam Brenneke, Grounded'due south Game Director, to learn all about what the future holds for one of Microsoft's most promising new IPs to date.

You can check out the total interview in the video here, or the below transcript which has been edited for readability.

Microscopic survival

Grounded Game Preview Reco Box

Grounded

Information technology'due south a large(ger) earth out at that place.

Obsidian Amusement makes their exclusive debut on Xbox One and PC with Grounded, a unique survival experience that literally makes all of your problems much, much bigger. Join your friends equally you're shrunk down to the size of an ant, forced to survive in a dangerous backyard.

Grounded's big Swimming Update

Grounded Pond Update Koi Source: Obsidian Entertainment

Miles Dompier, Windows Central: So Adam, showtime off thanks so much for joining us today. I really appreciate it. I'm a huge fan of Grounded and I'm a huge fan of survival games in general. I'm excited to have a chance to option your brain a footling bit.

Adam Brenneke, Obsidian Amusement: Yeah, thanks for having me. It'due south my pleasance and I love talking virtually Grounded.

So it's looking similar the pond update is going to be pretty much the biggest update that Grounded has seen. And really broad strokes: can you tell players sort of what to await with this update?

It'southward definitely our our our biggest update to the chiliad so far and we spent a lot of fourth dimension on this ane. The skeleton of the koi pond is already there, so if you want to become a sense of how large it is, y'all can spring into the game and look at it. But it's a big chunk of the yard.

And not only is it big in foursquare meters, but information technology'southward besides deep, so there'south a lot of stuff to explore, a lot of stuff to find. New creatures, a bunch new crafting. We're super stoked to finally unveil information technology and become it out there.

You said this is aiming to launch in November. Do y'all guys have a engagement? Are you trying to accept this launch alongside the Xbox Series 10/South, or...

We are looking at early November. W are putting up test servers already so starting very soon. You'll be able to get in and await at the content, even if information technology's a little bit early. And so nosotros programme on unveiling everything and launching it in early November.

Grounded Pond Update Flea Source: Obsidian Amusement

Looking forward to that for sure. So let's talk a little bit more than about the star of this update. What your new trailer lovingly described as the "big ass fish." So we know the koi isn't friendly. The fish is hateful, but tin information technology be defeated? And more than specifically, is this something that can swallow yous whole equally the histrion?

So right now. Yes, the koi fish is this big, gnarly... from your perspective in the game — it's a huge whale. Information technology makes the koi swimming its dwelling and it's actually gnarly looking. One of its eyes has been, yous know, popped out and has a large scar over its face. And it does patrol the swimming and you lot desire to be careful considering it's and so big and you are merely a little teeny speck of a morsel next to it.

It can swallow y'all up and consume you in merely 1 gulp so you wanna sentinel out when you lot're swimming around. Wherever the koi fish is patrolling, you'll definitely want to stay away from information technology. And i awesome thing with Grounded is — nosotros did this with the Bird Update a few months ago — is only the ability to add these giant creatures to the grand.

Information technology's just a cool moment when you beginning run into these. The bird is just so giant, and the same thing with the koi fish is merely so big. And you're the size of an pismire. When you recall about it, what'due south an ant going to exercise to something the size of a bird or a fish? Not much correct?

We are looking at ways, mayhap in the future where y'all can overcome these creatures, but right now yous only have to stay away because they're so big then mighty and y'all're nothing compared to these creatures.

So... can it eat you whole though...

It can definitely eat yous (laughing), and that'south why you lot want to stay away from it.

Grounded events and weather furnishings

Grounded Pond Update Quarter Source: Obsidian Entertainment

So, with the contempo update, we got a sense of taste of the kind of what holiday festivities can await like in Grounded with Jack 'O Lanterns and bits of candy corn. Will we be seeing more seasonal events or updates? And has there ever been talks of experimenting with different conditions effects for these seasons?

Yes, that'southward a great question. It's something that nosotros love doing as a team. Just proverb like we love celebrating the holidays besides. Nosotros dear putting our own little touch on the holiday content. That'south something that nosotros will keep to evaluate and wait at like "hey, is in that location something cool that we could put in?" Something may be that you lot never really encountered before. Like, what game has towering candy corn in it that you can eat?

We do have some plans for future holiday content. And information technology's something that we're pretty excited to showcase.

Nosotros do take some plans for future vacation content. And it's something that nosotros're pretty excited to showcase once those Holidays curl effectually.

Weather is a crazy one, so we definitely want to do the weather condition at some point. It's insane to call back about like what happens if it actually rains in this globe where the water drops are as big as your head, and it would be a violent, vehement force down on you.

It's something that we really want to exercise eventually, and it'due south something we've definitely talked virtually, but I think it's a picayune flake further out on the schedule and then something that we will see someday soon.

The world of Grounded is gorgeous. I frequently spend a lot of time just looking at it. Have yous guys talked nigh or experimented with a dedicated photo fashion for the people who want to postal service it to the 'gram?

Aye, I think a photo mode is something that we have discussed for doing as a feature. Aye, the game does await gorgeous and I call up information technology even looks better like on the Xbox Series X similar it looks, insane. Whenever I played on my dev kit it's just heed-blowing how good it looks.

Nosotros're also adding in HDR mode, so if y'all do have a monitor or TV that does HDR the low-cal looks insane.

I think something like a photograph mode would be definitely on the table so you tin can really capture those amazing vistas. And you know, if you build your base of operations in a cool area, you can capture that moment and share it.

Grounded'south story and community

Grounded Pond Update Diver Source: Obsidian Entertainment

Your team is actively working to deliver on what you have described as "Human action ane" of Grounded. Later the launch of the Swimming Update, kind of roughly, what pct would you say you are towards completing Act 1?

We're probably nigh fifty to 60 percent done with the content of Human activity 1, and we definitely wanna exercise passes over the existing content besides. Like the hedge area, we don't feel that'due south washed yet. The haze expanse is definitely non done yet.

We're probably about 50 to 60 percent done with the content of Act ane, and we definitely wanna do passes over the existing content as well.

We want to go into those areas, amplify them, make them more than beautiful. Add more content to explore, add a lot more story to those elements, and nosotros desire to continue to build out the one thousand likewise. At that place'due south a lot of those undeveloped areas that we desire to develop, even for Deed 1.

Then once all these areas are in and developed, we want to take that storyline that goes through each of these labs. We desire to have the player observe more footling mysteries that will build-up to the cease of Act 1. And nosotros accept a lot of cool ideas that we want to put into the game for that experience.

How important has role player feedback been when it comes to shaping how Grounded looks like going forrard?

That'south something that's super important to united states of america. Just getting all that feedback, fifty-fifty with a koi swimming, we want to see like how people react to the pond aspects, the combat underwater, and iterate and meliorate on all those aspects.

Nosotros tin make massive changes to the game. We're OK with doing that. We are listening to anybody'southward feedback. Please please vocalisation your opinion wherever yous want, simply shout information technology out there are. We have an amazing customs team that is scouring the web for your feedback. Fifty-fifty if it's something that you don't like, we are taking all that to heart. Nosotros just desire to brand the best game that nosotros possibly can, and nosotros tin can't do that without your help.

Is there a place, in particular, that's best for a player to reach out to you guys?

I remember our Discord server is probably the best. We take an crawly customs. We have our forums, we have, we know we have Reddit, we have steam forums. We're pretty much looking everywhere.

Grounded Pond Update Bubble Source: Obsidian Entertainment

Grounded has been pretty proactive when it comes to accessibility features. You have stuff like the spider slider. Are you guys looking to expand accessibility within Grounded correct at present?

That'south something that's e'er of import to the states. Even with the koi pond, we've been discussing like, "hey are there things that we're we're not aware of with accessibility? With swimming for case?

And then we are looking at how can we brand this game available to everyone and attainable to anybody for gamers of all ages. And if yous are struggling with something or if you think that nosotros could be doing better in some aspect, please besides share that with us. We're definitely listening and taking that feedback to heart.

I'thou a huge survival game fan. Someone who'southward put hundreds of hours into stuff like Ark Survival Evolved. When your team was going into preproduction for Grounded were there any games y'all were looking at, or any formulas that you were kind of taking inspiration from and said, "hey, I like this, only this is something we tin do better."

Nosotros definitely played similarly to you lot. We played a lot of Ark, nosotros played a lot of Subnautica, that is an astonishing game. The Forest has been a very large inspiration for us, and not only survival games. Nosotros look at games like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, on how they handle traversal and exploration of a big open earth. Nosotros even looked at older games like Portal and Portal two for inspiration. Past Obsidian titles as well, so we definitely expect at a lot of games.

We are gamers. We beloved playing games. Regardless of where the inspiration comes, I recollect we're just trying to have fun with information technology, and meliorate on the genre. We are likewise looking at ways where we tin can twist things up for the setting and make them into unique features for Grounded.

Grounded for Xbox Serial 10, Series S

Grounded Pond Update Bubble Source: Obsidian Amusement

What'south your team'southward experience been developing with the Xbox Series X and Due south?

I think it's amazing, like when I got Grounded running on the Series Ten. I was blown away. It but feels like a completely dissimilar experience like it'due south just and then silky smooth. The framerate is amazing. It looks amazing.

I just love playing on my Xbox Serial X. Playing older titles with backward compatibility and I call back I'1000 having a lot of fun with it. That's going to be my principal gaming device. And I think when players get their easily on with Grounded on it, I call back people will be blown abroad, peculiarly with the new HDR stuff. Grounded already looks really good, only with HDR it's just really listen-blowing to me.

I have an amazing team and they're really able to button the limits on what we can do with all these new bells and whistles

Then exterior of resolution, has at that place been any noticeable divergence developing for the Xbox Series S?

No, I think, you know it's running silky-shine there every bit well. I recall that really resolution is the only big departure betwixt the 2 platforms.

So before I allow you lot go, is at that place anything we missed, with the Pond Update, with Grounded in general, that you just want to let fans know to exist excited about?

Nosotros saw amazing initial success with Grounded. Everyone on the team, anybody at Xbox, everyone at Obsidian, we're so thrilled with how the initial few months have been.

We tin simply go on edifice the game and making it better and meliorate. And if you haven't checked out the game for a few months, I recommend just popping in every once in a while and checking it out to see all the different changes.

I'k but excited that I have this opportunity to keep working on information technology, and I'thou not gonna cease until it's amazing. So I but want to thank everyone for joining united states of america in the lawn and the team simply super excited just to go along it rolling.

Keep information technology Grounded

Grounded is quite hands ane of the well-nigh promising new IPs to have hit Microsoft platforms exclusively in recent years, with a strong showing on Steam, streaming platforms, and beyond. The game is available now in early admission on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox and PC, also as Steam for Windows.