"It was clear to us we needed to get spookier" - how Warframe's next update started as Prop Hunt, but ended up survival horror

Warframe's upcoming update, The Shadowgrapher, introduces a novel horror-inspired game mode. Players will navigate tight corridors and dark paths, a significant shift for the sci-fi MMO. The challenge: how to make a game with bullet-jumping space ninjas genuinely scary?

Achieving this fear factor wasn't straightforward. Design director Pablo Alonso and community and live ops director Megan Everett explain that the concept evolved dramatically from a Garry's Mod-style Prop Hunt idea to its current tense survival horror iteration.

This new mode, titled Follie's Hunt, originated like many Warframe updates: with a new Warframe. Artist Michael Skyers designed Follie years ago, laying the foundation for the entire update.

Alonso noted, "The art was always black and white, with the balloon and the spooky clown look," which immediately set a horror tone. This Warframe, a monochromatic artist who manipulates viscous black paint through paintings, needed a suitable environment. While the Solar System is bustling, an overlooked, thematically fitting location was available.

An early concept placed the mode in a haunted relay, a destroyed player hub from 2014-2015. Alonso explained, "Based on that, we knew it would have tighter corridors with a larger area in the middle." These ruined relays, silent remnants for newer players, offered a chance to connect current events to past lore, aligning perfectly with the update's "lots of people died there" theme, adding significant gravitas.

With the Warframe and setting established, the game mode took shape. Initially, The Shadowgrapher update was conceived as a Prop Hunt variant. Alonso revealed that one player would control Follie, while others hid as environmental objects. "We liked it because it was a fun, totally different thing. But once the art started coming in, it was clear to us we needed to get spookier than something like Prop Hunt would allow."

A core aspect of Warframe is repeatable gameplay, allowing players to farm frames and weapons without boredom. This proved problematic for the Prop Hunt concept, as the team found its appeal quickly faded. Consequently, the player-controlled Follie was replaced by computer-controlled enemies. This avoided "neutering" player power, as originally intended. Now, players must cooperate to collect paint for a canvas while evading an invincible killer clown.

However, another hurdle emerged: Warframe isn't inherently scary. Players, as powerful space ninjas with extensive abilities and arsenals, rarely feel vulnerable (barring specific narrative instances). It's difficult to instill fear when you're dishing out critical hits and moving at incredible speeds.

Efforts to dial back player power for increased horror initially failed. Alonso described one attempt: "our first swing didn't work at all. When you picked up the paint your Warframe held it, but if you jumped or sprinted you started dropping paint." This clashed with player muscle memory, leading to frustration.

Blocking players from jumping and sprinting "felt awful." The solution was to require players to collect paint as their Operator, who naturally moves slower and has inherent ability limitations. This approach made players "a little more fragile, while giving you control over the situation." Despite this, some new players still charge Follie, dying repeatedly before adapting.

After considerable trial and error, a frightening solution was implemented. Everett highlighted, "It's the first time we've done something where an enemy chasing you is fully invincible. The point of it is to not run into her (laugh)." Follie grows faster and stronger over time, intensifying the fear. This contrasts with typical Warframe missions, offering an "underlying vulnerability throughout" and a "nice spin on things."

Everett continued, "We know what our players love to do: bullet jumping power fantasy. After 15 years we know what our players hate, and we obviously need to tease a little bit towards that before we hit 'we don't play that game mode'." She acknowledged that Follie's game mode might not appeal to everyone, but it provides "something new" for those seeking it.

So, why venture into unique modes like Follie's Hunt in a veteran game like Warframe? While a visually different version of a standard defense or extermination mission might suffice for many, Pablo believes variety is crucial for keeping both players and developers engaged in long-running live service games.

He concluded, "As game developers, it's hard to keep making the same thing for all these years. So we need to keep things fresh to keep us excited about it. And we know if we're excited to make it, players will be excited to play it. That's how we believe things work, and generally when we're doing any project, I try to get someone involved who's really invested in whatever that one thing might be."