What happens when a decade of AAA game development meets the freedom of indie experimentation? For Laser Guided Games, it meant creating something that bridges two beloved but often opposing genres.
As part of our Indie Program, they’ve been using Antidote to playtest and refine their vision.
We sat down with the team to learn about their journey, the challenges of a limited budget and why they believe games need more positive experiences between people who may never meet again.
Origins
What’s the story behind you and Laser Guided Games?
I first worked at Epic Games for around a decade. After Gears of War 3, Epic had a bit of a lull and I decided that after all that time in AAA game development I’d like to try making smaller games. At times it’s just me, other times with a few trusted co-workers, and sometimes we have to take a detour to contracting with other companies to pay the bills, but always making smaller games that try out new ideas or combinations.
What made you go independent and start making games?
The main reason is that I wanted to have more freedom to try out ideas, and faster. No schedules full of meetings or management interference, just game design and experimentation.
It’s not all bad in AAA development, but it’s really restricting and stressful when every project is spending huge amounts of money and needs to sell millions of copies to be at all successful. Not that I’m against selling that many copies… 😉
Game Concept & Inspiration
What is Fractured Worlds about?
An unknown wizard, performing a ritual with unknown intent, accidentally ends up breaking the universe apart. All that are left are shards of reality, small pieces of the world surrounded by a void. The player character appears post-apocalypse and is guided by a mysterious voice to adventure through the shards to experience the stories of several characters from before the apocalypse, inside which are (so the voice says!) the concepts that they’ll need to put everything back together.
Gameplay wise, it’s an overhead view RPG combining some of the aspects of a game like Diablo (loot, randomized zones and enemies) with a touch of the more technical combat and mechanics of the Soulslike genre. Added onto that is a number of improved or unique multiplayer features that allow interacting with minimal commitment, enhancing everyone’s experience.
What was the lightbulb moment that made you realize this was the project you wanted to build?
Like the game itself, it resulted from my thoughts on two different genres. I’ve played a lot of the ‘loot-based’ action RPGs and generally found their combat excessively shallow, while I’ve also played a lot of Soulslike games and understand the feelings of those that find them excessively punishing.
By incorporating elements of both, I hope Fractured Worlds can find that sweet spot of a game that’s challenging but not punishing, with multiple ways to overcome that challenge.
For the multiplayer features, I was really inspired by the “strangers helping strangers” aspect of Demon’s Souls and have been disappointed that it didn’t go much further – on the contrary, those games have moved closer to traditional invite type gameplay. That isn’t bad in itself, but I think there’s a place for positive experiences with people you don’t know and may never see again, and Fractured Worlds contains some ideas on that.
Development Journey
How does your game stand out in its genre (e.g. what unique mechanics, narrative elements, design choices set it apart from other games in the market?)
Combat is a mix of RPG and beat-em-up style mechanics, with players able to mix & match weapon-specific attacks and up to 6 selectable skills and link them together in any order they wish. To address some of the issues that come up with spells in some action games, players can pause and resume a cast – using other attacks in between! – so that they can more easily be mixed in with other actions, rather than forcing players to stay away or get frustrated with fast enemies constantly interrupting them.
But where the game truly gets unique is with its multiplayer features. Players in the same area will automatically connect and share their randomized enemies, treasure and other elements with each other for impromptu co-op. Features like messages seen in other games are enhanced to also transfer nearby objects, with you having the option to modify them in some ways, like adding treasure in exchange for getting some yourself when players interact with it. Phantoms for co-op or PvP can be sent asynchronously (you don’t have to stay online) so you can help or hinder others on your own schedule.
Even entire fixed dungeon layouts, called Map Shards, can be shared with other players, each that plays it able to attach their own message to form a history of exploration.
What's been the most surprising or unexpected part of bringing Fractured Worlds to life?
I was wholly unprepared for what it would take to get the game’s story presentation together. Writing, art, voice, 2D cinematics… it’s taken a whole lot longer than I thought it would. Especially on a limited budget, it’s hard to get everything together. I definitely would have planned things a bit differently if I had known, but that’s indie development for you. You’re always learning new things and having to adapt to what you didn’t realize before.
Community
Who is your ideal player?
I think most action RPG enjoyers will like this game, but in particular if you played Diablo or similar and are looking for a little more meat to the combat or you want a challenge but not TOO punishing, Fractured Worlds might be right up your alley.
What do you want players to take away from your experience?
The main thing to me is just that players have fun and when their time is done with the game they’re satisfied with it. Whether that’s the story, learning the combat, hunting power & loot, or interacting with others, as long as everyone’s having fun it’s a success.
How are you building a community around Fractured Worlds?
We’re primarily building a group of players interested in the game on Discord. Come give your feedback, make suggestions, or just hang out!
Looking Ahead
Once Fractured Worlds is released, what's next?
If the game has some success, I’d love to do updates for some time and maybe an expansion. But we’re not doing live service here; there’s not going to be sweeping redesigns every few months or anything like that.
After that… I have no idea!
What advice would you give to aspiring Indie Devs?
The main thing for me that you don’t hear often is that I think it’s very important to try to stay level. You want to be excited for what you’re doing, but it’s easy to get lost in daydreams of what could be when you’ve still got plenty more to do. On the other side, as an indie dev it’s inevitable you’ll need to do some stuff you don’t enjoy or aren’t as good at.
You might work all day and feel like you have almost nothing to show for it. That’s OK! It happens just like the good days. Keep at it, stay focused and you’ll get to the end.
Where can people find your game and follow your work?
- Fractured Worlds is available in Early Access on the Epic Games Store
- Full release will also be available on Steam and can be wishlisted here
- We’re hopeful for console releases as well but it’s hard to say right now.
- You can follow the game on Discord
- Or the company itself on Facebook or BlueSky
Wrapping Up
Incredible story told by Matt.
Stories like this are what keep the gaming industry alive and exciting. Fractured World is expected to release in Q1 2026 and we can’t wait!
We love seeing indie devs bring their vision to life with the right community support.
If you’re an indie looking to playtest with target players, you can also join our indie program.
