The creators of Judas spent five years refining the system of character reactions to player actions.

The Creators of Judas Spent Five Years Refining the Character Reaction System to Player Actions

In an interview with Game Informer, Ghost Story Games creative director Ken Levine shared that the team spent a significant amount of time refining one of the key systems in Judas. Thanks to this, the project aims to be the game with the most dynamic reaction to player actions in Levine's entire career.

When creating Judas, the developers decided early on that they didn't want to make just another shooter. Instead, they set out to create a "Judas simulator" — which is the nickname for the story's protagonist. Gamers will not only decide how to progress through the plot but also think about who to trust and how to deal with the consequences of their decisions.

"Our main goal is to allow the player to become this character and feel like they are on board the ship as all of human civilization approaches its twilight."

Ken Levine

To achieve this, Ghost Story Games kept Judas in the R&D phase for five years. This stage typically occurs during pre-production, and its essence is finding and testing the solutions needed for the title.

The developers wanted the characters in Judas to react to the protagonist's important decisions, as well as pay attention to the sequence of actions, down to the most insignificant deeds. According to Levine, it is very important for the team to provide players with freedom of choice in both global and moment-to-moment decisions.

The developers at Ghost Story Games are most interested in player reactions to the "Villainy" system, which concerns relationships with the three most important characters in Judas. If you pay attention to some and ignore the wishes of the third, it is the latter who will become the antagonist in that playthrough. It will not be possible to remain on good terms with all three.

This system, as Levine emphasized, will allow players to fully feel the tension and consequences of building connections with the main characters. Moreover, their opinion of Judas can constantly change. "It all feels like plate-spinning — exactly like relationships in real life," the director concluded.

Currently, Ghost Story Games is approaching the next major phase of production for Judas, but Levine did not specify which one. The game's development is progressing well, and the team will publish more materials on Judas soon. "Then, as we get closer to launch, you can expect trailers and other announcements," shared Ken Levine.

Judas is in development for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series. There is no exact release date yet, nor information about localizations.