Syndicate: Different Genre, Same Spirit

EA and developer Starbreeze may have ruffled a few feathers when it was confirmed that the long-rumoured reboot of the beloved RTS series Syndicate was going to be a first person shooter, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The really good news is that after going hands-on with the game and chatting with Syndicate's Executive Producer Jeff Gamon, it feels like the spirit of the previous titles is very much intact.

The Syndicate series is set in a cyberpunk future where massive corporations resort to extremely brutal tactics in order to achieve world dominance. Sure, that may not sound that different to our current world, but Syndicate takes it a step further, with agents storming rival corporations, assassinating their members, and outright stealing data directly out of employee's brains. So much for patent law!

The original Syndicate games employed an isometric viewpoint that had players controlling four simultaneous cyborg agents and using real-time tactical gameplay to attack these rival corporations. An added layer of strategy was added to the game by having managing funds via taxation on their conquered territories. These funds could be used to purchase upgrades and weapons as the player would progress through the game.

We asked Jeff how the decision came about to pull away from the unique gameplay that made the Syndicate series what it is, and place it into the world of first person shooters.

"Within EA there has always been a movement to bring the Syndicate name back to gaming but we were waiting for the right opportunity. The aim was never simply to recreate the original classic but to come up with a new take on concepts it executed on so well," said Gamon. "In the original game, the Agents were the instrument of the player and this concept still applies today but from the point of view of just one of those agents – Miles Kilo."

"It was important for us that Syndicate have a style of its own. That said, the three main syndicates within the game each have their own cultural references and aesthetics. There is 'The Downzone' with its own unique look, which is where the masses, locked out of the privileged lifestyle provided by the syndicates, reside." The resulting style is somewhere between the slick, minimalist aesthetic of Mirror's Edge, with the futuristic look of classic futuristic films.


"There's a wealth of inspiration out there but Blade Runner and Minority Report were key influences for us when conceptualizing the contrasting worlds of the have and the have-nots," said Gamon. Not a bad set of movies to be inspired by, if you ask us.

"We did not set out to make just another FPS," Gamon continued. "Partnering with Starbreeze, we've created an FPS with the personality that you saw in Riddick and Darkness stamped all over it." It's true that Starbreeze's style is all over Syndicate, with beautifully designed environments, weighty and satisfying combat, and terrific voice acting. Whatever your feelings are about the series' change of genre, the level of quality displayed in this reboot cannot be argued. Syndicate is incredibly slick in both looks and gameplay.

Indeed, within moments it's obvious that Starbreeze is going to great lengths to give the world of Syndicate a very striking look and feel. It's simultaneously reminiscent of previous titles from the studio, while also recalling the cyberpunk vibe of the original games.


"Syndicate is more than the original RTS game," Gamon tells us. It isn't just about how the game is played, but also about the universe it takes place in.

"It's as much about the cyberpunk world of brutal corporate governance, the technology and the story as is it about the specific gameplay," he continues. "That said, it is the spirit of the original that we wanted to capture in this new game. Filling the boots of an agent is just the start. We've remained faithful to the original fiction; the weapons and technology are also recreated, and of course, the chips embedded in the heads of the population are key to the gameplay. Closer parallels to the mission structure of the original are also realised in the four player co-op game."

Syndicate's four player co-op does indeed bring back memories of raiding syndicates in the original games. When talking about what the co-op experience will entail, Gamon tells us that "Players start as level 1 agents and progress by raiding enemy territory in teams of four to win loot in the form of blueprints. These blueprints allow gamers to unlock new weapons, weapon upgrades, new breaches, Agent Augmentations and so on."

This is exciting to hear, and very much in line with the spirit of Bullfrog Productions' Syndicate games of the past, if not in the same genre.


One element that's key to the gameplay in both co-op and the single player experience is breaching, which allows players to take control of a target, and was definitely one of the highlights of our time with the game.

In the single player campaign, having different breach abilities at your disposal allows the player to take all kinds of tactics into a firefight. One such tactic - and simple pleasure - is to drive guards to the point of suicide, where they either shoot themselves in the head, or pull the pin on a grenade attached to their belts.

The 'Persuade' breach causes guards to turn their guns away from you and onto their fellow guards, while 'Backfire' makes your enemies weapons malfunction and shoot back at them. We also had the ability to breach automatic turrets, which can be extremely useful when outnumbered.

"Co-op presents more choices and strategies with breaches," Gamon tells us, "as players have to load out a limited set of slots from those breaches they've researched/unlocked. On higher levels teams need to collaborate on their loadouts and tool up according to roles."

The importance of breaching in co-op is paramount, with Gamon declaring it the core of the co-op gameplay. "Players are able to temporarily augment their teammates, heal and resurrect through breaching as well as attack the enemy."


Fans of the original games will also be happy to know that most of the brutal weapons from the original games are back, along with futuristic versions of the standard FPS guns we've come to expect.

"There's a host of weaponry in Syndicate, many of which are familiar ballistic projectile weapons but moved forward fifty years. Many though are recreations of those seen in the original game. The Gauss gun, the Coil Rifle (Laser), Thermite gun (Flamer), and so on," Gamon explains.

Check out Syndicate's 4-player co-op in action!

At the end of the day though, while the spirit of the originals may remain, this is still a different kind of game, with a very different approach to its gameplay. While we can rest comfortably knowing that Syndicate will be a quality first person shooter, there is still the question of whether this new direction will be able to win over fans of Syndicate games past.

"Of course we understand the concerns from fans of the original, and I count myself as one, but we never set out to remake the original," Gamon says. "There are many elements of the new game that evoke the original and some that pay homage to it but it seems provocative to try and justify the direction we've taken beyond that. I hope those who enjoy shooters will judge the new game on its merits as an innovative and different FPS."

We will all be able to judge for ourselves when Syndicate releases in February of next year. Until then, protect your brain chips at all costs.

How do you feel about the new Syndicate's approach to the series? Sound off in the comments section!


Stephen is an Editor of IGN.com and member of the IGN AU team. You can follow his awesomeness through MyIGN and Twitter. You can also join in the fun at the IGN Australia Facebook page. Stay classy, IGNverse.

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