TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,975
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
"How do we do something that makes you feel something as a player, and not just think through a problem?"
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Does a tactics game need a story? Does it even need to look good? Greg Foertsch, creative director on the upcoming XCOM-like Star Wars: Zero Company, certainly thinks so. The former XCOM dev dove into his thoughts on the genre in a recent conversation with PC Gamer associate editor Ted Litchfield.
While it might seem like the biggest compliment a tactics game can get is 'you know, it's actually more of a puzzle game,' Foertsch said that's no excuse to spare players a good story.
"How do we do something that makes you feel something as a player, and not just think through a problem? That's the space where I think the genre can grow," Foertsch said. "I think that's the space where we can innovate, and that's the space where, I've forgotten the things I did before, and we're worried about making something better next. That's where Zero Company was born."
Genre diehards might be content with even the spartan visuals of the original XCOM—that is, 1994 and not 2012—but Foertsch said he wants to realize the largely untapped potential for eye-catching graphics and immersive storytelling in tactics games.
"I have an axe to grind with the genre," he said. "It's so easy for genre fans to wear it as a badge of [honor], 'Oh, the art doesn't matter, the graphics don't matter, the story doesn't matter. It's all about gameplay.
"The gameplay is what it is about. But depth doesn't cost you elegance. You can absolutely have all those other things, and not to mention this genre in particular, you should have those things. It's a single player game."
He argued that you could turn off all the upcoming Zero Company's fancy camera angles and the gameplay would still be "the same," but the extra oomph offered by snazzy production values improves the whole package. "Why do you have to compromise?" said Foertsch. I'm inclined to agree with him after playing the criminally underloved Marvel's Midnight Suns, a game Foertsch was art director on and a case study in how tactics games can have their cake and eat it too.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Foertsch maintains that it's not an either-or, and he said he's not sure why or how fans got "conditioned" to think strategy games can't graphically l...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Does a tactics game need a story? Does it even need to look good? Greg Foertsch, creative director on the upcoming XCOM-like Star Wars: Zero Company, certainly thinks so. The former XCOM dev dove into his thoughts on the genre in a recent conversation with PC Gamer associate editor Ted Litchfield.
While it might seem like the biggest compliment a tactics game can get is 'you know, it's actually more of a puzzle game,' Foertsch said that's no excuse to spare players a good story.
"How do we do something that makes you feel something as a player, and not just think through a problem? That's the space where I think the genre can grow," Foertsch said. "I think that's the space where we can innovate, and that's the space where, I've forgotten the things I did before, and we're worried about making something better next. That's where Zero Company was born."
Genre diehards might be content with even the spartan visuals of the original XCOM—that is, 1994 and not 2012—but Foertsch said he wants to realize the largely untapped potential for eye-catching graphics and immersive storytelling in tactics games.
"I have an axe to grind with the genre," he said. "It's so easy for genre fans to wear it as a badge of [honor], 'Oh, the art doesn't matter, the graphics don't matter, the story doesn't matter. It's all about gameplay.
"The gameplay is what it is about. But depth doesn't cost you elegance. You can absolutely have all those other things, and not to mention this genre in particular, you should have those things. It's a single player game."
He argued that you could turn off all the upcoming Zero Company's fancy camera angles and the gameplay would still be "the same," but the extra oomph offered by snazzy production values improves the whole package. "Why do you have to compromise?" said Foertsch. I'm inclined to agree with him after playing the criminally underloved Marvel's Midnight Suns, a game Foertsch was art director on and a case study in how tactics games can have their cake and eat it too.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Foertsch maintains that it's not an either-or, and he said he's not sure why or how fans got "conditioned" to think strategy games can't graphically l...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?