Compulsion Games, the studio behind We Happy Few, says that it has doubled in size for its newest project, which will be a third-person narrative-driven single-player game.
During an interview with Xbox Squad (as translated by VGC), Compulsion Games PR and Community Developer Naila Hadjas talked further about the studio's recent expansion and its plans for the future, saying: “I think we gave ourselves a little time to learn. It’s our first game with Microsoft and we’re learning a lot."
Microsoft announced back at E3 2018 that it had bought Compulsion Games as part of a mass acquisition that included the likes of Forza Horizon developer Playground Games, State of Decay's Undead Labs, and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice developer Ninja Theory. As a result, the new game will almost certainly be exclusive to Xbox and PC, and released at launch on Game Pass.
“We have doubled the workforce and we are adapting to it,” Hadjas continues. “The goal is to expand our zany universe, to continue to make our mark in video games as a studio that likes to make unique games, in little-used settings. For now, that’s our goal. Pursue our ‘legacy’, our heritage, while remaining true to ourselves.”
Despite its current lack of details or official title, the upcoming game from Compulsion is reported to have gone into production only a few months after the release of We Happy Few, which initially entered early access in 2016 before gaining a full release two years later. According to Hadjas, the new game is currently in "full development", although the PR and Community Developer did also note that she has "no idea" when fans will get to see it.
Unlike We Happy Few, the studio believes that its new project is unlikely to require an early access period prior to its full launch. “With our new game, a narrative, third person, story game, I don’t think we need any feedback," says Hardjas. "It’s not like a roguelike where you replay it multiple times and you need data to make sure the experience is fun."
While We Happy Few does have a traditional story, Hadjas notes that this wasn't the case in the beginning and that its inclusion only came after fans fell in love with the game's world and its characters. In contrast, Hadjas says that the next game "is a story" and that the team knows where it is going from the beginning. Currently, Compulsion Games' upcoming project does not yet have a release date.
For more from the developer, make sure to check out our review of We Happy Few where we awarded the game a 7.3/10.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.