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Battlefield 3 lead designer joins Starbreeze

Eddie Makuch
By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

David Goldfarb lands at Stockholm-based Syndicate reboot developer where he will be game director on Payday: The Heist sequel and an unannounced game.

Battlefield 3 lead designer David Goldfarb has joined Syndicate and Chronicles of Riddick developer Starbreeze Studios, Develop reported today. Goldfarb left DICE last month after five years with the studio.

Goldfarb's new office is also in Stockholm.

Goldfarb's new office is also in Stockholm.

At Starbreeze's office in Stockholm, Sweden, Goldfarb will take on the role of game director, working alongside the company's current creative director Ulf Andersson on the production of a sequel to Payday: The Heist and an unannounced project.

Explaining his decision to leave DICE, Goldfarb said that working on major projects like Battlefield was "exhausting" and that he wanted to work on something he was "personally interested in, which apparently is a crime."

"I've worked on these huge games, and that was great, but I really wanted to work on smaller, tighter, and more intimate projects that are more gameplay driven, and I saw the opportunity to do that [at Starbreeze]," Goldfarb said. "I just wanted to get closer to things that I love and this was a great match for me."

Eddie Makuch
By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.

26 comments
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AmnesiaHaze
AmnesiaHaze

maybe they fix their dead on arrival broken game syndicate now

 

adam1808
adam1808 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Anything that keeps Starbreeze open and making games I'll support.

omghaxor45
omghaxor45

hope he doesn't ruin such a pure and playful game like payday. Because they already ruined BF3, in my opinion, bfbc2 was way better

Zonno
Zonno like.author.displayName 1 Like

Payday: The Heist gets a sequel? That is great news, but I hope Overkill still gets something to say about it.

dalua360
dalua360

Of course he will do that, because people who don't understand a F****** thing about the military world needs to keep doing sh*t arcade games like BF3 is.

DeusAlex
DeusAlex like.author.displayName 1 Like

 @dalua360Calm down Rambo. We're not anal war mongers. We just want to play a fun FPS game. If you want realism, then join the armed services.

 

 

DeusAlex
DeusAlex

Most reaslistic shooter to date, compared to other military fps gams maybe , but never can be like real combat. Not until we can enter the Matrix.

dalua360
dalua360 like.author.displayName 1 Like

 @DeusAlex

 Already did, 2000 to 2009....

Now, I want good realistic games....

Last time I remember DICE said " Most realistic FPS combat ever"

Maxor127
Maxor127 like.author.displayName 1 Like

If he's to blame for the terrible design decisions in BF3, then good riddance.

SolidTy
SolidTy

Payday sequel getting some strange buzz considering Payday didn't set the world on fire. Perhaps Payday 2 will be amazing though, based on the different things I"m reading including this.

xYamatox
xYamatox like.author.displayName 1 Like

Seeing as how Battlefield 3 is pretty terrible, I wouldn't expect much from him. Unless EA's the sole reason for BF3, that is.

Lotus-Edge
Lotus-Edge

At least the talent is staying in the business....

MrMisanthrope
MrMisanthrope like.author.displayName 1 Like

It should be noted that he's the *single-player* lead designer on BF3. Make of that what you will.

mrklorox
mrklorox like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

 @MrMisanthrope This is the most important distinction that I've seen constantly left out of the stories around the net chronicling Goldfarb's journey. I'm not certain who the actual lead designer for the multiplayer of the base BF3 game is, but I've seen the names Lars Gustavsson, Alan Kertz, and Niklas Fegraeus having that title. There's probably a different lead for each expansion.

 

I'm not sure many folks think of the singleplayer first when someone mentions BF3.

sirkibble2
sirkibble2 like.author.displayName 1 Like

"I really wanted to work on...projects that are more gameplay driven."

 

What is he imlpying with that statement? Is he implying original or creative? That's a very interesting statement. Not sure how to take that one.

mrklorox
mrklorox like.author.displayName 1 Like

 @sirkibble2 I think he means more open and giving the player options on how to advance. Think about what Starbreeze games tend to offer in terms of gameplay that the Battlefield singleplayer didn't.

 

BF3 SP is a by-the-numbers linear ride. Shoot the dude in the head before he shoots you in the head, move to the next point, throw in the occasional turret sequence, and repeat for five to seven hours. Riddick and the original Darkness and Syndicate encourage you to take on your encounters in different ways and have fun with your approach.

sirkibble2
sirkibble2

 @mrklorox If that's what he means, then that's an interesting way to say that. "More gameplay options" makes more sense than "gameplay driven." 

 

I'd agree with your take on it, though. BF3 is certainly linear.

645798
645798

Enclave II... please?

interrasteral7
interrasteral7

In my opinion, please Starbreeze develop The Darkness III, because The Darkness II was a disappointment from Digital Extremes who developed Dark Sector compare to your video game adaptation of the comic, The Darkness. 

iluvOP
iluvOP

His looks like he just saw my browsing history... better clear it.

pez2k_
pez2k_

Working alongside Ulf Andersson? Surely that's at Overkill Software then, not its parent Starbreeze. Good to see more big talent joining Overkill though, they're the best of the best from the late GRIN and a really underrated studio.

pal_080
pal_080 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 5 Like

The more talent that leaves EA (Well Dice, which is controlled by EA now) the better as far as I'm concerned!  More opportunity for good original games instead of milking franchises till their nothing but a dried up zombie corpse!  Only Starbreeze games I've played are the Riddick games, but those are really great and fairly unique.

Viper3IN
Viper3IN like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

As a big fan of Battlefield 3, Syndicate and Payday I can only hope this turns out to be a success for Goldfarb and Starbreeze.

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