Syndicate remake 'was always going to be an FPS' - Starbreeze

Reboots of classic PC franchises are in style these days, but for every Deus Ex: Human Revolution that tries to hew close to a series' established formula, there's a Fallout 3 or an XCOM that overhauls the formula, much to the consternation of diehard fans. Despite that potential blowback, the developers of Electronic Arts' new first-person shooter Syndicate reboot didn't think twice about rocking the boat, according to an Official Xbox Magazine story.

"It was always going to be an FPS," Syndicate director Neil McEwan told the magazine. "The original nub of the idea was to take that viewpoint from the original game and zoom into the Agent's head, and play that part. A closer experience, to become one of those Agents."

Despite that, McEwan said the team is consciously trying to pay homage to the source material, adapting the original game's weapons and tools like the Persuadertron for use in the context of a shooter. The game also features a four-player cooperative mode and levels inspired by some of those in the original Syndicate and Syndicate Wars. Despite that, there is little doubt that the new Syndicate will be a significant departure for the series.

As designer Rickard Johansson told OXM, "I don't want people to stop playing the old games, but time has moved on."

For more on Syndicate, check out GameSpot's review of the series' first sequel, 1996's Syndicate Wars.