The Order: 1886 Dev Says "Internet Is The New Playground For Bullies"

"The Internet is the new playground for bullies," according to The Order: 1886 creator Ready at Dawn. In a new interview, the studio talks about the hate-filled nature of the Internet and again speaks out to discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding the length of the upcoming PlayStation 4 game.

Game director Dana Jan told Develop that when discussing quantity (The Order: 1886 was first pegged to only be five hours long, something Ready at Dawn has since denied), the element of quality must also factor into the equation.

"So our game is extremely focused on the gameplay to the story-telling to pretty much everything," Jan said. "Frequently I'm saying when you play our game you're going to be on a rollercoaster of variety, twists, turns, there's no filler, you're never grinding in our game."

"Why do we feel like we have to always measure things first and foremost in terms of quantity?" - Jan

Jan went on to say that The Order: 1886 has been designed so that players face off against different enemies, using different weapons, frequently through the game. It was important that players don't feel like they're doing the same things over and over again, he said.

Returning the the topic of game length in particular, Jan offered a way to think about it involving food.

"If you go and you eat a steak, if you pay $100 for a steak that tastes like the best steak you've ever had in your life but it's only 200 grams versus paying the same price for the worst steak you could want--but it's all-you-can-eat," he said. "There's an argument to be made that one is better than the other depending on who you are. If you just want to be full all the time then all-you-can-eat terrible steak, maybe that's for you?"

"I'm not saying it has to be that polarizing, I'm just asking why do we feel like we have to always measure things first and foremost in terms of quantity?" he added. "Which is why for our game we targeted a very good length for the game, but it wasn't our priority."

Jan said that when players complete The Order: 1886, they won't think it's a "short" game. In fact, he said its length will be similar to other games in the shooter genre. Facts about the game's length, which originated when someone completed a speedrun of the game in five hours, have been misrepresented, Jan argued. The game is actually in the neighborhood of 8-10 hours long, which indeed is in-line with other shooter games.

Also in the interview, Jan says Ready at Dawn has been facing an uphill battle with The Order: 1886 as it relates to public perception. Gamers always find something negative to say about the title, which Jan says is actually representative of the hate-filled nature of the Internet.

"We have this uncanny 'haterade' for our game no matter what," Jan said. "People are looking for something to throw at our game, some reason to hate it. I'm excited to hear what people who have actually played the game think about it, how do they feel about the quality and the quantity? I think by and large that most people are going to be satisfied."

"I just feel like these days it's so easy to be negative and I think the Internet is the new playground for bullies."

The Order: 1886 launches this Friday, February 20. Check back later this week for GameSpot's review, as well as an interview with main character Sir Galahad voice actor Steve West.