Delta Force Q&A – Console Versions, Cheaters and More Discussed

In case you didn’t know, there’s a new military shooter set to invade consoles and PC, and it’s not from EA, Activision or anyone familiar, but it’s from Chinese studio Team Jade, which is under the TiMi Studio Group. The game is none other than Delta Force (the studio decided to drop “Hawk Ops” from the title a few months ago).

MP1st had the chance to talk to studio regarding the in-development game, whether it’s still planned for last-gen consoles and more! At the time of this interview, the closed alpha just concluded (read our impressions of it here), and the console versions were still MIA (missing in action). Answering the questions are Design Director Ricky Liao along with Publishing Director Jesseca Zhang.

Delta Force Q&A With Team Jade:

MP1st: Delta Force hasn’t been seen in a long time, and definitely not this way. What made TiMi shoot for a AAA experience with this one, and even included consoles? This is the franchise’s most ambitious entry to date, and we were wondering what prompted the studio to do this now?

Jesseca: This is a great question! First off, let me clarify that Delta Force is developed by Team Jade, and published by TiMi Studio Group. The Delta Force franchise is a childhood favorite for many Chinese gamers, as it could be found in almost every internet cafe in China back in the 90s. As a result, many of our team members have fond memories of playing Delta Force games in their youth. Shortly after shipping Call of Duty: Mobile, we saw an opportunity to develop a new entry in the Delta Force series, and it was a no-brainer for us to make it our next game.

MP1st: While we know console (and mobile) news are coming soon, how come we haven’t seen footage of it yet?

Jesseca: Our team is hard at work on the console and mobile versions, and we will share more information when the time is right.

MP1st: Will the full game be playable on last-gen (PS4, Xbox One) consoles and mobiles? How will crossplay for that work with current-gen and PC?

Jesseca: Last-gen consoles will be supported, but as it takes extra time to optimize the game for these systems, we don’t expect Delta Force to land on last-gen at the same time as versions for current-gen consoles. It is our commitment to bring an uncompromised Delta Force experience to all players regardless of platform, so the full multi-player game will be playable on all systems. The campaign mode, however, will be available only for PC and consoles. As for crossplay support, players can expect something similar to how this works with other popular titles.

MP1st: With F2P games rampantly attacked by cheaters, what’s the studio’s plan of attack for it? Has the team considered IP bans for it?

Jesseca: Our top priority here is to create a fair game for all players, and we have committed significant resources to achieving this goal. During the alpha test, the team issued a total of 3,665 ten-year bans and intercepted 11,584 cheating attempts. We also identified and blocked 343 cheat tools. This is a long and uphill battle, but we are determined to keep fighting. We are not considering IP bans at this moment since some players share IP addresses. For repeat offenders, we do have more severe measures in place, including hardware bans.

MP1st: Continuing with that, will XIM/Cronus users be targeted as well when it comes to cheaters?

Ricky: As controller support is not yet live in the game, we haven’t encountered such issues. However, we do plan to address such devices with a future update of the game’s anti-cheat system.

MP1st: Will new characters be tucked away in the Battle Pass? If so, how much estimated playtime is needed to unlock them and new weapons if you’re on the free tier?

Jesseca: One of our key philosophies for Delta Force is to ensure that no gameplay content will be locked behind a paywall. Some Operators will be unlocked through the Battle Pass, but they won’t require excessive grinds to unlock.

MP1st: With the success of Stellar Blade, Lies of P, Marvel Rivals, and of course, Black Myth Wukong, and the like,it seems that more and more Asian studios (outside of Japan) are seeing success and are coming out of the shadows. Why do you think that’s happening now? Is it easier and/or cheaper to make console games now than before? What does TiMi think of this shift from transitioning from mobiles to AAA console/PC offerings?

Jesseca: We are really happy to see this new trend. All of these games are great, and we are humbled to be mentioned alongside them. We believe that a healthy industry should encourage exploration and diversity. With growing competition and more talent entering the industry, it’s only natural that different types of games for various platforms will be made. Players today have higher expectations than ever before, which means developing games is more complex, not easier or cheaper. However, the industry has matured, and we now have better collaboration with partners like Microsoft and Epic Games, who have provided invaluable support for our team. In this regard, Team Jade is still learning, and we welcome this shift in the industry and are eager to continue learning from it.

MP1st: What are the chances of seeing more chapters for the single-player campaign? Speaking of which, we haven’t seen that in a while…

Ricky: Right now we’re focused on creating an exciting and satisfying single-player experience with our Black Hawk Down campaign. We don’t have plans for future single-player chapters beyond that at this time.

MP1st: Are there plans to include smaller, infantry-only maps in the game?

Ricky: Yes! The team is also exploring other combat experiences such as trench warfare.

MP1st: What’s the studio’s stance on Team Deathmatch? Will that work with the game’s characters?

Ricky: We really like TDM and believe it can be a great fit for our game. That being said, our current focus is on the existing three game modes: Havoc Warfare, Hazard Operations, and Black Hawk Down. TDM might come with a future update.

MP1st: The game is sort of split into two genres of modes. On one, you have the large-scale battles with more traditional teams battling for control like in many shooters. The other is extraction. Two different things, and one would say catering to two different markets. What was the reasoning behind deciding to do them both at once, rather than say spin one off as its own separate game or experience? Is the team worried that one part may become more popular than the other, possibly moving the focus away from one aspect?

Ricky: The Delta Force franchise is known for its unparalleled sense of immersion, transporting players to gritty and realistic battlefields. Havoc Warfare is our way of honoring the franchise’s tradition, while Hazard Operations expands on that legacy by challenging players with unique missions where the odds are stacked against them. No one can predict the future, but we are enjoying the process and will continue to maintain close communication with our players to ensure Delta Force remains a long-lasting experience.

MP1st: In terms of cosmetics, will TiMi focus on more “grounded” and realistic skins or will it be more like recent Call of Duty skins where anything goes?

Ricky: We want to focus on more grounded aesthetics that fit the Delta Force tone and style.

MP1st: Going hand in hand with cosmetics, are there plans to do crossovers with other games in terms of cosmetics or events?

Ricky: This is something that we’re currently exploring, however any such crossover would need to respect the visual design and overall identity of Delta Force.

MP1st: I know the studio might be tired of hearing about this, but can we expect an open beta before the year is over for consoles?

Jesseca: We know that the community has been eagerly waiting for the console version and controller support, and we’ve been working very hard on this. We promise that more information will be shared when the time is right.

MP1st: The similarities between the UI and graphic style to Battlefield 2042 are glaringly evident. Is this something TiMi set out to do to capture the Battlefield audience?

Ricky: We have been making Delta Force for four years, and the game has seen many iterations with tweaks to its visual design and UI. Ultimately, we decided on a “near future” art style to offer players a fresh spin on the Delta Force experience, while providing excellent readability and immersion through the UI. Rather than targeting a specific player base, we aim to meet the expectations of both new and long-time Delta Force fans.

MP1st: For consoles, what performance is the studio aiming for?

Jesseca: It’s a bit early to talk about this, but players can expect Delta Force to perform similarly to other mainstream shooters on consoles.

Delta Force is set to launch on PC via Early Access in Q4 2024, while the console versions’ release window has not been revealed at the time of this article’s publication.

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