In case you didn’t know, Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive has another game out that just got its first major content drop, and I’m, of course, referring to Meet Your Maker. With the launch of Sector 1: Dreadshore, MP1st recently got the chance to interview Behaviour about Meet Your Maker, where we ask about player feedback, reception and what’s next.
Answering our questions is Senior Creative Director Ash Pannell.
MP1st: Can you introduce yourself to our readers and talk about some of the specifics from your role in Meet Your Maker?
Hello, Custodians! My name is Ash Pannell and I’m the Senior Creative Director of Meet Your Maker. I oversee the creative direction of the game, working closely with the development team to shape its vision, gameplay mechanics, and overall player experience. I collaborate on designing new environments, Custodians, traps, and guards, ensuring they are fun and align with the game’s post-apocalyptic atmosphere and unique blend of building and raiding gameplay. I also work closely with the teams responsible for gathering player feedback, evaluating the game’s performance, and planning for future content updates and expansions.
MP1st: How did the idea behind the genesis of Meet Your Maker appeared? Was there any inspiration from movies, any trigger to realize this post-apocalyptic atmosphere where building and raiding co-exist?
Pannell: The genesis of Meet Your Maker was born from a desire to create a post-apocalyptic world where building and raiding coexist in a thrilling and strategic way. We drew inspiration from various sources, including movies, literature, and gaming and even childhood games like building forts in the garden. These influences, combined with our passion for immersive gameplay experiences, sparked the concept of Meet Your Maker, where players become the Custodians of the Chimera and engage in building amazing deathtraps and challenging Players to play your creations.
MP1st: A few months after release, what is your outlook on the game? Is Meet Your Maker performing according to expected, is the player base where you expected it to be, or do you feel like there’s still room to grow?
Pannell: The last few months have been full of key learnings for us. While we’re pleased with the positive reception of Meet Your Maker, we truly feel like the best has yet to come. It’s a game of so many possibilities and we are excited to hone this community based game into something special.
Just like we’ve shared through our latest content update Sector 1 : Dreadshore, we have exciting plans to expand the game’s content, introduce new features or ways to play the game and reach a broader audience. There is still significant room for growth for Meet Your Maker and the community feedback will help the game evolve where it needs to be.
MP1st. Bringing Meet Your Maker to PS Plus was a move that worked according to expectations? Any plans to bring Meet Your Maker into Xbox Game Pass as well?
Pannell: Bringing Meet Your Maker to PS Plus was a fantastic opportunity for us to reach a wide audience and introduce players to the world of Meet Your Maker at launch. This partnership helped us reach a milestone of having 1 million players try our game and we’re proud of that achievement!
As for Xbox Game Pass, we are actively exploring opportunities to expand the availability of Meet Your Maker to reach even more players. While I can’t share specific details at this time, we are committed to exploring partnerships and platforms that align with our vision for the game and offer greater accessibility to players worldwide.
MP1st: According to player feedback, what was the most challenging gameplay aspect where the development team knew they had (or still have) to work upon? And what is your opinion on the recurrent topic of killboxes, that a part of the community seems to complain about?
Pannell: Player feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and it has helped us identify areas for improvement and refinement. One aspect that the development team recognized as challenging was the balancing of ranking and, as you mentioned, killboxes. We’ve been actively working to ensure that both Raiders and Builders have balanced opportunities for success and that the gameplay feels fair and engaging for all players.
Regarding the recurrent topic of killboxes,we have heard the feedback from players that often the “difficulty” of an outpost defines the “quality” of an outpost, and we are actively looking at ways of not only tweaking our existing systems but also adding new difficulty features that will help regulate player’s experiences. This would better steer them to what they do want and not what they do not want, so stay tuned for updates moving forward. Not all Builders are experienced Raiders, or interested in Raiding, and we want them to be able to experience the game in the way that they prefer. For now, if you do encounter an Outpost that simply isn’t fun for you, you’re not required to complete it and can move on to an Outpost that is more appealing.
MP1st: What was the most requested feature after launch? Were players requesting a new environment, new Custodians, or something other?
Pannell: After the launch of Meet Your Maker, we received a wide range of player requests and suggestions.
I would say the most requested feature was new content as a whole. Whether it be new traps, mods, building materials, Custodian, guards… our players voiced their desire of wanting new tools to experiment with. After that, being able to reactivate outposts online indefinitely after level 10 was highly requested.
As you can imagine, our roadmap plans on releasing a lot more content and features than the first major update we launched this week with Dreadshore but I can’t get into the details of that just yet. We appreciate the passion and ideas shared by our community, and we’re actively considering these requests as we plan future content updates.
MP1st: Sector 1: Dreadshore brings a new ominous environment. Was this backdrop easily settled upon or do you feel like there were other valuable concepts thrown around, possibly saved for subsequent expansions?
Pannell:: The creation of Dreadshore’s ominous environment was an exciting process that involved careful consideration and exploration of various concepts. We wanted to take the player to a completely different vibe and feeling. Dreadshore’s driving rain and dark and moody aesthetic are completely different to that of the Red Sands. The changes to the lighting and atmosphere change the mood for Raiders and give Builders a totally new narrative tool to set their levels.
While the final decision on Dreadshore’s backdrop came relatively easily, there were indeed other valuable concepts that were considered and explored. We’ve saved these concepts for subsequent content updates to ensure a rich and divere range of environments for players to experience in the future. Each environment we introduce in Meet Your Maker is designed to expand the game’s universe and make players discover a new narrative of this post-apocalyptic world.
MP1st: The new Custodian is focused on the use defensive weaponry. How do you feel the reception will be, in terms of engagement comparing to the existing Custodians focused on melee and ranged combat?
Pannell: The introduction of Nautilus explores a defensive-gameplay style we haven’t seen in Meet Your Maker yet. All 3 perks greatly buff the Arc Barrier’s capabilities. It adds perks to players who love a defensive weapon.
We anticipate that players will embrace the new Custodian’s unique playstyle and find it engaging, especially those who enjoy a more defensive approach. While the existing Custodians focused on melee and ranged combat have their dedicated fan base, we believe the new Custodian’s defensive abilities will provide a compelling alternative that appeals to a specific playstyle.
MP1st: The new Sentry Beam trap and Ravager guard are properly devilish. Personally, I found that combining various quantities of these two in a small area results in chaotic and almost inescapable shootouts. Do you feel like players could potentially exploit this combination and ignore the previous options?
Pannell: The sentry beam is powerful but the fact that it is capable of destroying other traps and guards means dropping it everywhere is a big risk as the clever raider can easily convince it destroy itself. The introduction of powerful traps like the Sentry Beam and guards like the Ravager is intended to shake up the gameplay dynamics and provide new strategic options for both Builders and Raiders. While combining multiple Sentry Beam traps and Ravager guards in a confined area can create intense and challenging encounters, we know that every Outpost can be successfully raided with the right strategy. And we’ve made sure to give the necessary arsenal to Raiders so they can overcome any challenges they may face while venturing in an Outpost.
MP1st: Do you have additional content already planned for the long run? Any details you may share with us at this point?
Pannell: For this update you need to bring your umbrella, the next one may require something warmer….
Meet Your Maker is out now on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. You can read our review of Sector 1: Dreadshore here.
