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Chmielarz’s illustrious career dates back to 1992, though he is perhaps most recognized for co-founding People Can Fly in 2002. That studio delivered cult hits like Painkiller and Bulletstorm, and played a key role in the development of the Gears of War series. Currently leading The Astronauts, Chmielarz was the creative force behind 2014’s atmospheric narrative mystery The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and is now spearheading Witchfire.
While The Astronauts is even more compact than Sandfall, and both teams utilize outsourcing, Chmielarz is particularly fascinated by how Expedition 33 achieved such scale with limited experience. “When you analyze the game from a design perspective, you see an incredible array of brilliant choices that allow it to mimic a AAA scope through clever technical shortcuts,” he explained.
One such strategic decision involves the enemies. “Many of the adversaries are faceless,” Chmielarz noted, pointing out that this significantly reduces the workload for facial animation. He was equally impressed by the cutscenes. “I couldn’t fathom how such a small team could produce cinematics of this quality. But upon closer inspection, 99% of them are essentially ‘theatrical plays’—the characters don’t physically interact with the scenery. It’s just two people conversing.” By avoiding complex environmental interactions, such as a character sitting in a chair, the developers could focus all their resources on visual fidelity.
According to Chmielarz, Expedition 33 is “overflowing with ingenious ideas.” However, he emphasizes that to execute these shortcuts effectively, one must have a deep understanding of how games are built. “You need significant insight to identify these efficiencies. It’s clear that there are some exceptionally talented individuals at that studio who found ways to make this game feel far more expansive than its actual footprint.”
Steam’s dominance over the Epic Games Store is likely to continue because players aren’t interested in “cheating on their primary library,” according to the Witchfire lead.
