With Soulframe, Digital Extremes Asked for Forgiveness Rather Than Permission

Last month, I spent several days at the Ontario headquarters of Digital Extremes. Immersing myself in the studio behind Soulframe, I sat down with key department heads to uncover the story behind their first new IP in nearly a decade. During these conversations, a fascinating detail emerged: Digital Extremes committed to developing Soulframe long before seeking approval from their corporate parent, the industry giant Tencent.

In the candid words of CEO Steve Sinclair, the team opted to “beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission.”

During our discussion, Sinclair shared the original pitch deck he presented to Tencent two years ago. Given that the fantasy MMO—now in its alpha phase—was first unveiled to the public at TennoCon in 2022, the timeline reveals a bold strategy of independent initiative.

“This was the ‘beg for forgiveness’ phase,” Sinclair admitted. “We had already gone public, saying, ‘Here it is! Sign up!’ and Tencent’s reaction was essentially, ‘So, would you mind telling us what this project actually is?’”

Fortunately, the publisher’s reaction was supportive, a sentiment reflected in the game’s ongoing early access success. Sinclair attributes the birth of Soulframe to a internal pivot point in 2016. At the time, a member of their analytics team warned that Warframe was plateauing and that the studio needed a new flagship project to avoid stagnation.

“As history proved, that analysis was completely incorrect,” Sinclair noted. “Two years later, we reached unprecedented heights with the Plains of Eidolon expansion, and we’ve only continued to break records since, especially under the leadership of creative director Rebecca Ford.”

Geoff Crookes, Soulframe’s creative director and former art lead for Warframe, notes that this 2016 pessimism was a prevailing industry trend at the time. However, the lifespan of live-service titles has evolved significantly, proving that with dedicated support, these games can remain vital for years—or even decades—longer than initially expected.

As Soulframe takes center stage as our latest Game Informer cover story, we will be rolling out exclusive behind-the-scenes content, deep-dive interviews, and video features over the coming weeks. For those interested in securing the current issue, subscriptions are open until April 22. Subscribers will also receive an exclusive Soulframe Preludes early access code. Full details on how to redeem your access can be found on our FAQ page.

For ongoing coverage and exclusive insights, keep an eye on our dedicated Soulframe hub.