Why the Developers Behind God Save Birmingham Are Perfectly Happy With Comparisons to 'Scam' Game The Day Before

Medieval zombie endurance crippled God Save Birmingham exploded onto the country successful April with an 8-minute “gameplay” trailer that sparked arsenic overmuch skepticism arsenic it did excitement. Among jokes astir its Birmingham setting, immoderate said it looked excessively bully to beryllium true, with animations that suggested what we were seeing successful the trailer wasn’t truthful overmuch gameplay, much pre-rendered footage designed to hoodwink the gaming public.

Perhaps astir damning of all, immoderate compared God Save Birmingham to the infamous The Day Before, calling it a “fake game” and adjacent a “scam.” For the uninitiated, The Day Before was 1 of the astir arguable and catastrophic crippled launches successful caller memory, arsenic what was touted arsenic the "next procreation of post-apocalyptic MMO open-world endurance games" was released arsenic a barebones and breached extraction shooter. The Day Before received an astir impossibly uncommon 1/10 successful IGN's review, and its shutdown was announced conscionable 4 days aft it launched successful Early Access.

After God Save Birmingham's April video went viral, Korean steadfast Kakao Games and its developer Ocean Drive brought a demo to PAX East and released an updated gameplay video that offered possibly a much realistic presumption of wherever the crippled is presently astatine successful presumption of development. This latest video has gone immoderate mode to addressing the communicative established by God Save Birmingham’s explosive April promo. But still, those The Day Before "scam game" comments remain.

It was with this successful caput that I interviewed Ocean Drive CEO and laminitis Jae Kim and caput of publishing Jungsoo Lee to find retired if God Save Birmingham tin ever shingle disconnected The Day Before. What amazed maine is that some seemed perfectly blessed with the comparison. Read connected to find retired why.

IGN: Can you springiness america immoderate inheritance connected Ocean Drive?

Jungsoo Lee: We founded our workplace backmost successful 2020 and it's our 5th year. We presently person astir 80 developers successful Korea and astir 12 radical successful the States moving connected business, communicative design, and localization. As Ocean Drive Studio, our archetypal crippled was Lost Eidolons. It was developed utilizing Unity, which was 1 of our mistakes really connected decision-making. But we tried to person a prime of Unreal, and that was story-driven, Fire Emblem benignant turn-based tactical RPG. That was our archetypal project.

Currently internally we person 4 antithetic teams. Two of those projects are beauteous small-scale, much similar an indie style. One of the projects is positioned arsenic much similar AA scale. It’s unannounced, but it's an enactment RPG task based connected 1 of the reputable IPs successful Korea. Our past last task is God Save Birmingham. We started small, but arsenic of past period we had astir 28 radical moving connected the project.

IGN: So however did God Save Birmingham travel about? How did that task start? Where did the thought travel from?

Jungsoo Lee: Overall our company's imaginativeness is basically, we lone enactment connected the crippled that the originative manager knows the genre arsenic a hardcore player, due to the fact that we judge knowing the assemblage needs, what benignant of crippled should beryllium determination for the genre, is the astir important origin making a palmy crippled there. And Hyeonseong Cha [creative director] truly loves Project Zomboid.

We besides had a trial task from Mr. Cha, 1 of the prototypes — it's connected the Steam marketplace close present — it's called Dropkick Navvy. It's a puzzle crippled utilizing physics. So helium was truly into utilizing the physics successful his crippled design. So we really mixed those two. And connected apical of that we had a Lost Eidolons medieval creation benignant accumulation experience. So each these concepts came unneurotic aft 1 twelvemonth of prototyping, and our past task became God Save Birmingham.

IGN: The astonishment for maine is Birmingham. Even British developers don't marque games acceptable successful Birmingham. But a Korean developer deciding to bash it successful Birmingham is precise surprising. So I'd emotion to cognize wherefore you decided to spell there.

Jungsoo Lee: Last twelvemonth astatine gamescom, we had a batch of interviews astatine the show, and the most-asked question was, wherefore Birmingham? So I cognize the reply beauteous well! What happened was, we are a tiny squad and they were truly into moving connected medieval, particularly the creation manager who utilized to enactment connected our archetypal crippled and helium loves medieval creation style. So we were looking astatine medieval, and they were searching for a medieval city. We are based successful Korea, right? We are not truly acquainted with immoderate of the cities successful medieval times successful Europe. So they were conscionable looking astatine the database of cities, and they had a information which was, it shouldn't beryllium large due to the fact that we're not a large team, truthful we can’t make a immense town. So that was the archetypal condition. The 2nd information was, we wanted to person immoderate diverseness successful the city, meaning that metropolis indispensable person immoderate trade, a batch of commercialized and things going connected astatine the time.

So they were doing probe and someway they came to this YouTube video from the Museum of Birmingham, and they had recreated 14th period Birmingham there. They were looking astatine that and they loved however the municipality looked. They did immoderate probe connected Google and they learned, oh, this inheritance is perfect, let's conscionable bash Birmingham. And our full squad was really amazed aft our trailer released astatine gamescom, due to the fact that determination were truthful galore British radical making amusive of Birmingham, and we started to wonder, what's going connected with Birmingham? Because we had zero thought what was truly going connected astatine the modern time Birmingham.

So it was a coincidence however we picked Birmingham and the concern astatine Birmingham got mixed up together. It helped america summation much views determination due to the fact that connected Reddit, similar Birmingham Reddit and UK Reddit, the trailer was determination and they were making amusive of Birmingham, similar it's amended than modern time Birmingham. So initially we asked Gary [PR] and the team, 'Is it okay? Did we bash thing wrong?' And Gary told us, 'No, it's portion of the joke.'

IGN: Did immoderate of the developers really sojourn Birmingham to get a consciousness of what it's like? I'm funny astir immoderate of the probe that went connected to effort and nail the setting.

Jungsoo Lee: In presumption of however the municipality looks, we referred to the video from the Museum of Birmingham. That video gave them a batch of inspiration, particularly however the municipality was looking astatine the clip and what was the biggest landmark astatine the time, similar Moor Street. And different probe they did, our squad successful Korea, they purchased each the books related to medieval Birmingham.

There was a lawsuit of, they had a murphy arsenic 1 of the foods, and they looked astatine the book, what was the main nutrient there, and murphy wasn't there. So they really took retired the potato. We person a carrot now, but we learned the colour of the carrot was antithetic astatine the time. It wasn't orange, similar carrot-ish color. So we are successful the process of changing that.

So for now, we are really referring to each those materials that we could get from the books oregon online. Also we are moving with Gary to spot if they tin find idiosyncratic who tin really consult america astir medieval times. One of the cardinal pillars we person is recreating 14th period Birmingham arsenic accurately arsenic possible. So we are trying to find ways to really marque that hap close now.

IGN: I cognize the crippled is astir the past survivor, truthful it's not similar you're going to person tons of dependable acting for characters that you'll conscionable on the way. They're zombies. Will the quality person a Brummie accent?

Jungsoo Lee: Yes. We are trying to person that for the last product. The existent dependable acting for the trailer and the crippled demo, we couldn’t really find the close idiosyncratic successful the abbreviated play of time. But we are readying to find idiosyncratic who tin recreate that medieval accent, the Brummie accent. So that's successful the plan. And we person aggregate antithetic classes and we volition effort to person antithetic dependable acting for those.

IGN: The April gameplay uncover trailer had a immense magnitude of involvement and comments. Some radical were saying the animations were excessively bully to beryllium true, immoderate of it looked scripted, it wasn't existent gameplay. You'll person seen each of these comments yourself. Was that thing you anticipated from that video? Or did it instrumentality you by surprise?

Jungsoo Lee: I accidental fractional and half. Meaning we didn't deliberation the interaction of The Day Before… due to the fact that tons of radical are referencing The Day Before and saying it’s different scam, right? I mean we work everything! Even internally, Jae and particularly myself were reasoning immoderate radical mightiness accidental thing similar, it mightiness beryllium excessively bully to beryllium true. Because we admit we ne'er accidental it's from the build, but the rubric is correct, meaning this trailer is determination to amusement radical this is what we are aiming to make successful presumption of gameplay acquisition that radical volition person astatine the last product.

So reception, we were a small spot surprised. There was different video from a YouTuber with astir 1 cardinal views, ‘Another fake scam’ was the title. So successful that consciousness we are a small spot surprised, but it wasn't thing we weren't expecting.

IGN: Just to wide up for our assemblage precisely what is going connected successful that trailer, what are we seeing successful that video successful presumption of gameplay versus things that you've created to springiness the content of the acquisition you’re going for?

Jungsoo Lee: So the map, environment, props, everything is precisely arsenic what we are moving towards. So it's already determination successful the build, the representation and the objects, buildings, they're each there. But arsenic you person pointed out, immoderate of the animations are not determination yet. Some are a enactment successful progress, and successful the adjacent aboriginal it'll beryllium implemented arsenic a demo build. Some volition instrumentality a longer play of clip to really get there.

But yet what we tin archer you is we are really moving towards that direction, and thing is truly exaggerated there. Here's 1 caveat though: if you play a sandbox game, you're not going to determination the camera similar that. Yeah, we admit that. But what we intended with the trailer was fundamentally we privation to amusement the environment, what benignant of features volition beryllium there. That was the large intention. If the subordinate wants to make a video similar that, our last physique volition fto you really marque the video look similar that.

There volition beryllium camera options, particularly for console controller players, it's benignant of common. So if you privation to determination the camera similar that, you tin really bash that. If you privation to drawback props similar successful the video, wherever the manus precisely grabs the objects, you tin bash it. But successful sandbox gameplay, real-world players, what they're going to bash is unfastened up the tab successful the paper and resistance everything into your inventory. You don't privation to prime one-by-one. So determination volition beryllium that difference. But endgame, the animation wherever you locomotion and drawback the apple, those are already successful the works. So they're really moving towards that close now.

IGN: So what you're saying is that everything we spot successful that video volition beryllium achievable successful the last crippled erstwhile it's finished?

Jungsoo Lee: Correct.

IGN: This isn't a concern wherever radical are going to consciousness similar the last merchandise doesn't person immoderate of the things suggested by the video? You're saying everything we spot determination yet you'll beryllium capable to bash successful the game?

Jungsoo Lee: Correct.

IGN: You had a follow-up video and took the crippled to PAX. From what I tin spot online, the absorption to that has been better, with radical saying this looks a spot much realistic and not the aforesaid happening arsenic the erstwhile trailer. What is your appraisal of the absorption and the sentiment present that that video has travel out, and however antithetic it is compared to the sentiment aft the archetypal video?

Jungsoo Lee: We decidedly had overmuch much affirmative comments there, but astatine the aforesaid clip of people those radical who talked astir different The Day Before situation, immoderate players are inactive saying, see, look astatine the quality betwixt it. Our program was basically, let's stock this, our extremity goal, and past we'll regularly stock however we are making advancement towards that.

One happening we didn't truly expect was, we truly underestimated however radical perceived The Day Before situation, however wounded they were, due to the fact that they were truthful excited. Because they were truly excited, they got overmuch bigger disappointment towards the project. And different happening was, we are not that reputable yet, truthful radical don't truly recognize what benignant of pedigree we have, what benignant of radical we person here, however galore radical we person present moving towards the game.

We had a batch of supporters, immoderate of them said, ‘Why didn't you conscionable merchandise this video first?’ And that part, we instrumentality the feedback seriously. But 1 absorbing communicative there, Jae and I really told the dev squad not to marque a pre-rendered video. We fundamentally said, ‘Let's conscionable usage our physique and past stock our existent physique video based connected that.’ But our team, they're truthful into the task that they were the ones fundamentally insisting, ‘No, we are precise assured we tin bash it and we person to amusement them however ambitious we are.’

So that was 1 of the absorbing parts, due to the fact that tons of radical were reasoning vice versa, wherever selling and concern folks were pushing them to make this selling video to pull a batch of players into our community. But it was really vice versa. They were precise confident, ‘We tin bash it.’ Every week we kept asking them, ‘So this is our extremity goal, you person to present this, you're making a committedness to our players.’ And they said, ‘Yeah, we understand, and we’re precise confident.’ That's however this video came astir actually.

IGN: There person been aggregate occasions successful this interrogation wherever you've referenced The Day Before. It seems to maine that what happened with that crippled has created a hard concern for you. How damaging bash you deliberation The Day Before has been for you specifically? Are you assured you'll beryllium capable to get to a spot wherever radical halt mentioning it with your game? Or bash you deliberation that it's conscionable thing you are going to person to unrecorded with for the remainder of the improvement and until the crippled comes out?

Jungsoo Lee: Jae and I had this speech aft the video. I don't deliberation it was conscionable lone giving america the damage. Because it went viral, though it wasn't each positive, I deliberation we got much views connected the video due to the fact that tons of radical were really saying, ‘Another scam here, there's The Day Before.’ Getting much involvement towards a tiny workplace similar us, each benignant of involvement helps. So we don't truly deliberation it's giving america that damage.

Part of that is due to the fact that we are beauteous confident. The Day Before, they ne'er had a test. They said they're going to person a beta test, but they abruptly accidental lone for volunteers. Everyone was confused astatine the time. And we are not doing pre-orders; we've ne'er done pre-orders connected immoderate of our games. So portion we are internally assured that by showing the advancement that we are making regularly — for illustration we're going to beryllium astatine gamescom and we're going to stock different demo on-site, past radical volition spot however we progressed from the PAX East demo to the gamescom demo.

So due to the fact that of that level of assurance internally, I deliberation we are good with radical really comparing america to The Day Before, due to the fact that if we tin crook this astir with existent gameplay and the demo, those radical who are disappointed tin really beryllium immense beardown supporters of ours, and this is however you really person to physique a crippled with the community.

IGN: Do you person a people twelvemonth successful caput for erstwhile radical mightiness beryllium capable to play it via Steam either successful aboriginal entree oregon otherwise? Or is it excessively aboriginal to accidental astatine this point?

Jungsoo Lee: Our authoritative connection astir timeline is aboriginal entree sometime adjacent year. What we are internally debating is what measurement of contented bash we privation to person for aboriginal access? We don't privation to monetize the crippled excessively aboriginal with a precise bare game, right? So we person been assessing what volition beryllium our optimum measurement of the contented wherever players tin really bask the crippled to supply america meaningful feedback astir however we should germinate the game.

Project Zomboid is doing a large job. They started tiny and with the Build 41 update, they genuinely achieved commercialized occurrence from that update. And ever since they've been moving with their assemblage to really make a diagnostic that their assemblage is asking. So we privation to instrumentality a akin attack wherever we should person bully capable of a crippled to… and particularly with the video, we raised our interior modular barroom for aboriginal access. So erstwhile we person that, I deliberation we tin get into aboriginal access. But Jae and we are targeting sometime adjacent year. I don't deliberation it'll beryllium aboriginal adjacent year, but astir apt betwixt summertime and the extremity of 2026.

Jae Kim: Actually, we are precise impressed by the spectator number of our crippled uncover trailer connected IGN. Our workplace is the kid institution of Kakao Games successful Korea, the large listed company. So possibly we tin marque the squad bigger aft discussing with Kakao Games, due to the fact that this crippled has a batch of buzz close now. So possibly we tin put much into this task to marque it amended erstwhile we motorboat this game. The docket is rather open, but personally I truly privation to bash the aboriginal entree wrong the adjacent year.

IGN: For idiosyncratic who has seen the April video and the absorption and dismissed it arsenic a scam crippled oregon a fake game, oregon different The Day Before, what is your connection to that gamer close present to person them otherwise?

Jungsoo Lee: Actions talk louder than words. The lone happening we tin archer them is, we understand, we'll effort to beryllium it with our actions, particularly with testing. Even though we person a trailer, determination is simply a anticipation radical mightiness deliberation it's scripted, though it's really the physique happening. So I deliberation hopefully they tin astatine slightest hold for our aboriginal alpha, our beta tests, truthful that they tin really acquisition the game, and besides travel america truthful that they tin spot what benignant of advancement we are making. Actions talk louder than words, truthful we'll absorption connected our actions going forward.

Jae Kim: Our squad is rather susceptible to present this prime of the game. We are not a newbie team. We person a batch of experience. It was mostly the free-to-play games, but the halfway members successful my company, they truly hatred to marque free-to-play games close now, due to the fact that they’re each hardcore gamers, and they truly privation to marque communicative based oregon a crippled with halfway play. So I'm rather assured to present this prime of the game.

My lone interest is that the crippled should beryllium fun, right? That's the main interest I presently have. The quality, we tin supply the quality. But I truly privation to supply a amusive game. So delight support an oculus connected us, and I truly admit each the comments connected the video. Even if it's bully oregon bad.

God Save Birmingham is owed retired connected PC via Steam successful aboriginal entree signifier successful 2026.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].