Scorn Went Next-Gen To Ensure 'Smooth' 60FPS

Scorn was first announced back in late 2014 by developer Ebb Software and in 2020, has surprisingly transitioned into a next-generation offering. The extensive development period saw numerous challenges to say the least and something even more surprising is that Scorn had to be significantly reworked in order to create the perfect entrapment of the legendary works of H. R. Giger.

Speaking with MSPowerUser in a recent interview, game director Ljubomir Peklar stated that immersion is what drives Scorn. If the final presentation fails to engross players into the nightmarish depictions of humans and machines fused together, the game has pretty much failed as well. Hence, it became obvious that Ebb Software needed Scorn to run with high-end visuals and performance, which goes beyond the capabilities of current-generation consoles. It was then that the developer decided to switch to next-generation hardware instead.

If we fail at immersing the players Scorn will simply fall flat. We have various tools at our disposal to immerse the player, from sights to sounds, but we have to make sure we use them properly to elevate and prioritise the psychological component. Next-gen hardware makes it easier because you don’t have to do so much leg work and you can just concentrate on art.

We didn’t [want to bring Scorn to current-gen consoles] because we want our game to be played at 60FPS. That would be close to impossible without big sacrifices. Next-gen is about responsiveness, smoothness and a lot less time wasting. The problem with these features is that they are not easy to sell in videos or screenshots.

Furthermore, the switch was not just in platforms alone. Ebb Software ended up reworking a major portion of Scorn. Peklar revealed that nearly 80 percent of what was shown back in 2018 has been changed through constant trials and errors.

We learned every lesson two times over. It almost feels unreal with how much confidence and how much ignorance we went into all of this. If at the beginning someone could project to your mind how much you don’t know, and would need to learn, you would probably just be too paralysed to start at all. Basically 80% of that part of the game you saw has changed, let alone the rest of the game.

Scorn remains in development for Xbox Series X and PC and upon release, will join the growing library of Xbox Game Pass. Whether the game will serve as a launch title for Xbox Series X in fall remains to be seen. Officially, we don’t have a specific release date yet on Xbox Series X.