"We’re bringing new cards and new mechanics for the global launch": Xin Chang on FragPunk Closed Beta, challenges they faced, and more (Exclusive)

FragPunk took the gaming world by storm by introducing its unique card-based mechanic in an FPS title. Its Closed Beta was a success, with over 20,000 players participating. The warm reception it received in the Closed Beta phase likely boosted the morale of Bad Guitar Studio, the developers behind this FPS title, for a global launch.

I had the opportunity to talk with Xin Chang, Creative Director and Producer of FragPunk, and learn more about the game. He reflected on the Closed Beta phase, the challenges the team faced on the way, and what players can expect from the Global Launch.

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Xin Chang, Creative Director and Producer of FragPunk reflects upon Closed Beta, challenges they faced, and more

FragPunk Closed Beta gameplay (Image via Bad Guitar Studio)

Q) The game feels like a breath of fresh air with the new Shard cards mechanic in the FPS genre. How did the team find the right balance between this unique feature and pre-existing FPS mechanics?

The idea of FragPunk came from combining mechanics from FPS games and Rogue-like Card games. We’ve known early on, from prototype to Alpha and Beta, that combining these gameplay mechanics would create challenges for balance, both real and perceived ones from players.

That’s why we came up with the card tokens economy and the ban-pick system to regulate card use. The whole process of picking cards, while seeing what cards your opponents can pick is also a way to ensure balance.

Not to mention, often enough, both sides will get powerful cards, making balance dynamic. Our main goal though, is to provide players with a fresh and new gaming experience, with no two rounds being the same. And we believe this novelty FragPunk brings does just that thanks to shard cards.

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Q) What were the challenges the team faced during the development of the game?

We started the journey with less than 10 people on the team and a rough but very sincere idea: making a shooter that we, and FPS players, would both love. We’re facing dilemmas that other small teams face when approaching a well-established category. We don’t have a well-known IP and our studio name is all but unknown at this point.

It was quite a challenge to promote FragPunk but we were able to rely on good partners to get the ball rolling and were amazed and very happy to see players praise the game during our first Alpha test and recently, with a renewed influx of players from around the world during Beta.

We are very grateful for the players’ time and feedback. This is our biggest motivation to continue and make FragPunk better day by day.

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Q) Are there any more new mechanics or shard cards planned for global launch?

We’re always thinking of new cards, both powerful and sometimes a little funny, of course! We’ve been observing how the cards have been used during the alpha and beta test and we tried to capitalize on those that people loved to create brand new ones.

Cards are a unique feature in FragPunk (Image via Bad Guitar Studio)

We’re bringing new cards and new mechanics for the global launch for sure. But at this time, with the beta test freshly wrapped up, new ideas are still in their early stage of development, so please stay tuned!

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Q) Many players love the fast-paced gameplay as compared to other FPS titles. Was it something that was planned beforehand?

The team and I certainly are taking inspiration from other FPS since we love playing them so much. You have to know what’s out there if you want to make something different.

We knew we wanted to make a fast-paced game because it’s central to making our unique feature shine through. We wanted players to get into that flow state of combining cards and experiencing novelty every round. This wouldn’t have worked as well with a slow-paced experience.

FragPunk is, I hope, a great combination of what makes competitive FPS fun while also bringing a novel feature to the mix with shard cards. The standard Shard Clash mode will get you to change the weather, turn your bullets to flame, set the bomb in your respawn area and so much more. We believe the thrill of experiencing these different cards is at the heart of FragPunk.

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Q) Players have complained about ping and server issues. Is the team looking to expand more server regions worldwide before launch?

We have noticed such complaints during the beta test. We will definitely set up more servers worldwide to optimize our global players’ gaming experience. However, the specific number and location of the servers are not determined yet.

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Q) Will there be more closed beta in the future or even an open beta before launch?

We are now reflecting on our beta test and whether there will be future tests before launch will be determined later. Please stay tuned!