Shatterverse devs explain why players should ‘expect the unexpected’

Serious Sam: Shatterverse is different from every Serious Sam game that came before it, and fans aren’t sure what to think. The fast-paced shooter series from The Talos Principle developer Croteam is known for its irreverent humor, large levels, and unique features like duel-wielding and vehicle-riding that set it apart from the likes of Doom, Duke Nukem, or any of the retro shooters that Nightdive has remastered.

Shatterverse is developed by Dead by Daylight’s Behaviour Interactive, not Croteam, and that’s not where the differences end. It drops the traditional level-based structure of the classic Serious Sam games for a roguelike one. Aesthetically, it features more cartoonish visuals akin to the divisive Serious Sam 2 while bringing together Sams from different eras across the multiverse. And it’s built for co-op, featuring heroes with distinct ultimate abilities that can help each other out.

Those radical changes to the Serious Sam formula resulted in mixed reactions when Shatterverse was announced at March’s Xbox Partner Preview. It’s unfortunately following in the footsteps of 2025’s Painkiller, another roguelike turn for a classic shooter IP that alienated fans with all of its changes. Speaking to Polygon, producer Nic Duchesne asked that fans “be open to the unexpected” while breaking down how exactly this distinct Serious Sam game works in detail.

In Shatterverse, series antagonist Mental has ascended to a form called Uber Mental and is breaking the multiverse. This causes Sams from different universes to come together and fight across distorted universes to stop Uber Mental. While the multiverse is narratively played out at this point, Duchesne says it gave Behaviour Interactive an “excuse to do a little bit of whatever we wanted to do.”

That was an early indication in our discussion that Shatterverse is not quite like other Serious Sam games. It also informed the game’s more cartoonish art style, which Duchesne justified by explaining that “we wanted something that’s crazy and that, when you see it, it’s bold, it’s in your face, it’s colorful, and it’s like having a party.”

The Sams’ fight against Uber Mental isn’t linear, as players will be fighting hordes of enemies, run after roguelite run, across stitched-together levels. Duchesne explained that each run consists of three levels, each with unique objectives and a boss fight at the end. In between levels, players can find break rooms and upgrade their weapons and abilities. Players also obtain “Intel” to unlock special buffs or power-ups that can be equipped for an entire run.

In the levels themselves, you’ll be blasting enemies with different weapons and each of Sam’s unique abilities. Dual-wielding does return from previous games “because we have a lot of guns,” according to Duchesne, so players don’t need to worry about the franchises moving away from the core action that allowed Serious Sam to stand out in the first place. That said, Duchesne says that there are some hero shooter elements, as each Sam has a unique ultimate they can use in a fight.

The special Intel-based and ultimate ability powers will certainly make Shatterverse feel different than any Serious Sam game before it. Polygon also confirmed that vehicles, which were a major gameplay feature of Serious Sam 3 and 4, won’t be in the game because “the chaos is cranked up to 11 already.” With five-player co-op and already-hectic encounter design, Duchesne believes that vehicles would complicate Shatterverse’s pacing. He was open to adding them post-launch, but Behaviour Interactive’s plans for the game after release have not solidified yet.

Shatterverse embraces co-op more than any Serious Sam game before it and is unique in supporting squads of up to five players. When asked how Behaviour Interactive settled on that number, Duchesne said, “We would put it as high as possible until the game breaks.”

Despite the co-op focus, solo play in Shatterverse is still possible. You won’t be fighting bots when playing solo, and any dialogue between the Sams will be delivered via intercom rather than diegetically. By supporting solo play and using peer-to-peer connections for multiplayer rather than relying on dedicated servers, Duchesne hopes Shatterverse will have longevity and avoid the issues some ill-fated multiplayer games have encountered.

“It was very important for us to be peer to peer, and, for the longevity and the sustainability of the game, to make sure that it can manage to be there in 15 years, 20 years. Fans are still playing The First Encounter, so we wanted a game that could have that legacy.”

Image: Devolver Digital

Of course, legacy has to be earned, not given, and Shatterverse’s radical changes to the Serious Sam formula still need to win players over once they can get their hands on the game. Duchesne seems confident that his game can accomplish that. Reflecting on the game’s divisive announcement and how some players are worried about what Shatterverse will do to Serious Sam as a franchise, Duchesne had a direct message to those players.

“I think the announcement and the game we made were unexpected, in that a lot of people had a very clear idea of what they wanted the next Serious Sam to be, and the announcement and the game took them by surprise,” he said. “I hope — and we’ve seen it with Serious Sam fans who have tried the game in playtests — that most of them are pleasantly surprised because they didn’t know that was a possibility. We went so out there, and it’s a very unique game, even within the Serious Sam franchise. Expect the unexpected, be open to the unexpected, and please allow yourself to fall in love with it.”

Serious Sam: Shatterverse will launch for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X later this year.