“It’s about creating a memory that’s long-lasting”: Ragnarok Games’ Pasquale Finiello on BloodLoop

Bloodloop is the latest in a long line of hero shooters, but unlike other recent releases, Ragnarok Games aims to innovate within the space by introducing a unique crafting system and a variety of diverse characters.

Esports Insider spoke to co-founder Pasquale Finiello to pick his brain about what makes BloodLoop so special, its dystopian setting, and how Ragnarok Games has separated the gameplay from BloodLoop’s blockchain core.

Ragnarok Games is still a fairly new studio, but they’ve already found their niche in the hero shooter genre. We asked Pasquale about his experience leading a development team on a new project and how it feels to break into the field as an indie developer.

“It’s been a journey. We started with a very brief conversation between the six founders, and we had a dream. It has been almost four years that we’ve been building BloodLoop, so it feels exciting and a bit scary. At the same time, I think we are coming to the market with something that’s different from what people have played so far,” said Pasquale.

Though breaking into a new genre as an indie developer is scary, Pasquale explained that it’s an invigorating feeling. Genre innovation was one of the goals while developing BloodLoop, especially with the implementation of the item crafting system.

“We are breaking into a genre that is kind of cursed; hero shooters have come and gone a lot in recent times. We’re trying to bring some innovation, all the way from gameplay to the way items work, so we’re excited to see what happens.”

There are lots of ways that BloodLoop is innovating on the genre’s traditional formula, from the Web3 elements to the item crafting. Only time will tell if players are receptive to BloodLoop’s gameplay, but Pasquale’s team has baked in a ton of fresh features that’ll keep fans engaged for hundreds of hours.

In a competitive game like BloodLoop, balancing abilities and weapons is essential in creating an experience that’s fair for all players. Pasquale shared a bit about what to expect from combat in BloodLoop, including that players will often find themselves in melee range.

“Even if you’re shooting, you’ll find yourself in melee distance a lot of the time; you’re very up close with your enemy,” Pasquale said.

Pasquale also explained that BloodLoop’s heroes are balanced around their abilities, which places an emphasis on skill-based gameplay and character combos between team members.

“The abilities are way more important than the way you shoot. We wanted to create something that was easy to approach but hard to master. We start with the same blueprint – the abilities are powering them through.”

When Ragnarok Games decides to make major balancing changes in BloodLoop, they take player feedback into account. “From a studio perspective, we like to see what works and what people ask for. We definitely added a lot of the feedback that players gave us,” explained Pasquale.

Hero shooters often come equipped with interesting stories and strong world-building. BloodLoop is set in a dystopian future where energy is a limited resource, and Pasquale told Esports Insider that its world is filled to the brim with rich history.

“We have very deep lore within BloodLoop. It’s not just shooting, it’s shooting in a setting where your actions are important for the faction you’re fighting for because you’re in a very sadistic, dystopian future.”

The ultimate in-game lore objective in BloodLoop is to extract energy during matches, a necessary goal for the survival of a faction.

“Everything is now revolving around the thing that you’re trying to extract from the maps. That’s the only form of energy that’s left,” said Pasquale.

Creating a fascinating world can grip players and offer fans another reason to keep coming back. BloodLoop’s futuristic universe is one of its main draws, and it’ll likely only get bigger as development on BloodLoop continues.

The most important question we asked Pasquale was regarding the presence of Web3 features in BloodLoop and how Ragnarok Games is bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3. The co-founder explained that he believes Web2 and Web3 gaming are largely the same, as long as it’s executed correctly:

“I don’t like to differentiate Web2 gaming from Web3 gaming. I think it’s mostly the same thing as long as you’re not selling the technology to the players.”

At the end of the day, Ragnarok Games set out to create a template for players to build memories, as providing a special experience is the most important part of any video game. Owning in-game items is a fun afterthought, but good gameplay is key.

“As a gaming studio, you’re here to provide a fun and unique gaming experience that provides the player with emotions. It’s about creating a memory that’s long-lasting for the user,” said Pasquale.

BloodLoop may have blockchain and Web3 elements, but it doesn’t revolve around them entirely, and Ragnarok Games wants new fans to understand this separation.

BloodLoop is releasing in June, so players won’t have to wait long at all to jump into the futuristic action. During our interview, Pasquale Finiello offered a glimpse into what makes BloodLoop so special, and as a free-to-play game, it’s likely to attract a strong following.

Initially, BloodLoop will be available for download on the Epic Games Store, though it may launch on other platforms in the future. BloodLoop’s release could change the course of the hero shooter genre, especially if the Web3 elements are well-received.