Forspoken Was Drastically Changed From Original Pitch Claims Writer

Forspoken became a controversial release from Square Enix last month, and many gamers were critical of various aspects of the game. Before launch, many critics did not receive review codes for the game, leading to concerns about Forspoken’s quality, and the possibility of a disappointing release. 

The game’s narrative writing and dialogue, in particular, saw criticism throughout the internet, with many being unhappy with the quips from the main character Frey and her companion, Cuff. 

While the finished product left gamers wanting more, Forspoken may have been very different in its early stages. On a recent podcast, writer Gary Whitta revealed that Forspoken’s final story was much different from its initial pitch.

Gary Whitta stated that the game went through a narrative reboot, and he was contacted by Luminous Production to work on the final story for Forspoken. However, he was unable to do so at the same. 

He did not reveal much about the earlier pitch, but the name for the fictional world, Athia, stayed in the final product from Gary Whitta’s original vision. The writer is also given credit for the original concept in the game. 

Apart from the writing and general gameplay issues, Forspoken was also unpopular for its performance hiccups across all platforms. The PC release, in particular, can be extremely challenging for even the most powerful hardware, and the console version can drop as low as 720p on certain occasions. 

Perhaps Forspoken would have been received better if Gary Whitta’s original vision was still intact. The final version failed to impress audiences, without fully capitalizing on the possibilities of a mystical world with parkour and magical abilities.