Starship Troopers: Extermination has just added the Hopper Bugs with Update 13, which arrived yesterday, October 22. Looking at 2027 and to celebrate the game’s two-year anniversary, we were able to chat with game director Peter Maurice. This is part three of our Q&A. You can read part one here and part two here.
GW: How has the AI Director system evolved over time? Is it easier or harder to keep it “in check” as you add more content?
The AI Director was designed from the beginning to be scalable and easy to maintain as we introduced new content. Both of those goals have held true, allowing us to continue adding new content, creating new Bug combinations, and expanding the experience over time.
GW: 16-player co-op is a very different beast from the usual three- or four-player co-op games. What’s the main thing that’s different when building a co-op shooter on such a scale?
Mission balance is the number-one priority. We need to balance the game around the average party size, which our data suggests is around 12 players. This is partly because the game stops backfilling empty slots in certain modes at specific points during a match.
There really aren’t many games out there offering co-op for up to 16 players, so we need to listen closely to our community and closed beta testers to ensure we balance every piece of content correctly. If we get something wrong, we can quickly make adjustments on the fly through the AI Director.
GW: When it comes to mission design, it’s hard to predict how players will figure out a problem or specific situation. Has this reshaped how you’ve approached missions over time?
Our veteran players are a savvy bunch, so we need to keep them on their toes without forgetting about new players. We have to walk a fine line to ensure our missions are challenging while remaining approachable. We make sure our hardest content is found in Company Ops, which are active during our Galactic Front live events.
GW: Can you tell us (or tease) something that you and the studio still want to tackle as you continue post-launch support, whether it’s a technical or content ambition?
We’re continuing to focus on server-side and client-side optimizations, as well as reworking existing game modes to ensure they remain fresh and rewarding for players. As for content, we have a lot planned for 2027, including iconic weapons, Bugs, and planets!
Starship Troopers: Extermination is available on PC (Steam & Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
