Exoborne takes The Division’s Dark Zone to a grand, post-apocalyptic scale

polygon.com:

Key developers behind Tom Clancy’s The Division are taking the extraction-shooter mechanics of that game’s Dark Zone and building a brand-new post-apocalyptic shooter around that idea. Their new game is called Exoborne, and it was revealed Thursday at The Game Awards.

Developed by Sharkmob, Exoborne is described by its creators as a tactical, open-world extraction shooter set in a world “ripped apart by apocalyptic forces of nature.” Mother Nature makes herself known in various forms: tornadoes and lightning storms, and in the landslides and earthquakes that have devastated the southeastern U.S., where Exoborne is set.

Players will take on the role of Reborn: human survivors who have been outfitted with special implants that let them control powerful suits of armor, called Exo-Rigs. “You are what you carry,” said Petter Mannerfelt, creative director on Exoborne and former game director of The Division during his tenure at Ubisoft.

In a press preview of Sharkmob’s new game, Mannerfelt said that players will drop into locations across the fictional area of Colton County, scavenging for resources and technology; fighting roaming bandits and other players; and trying to survive with their haul until they reach an extraction point. But it’s not a looter-shooter, Mannerfelt stressed, as Exoborne does not have RPG-style progression or mechanics. It’s all about the gear in your loadout.

That gear includes weapons and upgrades for a player’s Exo-Rig. Each Exo-Rig will have its own strengths and weaknesses, with synergies between allied groups in multiplayer. Exo-Rigs are not only key to surviving combat and the deadly elements, but for traversal. Verticality and rapid movement are enabled by those suits, thanks to built-in