A Small but Mighty Team
TomorrowHead’s founder and creative director, Roman Novikov, puts it all down to the power of Unreal Engine 5. “It gives you almost everything,” he says. “Without Unreal 5 we cannot reach the heights we’re reaching. It completely redefines the borders for indie studios. Every indie studio can now achieve visuals that were impossible for small teams even as recently as five years ago. We have 16 people on our team, and not all of them are involved in tech, art or audio – we have a narrative designer, and so on – but we are able to achieve visuals that were once only possible with very large teams.”
From Counter Strike to Gaming Studio
Novikov’s background is in CG. He was a professional Counter Strike player back in the early 2000s, and began by making highlight reels for his team, which led to him forming a business focused on CG in 2015. Then in 2020, he and the other founders of TomorrowHead decided to invest the money they’d made from CG and make a game of their own. “Every time you create something as a work-for-hire studio, you visualize someone else’s dreams,” he says. “But I wanted to share our dreams and create our own world.”
Inspiration and Storyline
WILL: Follow The Light is a first-person adventure that takes inspiration from games like Firewatch and Alan Wake. “But actually the creation of WILL all starts in 2020 when I played Death Stranding,” Novikov enthuses. “I have always been a fan of Hideo Kojima’s work. I remember running – running! Not walking! – home from school with my friends to play Metal Gear Solid.” He cites various other nineties games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill as additional inspirations. “I would fall asleep dreaming of those worlds.”
The story sees a man called Will navigating Nordic seas in a sailing yacht, in search of his missing son. “We want to immerse players in this world with an authentic weather station and lifelike navigation,” Novikov says. Along the way, players will encounter puzzles and mysteries related to Will’s family, and explore the world at sea and on shore, on foot and by dog sled. Novikov promises that the game will go to some unexpected places both “emotionally and physically” as it examines the relationship between father and son.
Creating the Stormy Seas
We had to work a lot with both visuals and physics to make it feel like you’re at sea.” Creating the stormy seas involved months of research, including speaking to a professional sea captain and learning how to sail themselves.
Motivation and Money Worries
It hasn’t all been plain sailing. Novikov says that motivation has been the biggest challenge while the team has been toiling away in secret, with no idea of how the game will be received or whether they’re even heading in the right direction. And money is another worry. “For indie in general, money is always the problem, especially now.”
Luckily, because WILL: Follow the Light is self-funded, there are no investors or publishers to please, no pressure to ape another game’s success, and the studio has been able to experiment freely. Which is what people ultimately want, Novikov thinks.
A Message from Roman Novikov
“Players are receptive to new things. I think you don’t need to be afraid if you want to do something different or something special or something important to you. I think it will find a market. I loved Death Stranding, and it’s a game about carrying boxes! But it’s also about human connections, and about this incredible landscape, and this deep narrative, and this incredible atmosphere. It taught me that when you make a game, you should make it about something you truly love, or you will never reach the result you want.”
Release Date and Platform
WILL: Follow The Light releases on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (via Steam) in 2025. Visit TomorrowHead Studio’s website for more details.
Conclusion
As Novikov reflects on his journey, he emphasizes the power of Unreal Engine 5, the importance of creating something authentic, and the potential for his team to innovate and push the boundaries of the gaming industry. WILL: Follow the Light may be a relatively small game made by a handful of talented folk, but it’s clear that this team has something special cooking up.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What inspired the game, WILL: Follow the Light? Novikov says the game takes inspiration from Firewatch, Alan Wake, Death Stranding, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and other games that have stuck with him.
- Can I play WILL: Follow the Light on consoles and PC? Yes, the game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam) in 2025.
- Will WILL: Follow the Light feature multiplayer? No, the game will be a single-player experience, focusing on an immersive narrative and gameplay.
- How large is the game’s development team? The team at TomorrowHead Studio has 16 members, consisting of developers, artists, designers, and audio professionals.
- What was the biggest challenge during development? According to Novikov, motivation has been the biggest challenge for the team while working on WILL: Follow the Light.
