Remedy has finally pulled the veil off its long-in-development multiplayer title, showcasing FBC: Firebreak today during Microsoft's Xbox Partner Preview event.
We've known that Remedy was working on a multiplayer title for quite some time, with rumblings first appearing in 2021. Since then, the project has been teased a few times, with the team highlighting some of what would eventually be called FBC: Firebreak in earnings reports and within its own interconnected universe of games.
Set within the same connected universe as its paranormal adventure, Control, Firebreak is a PvE multiplayer adventure that aims to be distinctly different from anything that Remedy has worked on before. Described as a "stand-alone experience set within a mysterious federal agency," directly linking the two games, FBC: Firebreak puts players in the shoes of first responders facing off against monsters and the paranormal.
"You play as an ordinary person squaring off against extraordinary threats which is why you will need the right equipment," Remedy states in the official Steam announcement. "You and your team will be armed with a suite of guns, grenades, handcrafted tools, and even paranatural objects like a garden gnome that summons a lightning storm. Don’t worry, it’s all completely according to protocol."
In an interview over on Xbox Wire, Game Director Mike Kayatta states that FBC: Firebreak is both not a Control DLC, and "definitely not a Control sequel," instead stating that the team is trying to avoid feeling like either.
"We’re actively avoiding coming even close to feeling like either of those things. I guess you could say that it’s a spin-off, but in the most positive sense of the word. It’s not designed to be some kind of lesser, bite-sized Control. FBC: Firebreak is its own, fully formed thing."
However, in the same interview, Kayatta states that the upcoming multiplayer title takes place after the events of Control, though you needn't have played that game to understand what is happening in FBC: Firebreak.
While there is no release date given, FBC: Firebreak is slated to launch in 2025 on PC, Xbox Series S|X (and Day One on Game Pass), and PlayStation 5.