Blindfire Developer Q&A with Lead Designer Matt Dunthorne

Double Eleven released Blindfire in Early Access for Xbox Series X|S and PC on October 17. The first-person shooter takes place in a arena that is completely dark and your best friends are sound and objects along the arena that can reveal light.

Rectify Gaming had the opportunity to talk with Blindfire’s Lead Designer, Matt Dunthorne to discuss the inspiration for the game and what’s to come in the future.

In the interview, Matt mentions Blindfire’s latest update ‘Race to Kill’ as it does answer some of the questions to ask.

Question 1:

When I first saw Blindfire it took me back to when I would play Laser Tag with the dark atmosphere. What would you say was the inspiration to create Blindfire?

Matt Dunthorne:

The inspiration for Blindfire came from an initiative I run with my team regularly, which we call “Shatterday”. On a Shatterday, I break the devs up into multidiscipline teams and then set bizarre design challenges for them to turn into a game pitch.

These exercises are meant to spark creativity by pushing the team out of their usual comfort zones. At one of these Shatterdays, the challenge one team picked was to design “a first-person shooter where the only way to see the environment or opponents was by firing your weapon”. The concept they came up with immediately captured my imagination and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Shatterday is only meant to be a training exercise, it’s not supposed to generate viable concepts, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we had struck gold with this one. As the idea developed over the following weeks, we realized it had incredible potential. What began as a team-building exercise quickly evolved into a prototype to start with but it eventually became a full project.

The concept is a lovely combination of strategy, tension, and unique mechanics that make it feel like a fresh take on the shooter genre. Blindfire is truly a product of spontaneous creativity – and the team’s collective excitement for the idea is what brought it to life.

Question 2:

Right now Blindfire is in Early Access and only features a Team Mode and Free-For-All with the same objective. Are there any plans to bring in more modes and maps?

Matt Dunthorne:

We absolutely plan to bring new modes, weapons, and maps into Blindfire throughout Early Access. Regular updates will ensure the game continues to grow and evolve, offering fresh challenges and content for players.

Our first major content update, Race to Kill, introduces an exciting new game mode: Kill Race, along with its team-based variant, Team Kill Race. This fast-paced, deathmatch-style mode challenges players to reach the kill limit before their opponents. What sets it apart is the dynamic respawn system, which allows players to carefully choose their spawn point and leap straight back into the action.

Team Kill Race builds on this by adding a collaborative twist, where squads of four can band together to race toward victory. Combined with two new weapons and other new features, we think it’s a thrilling start to our planned content drops during Early Access.

Question 3:

Today we live in a world where there are plenty of First-Person Shooters to choose from. Why should players consider Blindfire?

Matt Dunthorne:

We knew going into this that the first-person shooter space was a big risk because of how incredibly crowded it is, so we had to offer something truly different to stand out. That’s where the pitch-black concept came in – it turns the traditional FPS formula on its head and offers players a fresh, unique challenge that’s all about tension, strategy, and unpredictability.

That said, we don’t see Blindfire as a direct competitor to massive shooters like Call of Duty or Counter Strike. Instead, we view it as more of a companion to those experiences. I often compare it to how everyone had either an Xbox 360 or a PS3, but nearly everyone also had a Wii – it’s that different experience you turn to when you’re ready for something a bit different.

I’d love for groups of friends to think of Blindfire as the perfect palate cleanser for the end of a gaming session. When they’ve had their fill of highly competitive shooters and grinding dailies for the night, but still want to shoot each other up in a fun, lighthearted way, Blindfire is there for them. It’s designed to be thrilling and engaging but with a focus on pure, unfiltered fun.

Question 4:

Will there be an arena editor in the future where players can create their own arenas?

Matt Dunthorne:

A full-on arena editor isn’t something we’re pursuing at the moment, but we’re always open to player feedback. If it’s something the community really wants to get their hands on, it’s definitely something we’d consider down the line.

In the meantime, we are focusing on delivering a robust private match feature sometime soon. This will allow players to tailor their games with a wide range of settings and rules, making it easy to curate the perfect match for their squad.

Question 5: 

How long do you expect Blindfire to be in Early Access?

Matt Dunthorne:

As with any game in Early Access, the honest answer is “as long as it takes”. I know that’s a bit of a copout but our focus really is on giving Blindfire the time it needs to grow and adapt based on community feedback. We want the game to reach its true potential, we have a solid vision for what Blindfire v1.0 will look like, but we need to make sure that it aligns with what our players actually want from it.

We aren’t in a rush. Our priority is getting it right, so we’re committed to staying flexible and responsive to feedback. The journey from here is all about refining the experience and making sure Blindfire is something players can be deeply invested in for the long term.

Question 6:

Can you see Blindfire having collaborations with well-known horror films or games?

Matt Dunthorne:

We absolutely love the potential for jump scares in Blindfire – speaking as someone who gets spooked pretty easily during playtesting, I can definitely attest to how tense and immersive those moments can be. The dark atmosphere of the game naturally lends itself to creating that eerie, unpredictable feeling, which adds a lot to the fun.

In fact, one of the inspirations for the jumpsuits the contestants wear came from the Schwarzenegger classic – The Running Man (1987), particularly the hologram material on the sleeves, The 80s action film vibe is something we drew from a lot initially.

As I said, we took a lot of inspiration from that era’s bold aesthetics and over-the-top action, so if the opportunity arose for a collaboration with a well-known horror film or game, we’d definitely be open to exploring it.

The blend of Blindfire’s tense atmosphere and the jump-scare potential makes it a great fit for collaborations in that space, so who knows – if the right partnership presents itself, we could see some exciting possibilities down the line.

Question 7:

Can you see there being any type of story mode at some point or will Blindfire stay as a multiplayer-only game?

Matt Dunthorne:

Blindfire was designed from the ground up as a multiplayer game, that’s where our focus lies for the time being. We want to make an engaging and immersive multiplayer world that players want to dive into and enjoy the chaos of pitch-black battles together.

That said, I can absolutely see how a campaign could work in the unique, dark world we’ve created. The tension, the mystery, and the risk of shooting in the dark all lend themselves to a compelling narrative. However, at the moment, a story mode isn’t on the cards. Our priority right now is refining and expanding the multiplayer experience, but we’re never closing the door on future possibilities.

Question 8:

Could you see Blindfire being an Esport one day?

Matt Dunthorne:

We have former esports pros on the team, and the one thing they’ve made very clear to me over and over again, is that you don’t set out to create an esport – you just can’t, it’s the players who decide whether a game has the potential to make that leap. We’re definitely open to the idea, but we’ll take a player-driven approach to it if that time ever comes.

That being said, ranked matches are on the roadmap, and we’ll be working closely with the community to ensure we craft the right type of competitive experience for Blindfire. We want to offer a competitive environment that drives players to invest in our game and has them wanting to test their skills at the highest level. We need to do that without losing the fun, chaotic energy that makes Blindfire unique though.

Right now, the focus remains on more casual play, but that doesn’t mean it’s a game without depth, not at all – there’s plenty of room for skill, strategy, and mastery in Blindfire. We’ll continue to fine-tune the experience to allow for both casual and more competitive play as we move forward.

Question 9:

Is there any consideration to make Blindfire Free To Play with there being a battle pass and in-game seasons to come?

Matt Dunthorne:

We don’t intend to make Blindfire free-to-play during early access. We launched with a low price to bring in players who want to help us create something special, without a huge barrier to entry. The support of those early players is very important, and we want to make sure we do right by them at all times.

That being said, it’s not something we can rule out entirely in the long term. As we’ve seen, the industry is very volatile right now, and for Blindfire to thrive, we need to remain adaptable and responsive to the changes that hit us.

We’re focused on delivering a great experience for our early-access players, they are our top priority. We’ll keep an eye on the broader market and how the landscape evolves in the future and see what happens.