Generation Zero, a four player co-op, open-world shooter set in an alternate version of 1980s Sweden, has had a surprise drop on Xbox Game Pass.
The game landed on Game Pass without an announcement, as spotted by VG247, though has since received one. A trailer confirming Generation Zero arriving on Game Pass shows off the world, paired with a moody voice over. The game sees you and three other friends trying to fend off killer robots.
The size of the robots varies greatly, some smaller and easier to deal with, others huge, hulking pieces of metal. At launch, the game generally wasn’t well received by critics, some saying the world felt lifeless, others noting lack of basic quality of life features.
looks familiar?
If you’re looking at the game and thinking, ‘this sure looks like the work of Swedish sci-fi artist Simon Stålenhag,’ you wouldn’t be the only one. Stålenhag commented on the game’s similar appearance to his own works back when it was first announced.
In now deleted tweets, he spoke about how the similarities don’t bother him, as borrowing is a part of art. But what did bother him was the fact Avalanche, developer of the game, knows who he is, and has even spoken with him.
“Avalanche knows who I am. We live in the same town. The game director of the GZ follows me on Twitter. I’ve even met them and briefly worked with them, and not once did they mention they were working on a game set in the Swedish countryside in the late 1980s, featuring giant robots,” Stålenhag wrote in a now deleted Twitter thread.
It’s still unknown how purposeful the similarities to Stålenhag’s work are. But if you want to dive deeper into the game to find out for yourself, Game Pass will let you do just that.
Featured Image Credit: Avalanche Studios