Carbon Studio’s ‘Hunt Together’ Brings PvP Horror Home to Meta Quest
Since its startup days in 2015, Carbon Studio has been winning over VR gamers with a lineup of titles spanning The Wizards and The Wizards - Dark Times: Brotherhood to Crimen - Mercenary Tales, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall, Mindset, and more. Today, they’re back with the launch of Hunt Together, a PvP horror game built from the ground up for VR.
We sat down with Carbon Studio Producer Nicholas Przyborski to learn more.
Nicholas Przyborski: Let me start by saying that I’ve always been intrigued by video games. For as long as I can remember, I’ve harbored a strong desire to understand how they work and, most importantly, how they’re made. Pursuing a job in the game industry, I chose to apply for a QA tester position. Within the first few weeks on the job, I realized it was a role I was really passionate about. After a few years as a tester, I decided it was high time to broaden my horizons and try my hand as a producer. And so... here I am!
NP: In the early phase of Hunt Together’s development, I was a part of the QA team, and later on, with the experience I gained, I took up the producer position. I must say I’m very happy with this turn of events, as it has additionally heightened my motivation and allowed me to apply my skills to support the entire team working on Hunt Together. I think the new role suits me very well, and I’m looking forward to the next engaging challenges.
NP: Carbon Studio and Iron VR have always maintained a strong and continuous collaboration, consistently complementing each other’s skills and knowledge. Being two studios in such close proximity, we were confident in our mutual reliance for help and support—after all, both teams deal exclusively with virtual reality products. In an industry as advanced as game dev, this kind of support provides great comfort and facilitates faster, more effective problem-solving. Even though until recently we were two distinct teams, we operate as a highly synchronized entity. Our specialists have always been aware that they can seek assistance from their friends in the other studio, which I believe has played a significant role in enhancing the competencies of us all.
NP: Online VR games, which allow us to play together with our friends, have huge potential and a wide, enthusiastic audience among players all around the world. We knew that using our experience gained during the production of The Wizards - Dark Times: Brotherhood, which boasts an advanced multiplayer mode, we could craft another thrilling online title. We thought to ourselves, “What would it be like to be able to challenge and scare our friends in such an immersive medium as VR?” We immediately recognized and loved the potential of this idea, so we started exploring it further. It turned out that exploring scary, haunted locations, employing special abilities, setting traps, and exploiting various strategies while playing against our friends is immensely enjoyable!
NP: As of today, about two years! As you noted, numerous aspects of our game have evolved over time, yet its fundamental principles have remained unaltered. Initially, the project bore a slightly different name, featured a distinct visual style, and included only one game mode. However, from the beginning to the very end, we were absolutely sure that the title should revolve around empowering players to partake in intense duels (or team matches!) set in eerie landscapes, offering an engaging PvP gameplay experience.
NP: With a decade-long presence in the VR market, we think we can call ourselves true veterans in this field. Through years of collaboration, our team has evolved into a highly coordinated unit, fostering a deep understanding among its members, and the new awesome people from Iron VR only expanded our capabilities. We must remember that 2023 was a very busy year for Carbon Studio. In the last six months, we’ve released three new products—Crimen - Mercenary Tales, Mindset, and The Wizards - Dark Times: Brotherhood—and each of them further deepened our skills and understanding of the players’ needs and perspectives. With that in mind, I think in the case of Hunt Together, the most important were the lessons we learned while creating the Brotherhood update, especially its multiplayer co-op mode. Personally, I can't wait for the next challenges!
NP: Right from the beginning, we recognized the importance of understanding the essentials of the horror genre and outlining the goals we aimed to accomplish. We tried to follow the example of the best games of this kind, of course with a good deal of our own ideas, tweaks, and features. At various stages of production, we had many visions of what the characters, individual elements of the environment, and entire maps should look like. Thanks to internal tests and the team’s ingenuity, we managed to discover the perfect balance between map sizes and the positioning of usable environmental elements, ambush spots, secret passages, and so on. We were particularly delighted by the feedback from our beta testers, affirming that the maps were well-designed and traversing them was simply fun. The early feedback we received confirms that Hunt Together has a unique spooky vibe and that the overall feeling is thrilling and satisfying. As for inspiration, it’s worth mentioning that many of our team members are devoted horror fans —both video games and movies. It’s hard to get better references and ideas than those gleaned from the genre lovers!
NP: As a horror game, Hunt Together strongly engages most of our senses. While traversing abandoned rooms, cluttered corridors, and other eerie locations, we must strain our eyes and delve into the darkness, pay attention to details, and constantly monitor our surroundings. Yet this immersive experience wouldn’t be whole without fitting sound effects and a soundtrack. Imagine sneaking silently among the walls of a haunted orphanage. Your focus and attention are strained to the maximum. And then... you hear the sudden sound of an out-of-tune, humming radio! A loud, whistling radiator! Or the laughter of a haunted toy! Even the most courageous players will be taken by surprise. When the Ghost and Hunter engage in intense battles, the music also undergoes a change and becomes more dynamic and spooky. We believe that this kind of audio design will enhance players’ immersion and evoke even more powerful emotions.
NP: We believe that virtual reality is a perfect fit for the Hunt Together project. In the realm of horror games, immersion is one of the most important aspects, and VR enthusiasts undoubtedly know that the ultimate level of immersion is achieved through this very medium. Activities like flying, exploring haunted locations, performing tasks, avoiding dangers, attacking the enemy, and using various strategies depend solely on the efficiency of the mind, agility of hands, and... our courage. When we hear the footsteps of a Hunter just behind our back or see a Ghost jumping at us from hiding, it’s difficult to imagine a more suitable space for our game than VR. After a brief moment within the in-game world, we experience a profound sense of “becoming” the Hunter or Ghost, fully immersing ourselves in their roles.
NP: Indeed, Ludwig is a member of an exclusive and clandestine brotherhood specializing in a rather unusual craft. His and his brothers’ sworn mission is to aid those grappling with issues that surpass the understanding of most people. With specialized, rigorous training and an array of mystical items, Hunters can confront Spirits on equal footing—a thing that only a few can claim about themselves. Each subsequent mission and encounter with paranormal entities adds to the organization’s knowledge, allowing it to further explore this secret art. People like Ludwig enjoy incredible respect and esteem... among those who know of their existence, of course. Don’t forget this when you step into his shoes!
NP: The Banishing Talisman is undoubtedly a powerful item. In the hands of a skilled Hunter, it can become a huge problem for the Ghost, as one well-placed shot can send it to the spirit realm. Once the Banishing Talisman has done its job, the Hunter will have some quiet time to carry out their duties. Unfortunately, for the Ghost the situation is entirely opposite. While in the spirit realm, players will need to showcase their flying skills, maneuvering to evade obstacles and reaching the gateway back to a material plane as swiftly as possible, so that they can return to tormenting their adversary. This bizarre, twisted realm is unlike anything else players will see in the game, so we think they’ll like this unusual feature.
NP: The Hide and Seek mode, allowing the participation of up to four players, holds a special place in my heart. The more, the merrier! I love gazing at varied character skins, taking advantage of the opportunities and tricks presented by various maps, and simply going wild while trying to complete the mission objectives. After the match is over, we love to discuss the best and funniest moments of the game” “I almost got you there!” “I knew you would hide in this room!” “If it weren’t for this potion, you would never have caught me.” And so on. What I like most is playing the role of the Hunter, who has to catch all three ghosts—although it is a difficult challenge, it always brings me a lot of joy. Needless to say, I feel great satisfaction when I manage to bust them!
NP: First of all, thank you to everyone who was interested in this interview and those who would like to give Hunt Together a go. We put a lot of heart and hard work into this project, so we really hope you will like its unusual, engaging gameplay and spooky vibe. We can’t wait to hear your first opinions about the visuals, maps, characters, game balance, skins, and other gameplay elements we so carefully crafted. We’re always happy to hear your ideas and suggestions, and thus we invite you to follow our social media channels and join the Discord server. See you there!
