The development team behind the game Atomfall recently weighed in on a jaw-dropping 26-minute speedrun achieved by a player. In a video commentary, the developers reacted to the run with a mix of amusement, reflection, and curiosity about their own game, which was intentionally designed to offer a variety of paths and strategies to completion.

Designing for Multiple Routes

"I'm really looking forward to watching this because there isn't a main route through Atomfall by design. We did that absolutely on purpose," said Rebellion's Ben Fischer, the head of design. As Fischer explained, the team built the game with multiple shortcuts and alternate solutions for navigating its challenges, allowing players to express their personal approaches to a degree rarely seen in linear games.

Rebellion's Rich May, the lead programmer, added that some of these alternative paths—even ones that might seem like exploits—were left in as part of the game's philosophy. "I remember talking to people about whether we should fix bugs when they were reported. It was like, 'well, no, if it's that hard to reproduce or hard to do, fair play to them.'" This open-ended design ethos has paved the way for creative runs like the one they examined, where the player sprinted through the game with expert precision.

The team's discussion revealed their anticipation of messy, unpredictable speedruns, even during the game's development. Will Bedoff, the narrative designer, suggested that substantial time was spent ensuring the game world would accommodate diverse strategies. Players would have the freedom to "stumble across" paths instead of a rigid route. "We fed you through [a curated route] on purpose at one point during development,” Bedoff pointed out, "but it was more fun to unpack everything and kind of let you stumble across it yourself."

The Fun (and Frustration) of Watching a Speedrun

Watching the speedrun elicited a range of emotions from the team. Among the more humorous observations was the developers’ tendency to self-deprecatingly criticize their own decisions. Fischer remarked, "We should have made it longer," referring both to the game's design and specific features like the animations for massive doors. Bedoff jokingly suggested the doors should take longer to open relative to how many NPCs the player has killed, turning the door into a "moral compass." Such post-launch reflections underscored how much the speedrun experience differs from the typical first playthrough.

Rich May was particularly fascinated by the technical aspects of the run. "I want to see if there's any jump glitches and stuff. That's what I'm looking for," he said. However, to his apparent disappointment, the runner didn’t employ the kind of environmental exploits (e.g., skipping through collision boundaries) often seen in other speedrunning communities. Still, May enjoyed watching the precision with which the player found the fastest avenues based on in-game knowledge.

The art director, Ryan Green, also spoke to the satisfaction of seeing the game's sandbox design executed so effectively. "We tried to make sure there were juicy treats around every corner," Green said, explaining the effort to reward players' exploratory instincts. The speedrunner’s route exemplified the value of these decisions, showcasing high-level strategic thinking while bypassing combat, resource collection, and navigation traditionally required to progress.

Balancing Open-ended Freedom with Deliberate Design

Atomfall's design borrows inspiration from open-world games like Dark Souls, which encourages nonlinear progression. According to May and Fischer, this freedom allows for meaningful experimentation. The developers revealed that the game's structure was partially inspired by Dark Souls, where players are tasked with defeating four bosses scattered across the world to unlock the final area. Similarly, Atomfall is a sandbox environment where players can potentially bypass lengthy combat encounters if they know where to find and prioritize essential items, such as batteries or keys for the game's systems.

This sense of agency, however, comes with tradeoffs. As Bedoff expressed it, sometimes the ability to sprint through environments or avoid fights altogether makes certain areas "too easy" for experienced players. Even so, the tradeoff was deemed worthwhile to preserve the game’s unpredictability.

Bugs: Problem or Opportunity?

One fascinating point of discussion revolved around whether certain bugs and quirks in the game code should have been fixed before release. For example, the developers mentioned glitches allowing faster mantle-climbing animations or minor tricks when interacting with batteries. These, it seems, can allow for marginal time savings—exactly the kind of advantage speedrunners love.

Fischer suggested the team intentionally chose not to fix bugs that were either difficult to replicate or unlikely to be encountered by casual players. In his view, discovering and exploiting such glitches is part of the fun for the most dedicated fans. "I want to see them break stuff," Fischer said. "That's the fun part." It's an attitude rarely vocalized by developers in the modern era, where glitch-free releases are often demanded by players and reviewers alike.

The Run’s Highlights

The speedrunner in question took advantage of many design features intended to provide options for players, including quiet flanking routes, strategically placed batteries, and under-populated areas where combat risks could be minimized. One amusing highlight involved the speedrunner bypassing sections of the game where enemy timing and patrol positions can make or break stealth sequences. Green noted that these clean passes through chaotic areas, often "threading the needle between enemies," demonstrated an impressive understanding of the game’s systems.

The player's ability to skip through atmospheric sequences, such as the opening of a dramatic vault door, also resonated with the team. As they put it, if the animations dragged on for too long and didn’t serve gameplay, players would naturally find ways to optimize those moments.

What This Means for Future Design

Reflecting on the experience, the developers jokingly debated ways they could extend certain sections or add mechanics that slow down adrenaline-fueled runs. Bedoff suggested half-seriously, "[The massive vault door] should take longer the more people you’ve killed." While no serious conclusions were reached, it was clear this speedrun has already sparked discussions about potential future directions.

While the back-and-forth reveals pride in their sandbox-style work, the commentary also shows how much developers learn by watching their players. Whether it’s a desire for speedrunning glitches or hiding secrets in waterfalls (because, as gaming tradition mandates, there must always be something hidden under falls), the devs seem committed to encouraging both exploration and high-level strategy.

Why This Speedrun Matters

The wider significance of this speedrun lies in its testament to Atomfall’s design philosophy. A strong focus on player freedom means every gamer can approach the title differently. From casual explorers to competitive runners shaving seconds off their time, the design accommodates everyone. For fans of speedrunning as a subculture, this openness is a crucial hallmark, one that distinguishes Atomfall from more linear action games where routes are predictable and heavily policed.

Indeed, as Rebellion's team continues to work on updates and potential future projects, the lessons learned from watching this run are likely to carry over in interesting ways. Whether that’s creating scenarios even more open to creative solutions, or allowing even deeper customization of the player journey, the team’s open-mindedness suggests Atomfall will leave an enduring mark on sandbox game design.