Meet Your Maker is a unique combination of multiplayer and autonomous base defense, allowing players to try their best to build the strongest base they can, only to improve on it after seeing what works and what fails. Developer Behaviour Interactive has taken notice of these efforts and is releasing the first update today, the nautical-themed Dreadshore.
In an interview ahead of the update’s release, Try Hard Guides was able to ask some questions to Behaviour Interactive’s Senior Creative Director Ashley “Ash” Pannell regarding the inspiration for Meet Your Maker, the Dreadshore update, and the plans for what players can expect in the near future and beyond.
Update June 28 at 1 p.m. PT: A previous version of this article referred to BHVR’s Senior Creative Director with she/her pronouns when they use he/him. We have made sure to correct this and sincerely apologize for the incorrect information.
To start, we asked Pannell about the clear similarities between MYM and Behaviour’s other multiplayer title, Dead by Daylight. The developer seems to have learned from its horror title, with MYM offering similar dichotic gameplay as DBD while being less reliant on a stable internet connection to promote a fair and enjoyable experience.
Pannel begins by saying, “Behaviour Interactive’s motto is ‘unique moments together, forever’ and this is what we aim to achieve with every project we work on. The philosophy behind the base-
building and raiding gameplay in Meet Your Maker revolves around the concept of
creative expression and the will to conquer or outsmart.”
He elaborates in how this creativity plays into the core base building experience, saying, “Meet Your Maker is about empowering players to unleash their inner evil genius and embrace their creativity. Building and designing the ultimate fortress of devious deathtraps is at the core… We believe that the process of constructing intricate and strategic structures should be engaging, rewarding, and a true expression of the player’s ingenuity.”
In discussing why the game is fun from the raiding side, Pannell emphasizes the fun in challenging a unique user-generated puzzle, stating “The rush of evading elaborate traps, outmaneuvering guards, and emerging victorious with valuable loot makes raiding a thrilling and rewarding aspect of the game.”
When it comes to the internet connection for MYM, Pannell acknowledges it’s less reliant on a constant connection, but the team still wants to provide an equally seamless and quality experience.
There’s been some concern in the community about how Meet Your Maker intends to keep players engaged over a longer period of time, seeing as the game is live-service. Pannell discusses what this will entail, including “a combination of regular content updates, community engagement, and gameplay enhancements. We are committed to expanding the game’s toolbox of traps, guards, and gear over time.”
While he’s happy to tell us that the team is working to add all kinds of new features and items, Behaviour isn’t ready to share details about what that will specifically be.
Instead, Pannell gives a general idea, saying “we have exciting plans to introduce new gameplay mechanics and features that will add depth, variety, and strategic opportunities to Meet Your Maker. These additions will aim to enhance the building, raiding, and overall gameplay experience.”
He also adds that the community’s feedback is invaluable, stating that Behaviour wants to engage with the community through “surveys, AMAs, dev streams and events. By continuously evolving and responding to player preferences, we aim to create a long-lasting and captivating experience for our players.” This statement means that, like with DBD, Behaviour wants to improve the game based on its players.
We were also curious about Behaviour’s experience since launch and what their response to some of the wild or impressive designs players have created. Pannell states that players have gone beyond the team’s expectations, specifically mentioning how “players have drawn inspiration from movie or video game franchises to build some extraordinary and fun Outposts.”
He discusses this a little bit more, saying, “It’s amazing to see how they can take the tools and assets provided in the game and transform them into over-the-top environments that transport players into other realms and narratives.”
Given that this community interaction and the impressive player levels continue, we asked Panell what the game looks like ideally in five years, seeing how improved DBD is from when it launched in 2016. He explains it pretty briefly, saying “Meet Your Maker will have evolved into a thriving ecosystem of player-driven content and richly immersive adventures. We envision a game that has expanded not only its toolbox exponentially… but also its universe with new fantasies, lore elements and ways to play.”
Again, He emphasizes that the community will be an integral part of this journey, stating, “The community will have contributed in shaping the game through their creations and feedback, and we will continue to provide constant content updates to fuel their creativity.”
After reading about the backstory in the Dreadshore update, we were curious about what Behaviour envisions for expanding the lore. Dead by Daylight has seen a huge step taken in creating new lore in recent years with the addition of Tomes and other narrative content.
Pannell makes it clear that the developer has every intention to explore what’s possible in this wasteland, saying the team hopes to create “a captivating and immersive world can enhance the player experience, and we are committed to delivering engaging narratives and lore that deepen the game’s atmosphere and add meaning to the player’s actions.”
What’s perhaps more telling is that the team is looking to add cameos from famous characters from other franchises, with the company’s Senior Creative Director stating, “Just as Dead by Daylight has successfully brought in iconic characters from various horror franchises, we recognize the appeal of crossover collaborations and the unique experiences they can provide to players.”
Monetization is also a big part of live-service games as they age, so we also asked Panell to discuss if there were plans to charge money for expansions in the future, and he had this to say, “While I cannot provide specific details on future monetization plans, our primary focus is to deliver a compelling and enjoyable experience for all players.” he also made sure to mention that each update will look to evolve on the content, so it sounds like the developer has far from ruled it out.
On Dreadshore specifically, we were curious if each future update would have a similar theme that evolves on the world, to which Panell said, “Each new content update in Meet Your Maker will aim to offer different fantasies with unique themes and aesthetics that will add depth and variety to the game. Similar to Dreadshore’s nautical decorations and suit, we will continue to explore different thematic elements that resonate with players and expand the visual and atmospheric experience.”
These updates will include things like new traps, guards, gear, and even gameplay mechanics if there is enough interest in the community. The developer hopes that players will find the content both “dynamic and exciting.”
We also asked about the possibility of Hollywood starlet Nicolas Cage would be added as a voice to Meet Your Maker following the recent reveal he’d be coming to their other title. While this was mostly a joke, Panell did let a little something slip, saying “who knows, a well-established actor or character could very well be featured in Meet Your Maker, only time will tell..!”
We were also allowed the opportunity to try out the Dreadshore update ahead of its release on June 27, and it’s a wonderfully nautical time that packs as much power as it does visuals. If this is the caliber or frequency of updates the game will receive, then it’s in the best place to continue to build its audience and grow.
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