Game director Dmitriy Grigorenko talks about how developer Saber Interactive set out to capture the feeling of a classic Xbox 360 shooter with Space Marine 2.

For many, the recently released Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a perfect reminder of the sort of excellent shooters we used to see so often in the Xbox 360 era- an excellent campaign, paired with dedicated co-op and PvP modes, and no microtransactions to have to worry about. Saber Interactive’s action title has been called an incredible throwback experience, and that, as you may have guessed, was exactly what the developer set out to deliver.

Speaking in a recent interview with Gamesradar, Space Marine 2’s game director Dmitriy Grigorenko talked about how it feels like a throwback Xbox 360-style experience, and explained that that was very much what Saber Interactive envisioned the game as from the outset.

“I didn’t know it was that obvious, but that was the intention,” he said. “We wanted to make a perfect sequel [to Space Marine] – that was in the original pitch. The ‘perfect sequel’ implies it’s the exact same game – a 360 game with a story campaign, some PvP, and a horde mode to accompany it. We wanted to make a classic experience.”

Creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick spoke about the same, talking about how he was able to experience Space Marine 2’s campaign in a way that echoed his past experiences with the Gears of War franchise.

“I recently went to an old friend’s house, and we used to play all of those Gears of War games,” he said. “I’d go around on a Friday night, and we’d play until we finished the campaign – you could finish the campaign in one evening. We’d drink, eat, and play. I went back to his house last weekend, and we played Space Marine 2 from start to finish. It was just this amazing flashback experience!”

Space Marine 2 has enjoyed acclaim from critics and audiences alike, while it was also confirmed to have surpassed 2 million players promptly upon release. Saber Interactive has also discussed the idea of potential DLC, or even a sequel.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.