Forspoken writer says his original story pitch was nothing like the final game

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Gary Whitta reveals Forspoken's story was rebooted partway through development

Forspoken preview
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Forspoken's original writer has claimed the final product was nothing like his original pitch.

Speaking to Alanah Pearce over the past weekend in the YouTube video below, Forspoken writer Gary Whitta revealed he had very little involvement in the final version of Forspoken. According to Whitta, Forspoken's story was actually rebooted in between him handing in his original pitch and the game's final launch.

According to Whitta, Square Enix and developer Luminous rebooted his original story pitch. Then the companies contacted Whitta, asking if he'd write the new version of Forspoken's story, which revolved around interdimensional portals, which he declined due to scheduling issues.

According to Whitta, Forspoken's story originally looked very different to what ended up on our screens. The veteran writer doesn't reveal any concrete details about what the game's story originally envisaged, and also doesn't name another writer who was approached alongside Whitta to write the new version of Forspoken's story. 

In Forspoken's final credits, the game lists Whitta under 'Original Concept,' likewise crediting Uncharted veteran Amy Hennig under 'Story Concept.' This gives a lot of credence to Whitta's comments, given three other writers are credited before Whitta and Hennig in Forspoken's credits.

Either way, it's nice that Square Enix and Luminous still credited Whitta and Hennig, even though their story drafts ultimately ended up unused. Earlier this month, a former Metroid Prime developer criticized the remaster for leaving out direct mention of the original dev team, putting the murky issue of studios leaving workers out of credits under the microscope. 

Forspoken's writing has been a hot-button issue over the last month, with players repeatedly lambasting the game's dialog in particular. Frey's actor, Ella Balinska, said she was proud of the game, regardless of the memes its dialog generated, and our own Forspoken review noted how disappointing the final plot and dialog were, especially between Frey and her allies.

Check out our Forspoken magic guide for a look at the best spells if you're currently playing through Square Enix's latest.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.