After Alan Wake 2 and Control, FBC: Firebreak represents a bold new frontier for Remedy: "It's time to expand the Remedy Connected Universe into shared spaces and brave something new"

Remedy Entertainment has become synonymous with creative storytelling in the video game industry. That reputation has been established over a three decade commitment to delivering singular single-player experiences, peerless in their ability to break boundaries. FBC: Firebreak could, however, be seen as a break from this tradition; a three-player co-operative first-person shooter, and the studio's first multiplayer game. "A lot of this is uncharted territory for us," acknowledges Mike Kayatta, game director. "We know we have a lot to learn to deliver on the potential we see, but there's a lot of passion and drive behind our push into this space."

And yet, for all the ways in which FBC: Firebreak appears to challenge the expectation of what a Remedy game can be, that same commitment to caustic action and creative storytelling is right there at the heart of it. "There's a sort of emergent magic that comes from sharing a game world with other people. Real people bring unpredictability and a unique type of storytelling to worlds that we simply can't replicate in a focused 'hero's journey' type of experience," says Kayatta. "So, while crafting those kinds of controlled and immersive single-player experiences remains a major focus for the studio, we thought it was finally time to expand the Remedy Connected Universe into shared spaces and brave something new."

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As a fearless first responder for the Federal Bureau of Control, it's your duty to delve into the depths of the Oldest House to tackle raging paranatural crises, restore order, and fight your way back to safety – the Hiss remain a powerful threat, years after Jesse Faden assumed command of the extradimensional headquarters in 2019's Control. Before deployment, you'll have a chance to select a weapon and customize your Firebreak Crisis Kit to ensure you have the correct tools, grenades, and support items required to thrive. If you're worried that FBC: Firebreak sounds like it's sticking too close to conventional co-op shooter models, you should know that this is still a Remedy game. Like the best Remedy games, it's willing to be weird when it wants to be.

Firebreak crews are cleared to carry paranatural augments, Altered Items which drastically impact your odds of survival. Then there's the decontamination showers, used to restore health and remove status effects. "FBC: Firebreak is a lot about crisis management and getting covered in stuff that you shouldn't be – fire, radiation, sticky notes. So if you want it off, then wash it off. Don't want a cold shower? Warm it up first. And saving water is essential. Cram inside the box with your team," teases Kayatta. "Believe it or not, the shower was one of the very first design elements that stuck. It's practical, improvised but professional, encourages teamwork, and taps into just the right amount of Bureau absurdity."

It's creative concepts like this which position FBC: Firebreak as one of the most promising online co-op games of 2025. The action appears fast and dynamic, with teamwork encouraged to combat massive waves of otherworldly enemies that are crawling across twisting, labyrinthian spaces. It's visually ambitious too, with Remedy's Northlight engine delivering the depth and fidelity to help give Firebreak definition in a crowded, volatile market. Necessary, given that 2024 proved that success is never guaranteed – where Helldivers 2 went stratospheric, Concord and XDefiant failed to take flight.

That's why Remedy is collapsing barriers around its 'mid-priced' shooter. There's commitment to cross-platform matchmaking, and a simultaneous launch across the two first-party subscription services. "This lowers the barrier of entry to try out the game, since millions of Game Pass and PlayStation Plus subscribers will have access. Of course, that's a bit scary because so many players will hopefully be there during the launch window, and we hope the game holds up," laughs Thomas Puha, communications director. "It also means there's financial backing and marketing support for the game from both first parties, which is crucial – especially as Remedy is self-publishing this game across all platforms."

FBC: Firebreak being self-published ensures that Remedy is able to return to Steam, following back-to-back exclusive launches onto the Epic Games Store. And with such a wide pool of potential players available as a result, the studio is keen to ensure that Firebreak is widely accessible. "We are pretty conscious of keeping the minimum required PC spec reasonable, and not going so high with the requirements as we did with Control and Alan Wake 2," says Puha. "We'll still have great graphics and visual effects, all that you expect from Remedy, but in a multiplayer experience like this, framerate is king as well as the responsiveness of the controls."

With Control 2 still a number of years away, it would be easy to view FBC: Firebreak as a stopgap. But I think that does it a disservice. Everything I've seen so far makes Firebreak look like an ambitious, luxuriously-crafted co-op experience – and one that is relatively disinterested in following modern live-service trends. A space where you can delve into the depths of the Oldest House with two of your buddies, battle your way through expansive landscapes and extraordinary threats for a few hours, and then log off without fear of falling behind in a wider battle pass economy. I don't know about you, but that's the sort of shooter I'm desperate for more of right now. 

Big in 2025 is the annual new year preview from GamesRadar+. Throughout January we are spotlighting the 50 most anticipated games of 2025 with exclusive interviews, hands-on previews, analysis, and so much more. Visit our Big in 2025 coverage hub to find all of our articles across the month.