Breakdown
- Content Warning developer Landfall has revealed the influences behind the new game
- Horror icons Junji Ito and H.R Giger inspired the world players explore
- The rise of YouTubers risking their lives for views is the most important influence for the game
The new PC gaming phenomenon Content Warning is essentially Lethal Company by way of vloggers, but there are more influences bringing the game together than many fans might’ve first guessed.
Content Warning was shadow-dropped on Steam earlier this month, a tactic the devs told us won’t work for everyone. However, this move has certainly worked for developer Landfall who saw an all-time peak player count of over 200,000 on April 1st.
In an interview with StealthOptional, developer Landfall told us the influences behind this new Steam phenomenon. While the Lethal Company influence is more than obvious, other influences are much less so.
“The vibes of The Old World were inspired by Junji Ito,” Landfall head of community Hanna Fogelberg told us. Alongside this, the team was also inspired by the work of Swiss artist H.R Giger, the creator of the iconic Xenomorph from Alien.
Furthermore, The Over World is a direct reference to a Swedish children's book from the developers’ childhoods, Pettson och Findus.
Finally, Landfall explained the core tenant of Content Warning’s influences which is, unsurprisingly, online influencers. With content creation pushing towards more dangerous activities to chase views and online clout, the game is a satirical take on the rise of influencers crossing the line for the sake of views.
“[What] was most interesting to us was the core of the game - the filming and video creation. We were inspired by YouTubers and influencer culture,” Fogelberg told us. “There’s something interesting in people risking life and limb for content that we wanted to play off of.”
With YouTubers, TikTokkers and other influencers performing dangerous stunts — such as sliding down bridges — for views, Content Warning is, well, a warning of the consequences. While it’s more H.P Lovecraft than simply falling off a building or getting rammed by oncoming traffic, it’s still an important caution of the dangers of clout chasing in the modern day. After all, you can’t make videos if you’re dead.
For more Content Warning, check out the reason why the game’s fake YouTube has been renamed, or check out these Tips and Tricks. You can also learn how to throw objects, invite randoms and much more.
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