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Warframe has been around for more than a decade through ups and downs and now it’s poised to release one of its biggest and most iconic updates ever: Warframe 1999, preluded by the Lotus Eaters update. Hence, our esteemed editor and writer, Dave Rodriguez, has interviewed the legendary Warframe Community Director, Megan Everett and Warfarme Game Designer, Pablo Alonso about all things Warframe and Warframe 1999.
Note: The responses in this interview have been lightly edited for clarity and flow.
Interview with Pablo Alonso of Digital Extremes
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: Pablo, it’s great to meet you, my name is Dave, writer for The Nerd Stash, but before I did that, I’ve been a longtime fan of Warframe. Big fan of Digital Extremes, I would say.
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: Glad to have you, fellow Latino!
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: Yeah thank you, it means a lot. I wanted to get into some things I had on my mind. With the 1999 update, you’re obviously going for a different style that’s grounded in this other Earth. So was it a challenge to make sure the weapons and the game design in the time period match that tone?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: Yes and no. Basically, at some point, we make a commitment that we will never release a weapon that doesn’t have a special trait. So if you look at every single weapon we released in the last couple of years, every single one has something a little quirky about it that only that weapon does. That’s by design because we already have so many AK-47s– the Karak or whatever.
At the end of the day, we do put the fun ahead of the realism.
There’s only so much fun you can have by tweaking the fire rate or the magazine. Because of that, that puts us in a complicated situation having to release a literal AK-47 clone– we don’t want to release just a plain AK-47. So we’re adding things, for example, that one has a bonus headshot if you’re aiming or it has extra ammo efficiency if you’re hip-shooting.
At the end of the day, we do put the fun ahead of the realism. These human frames, they still bullet jump and they still can take a giant explosion to the face and survive. We’re still about having fun while having this whole different feel to it.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: Yes. I definitely noticed that. This is obviously still Warframe, but the flavor and the aesthetic were so strong. I was curious how that was coming together as it was crystallizing.
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: We definitely have talked about that. We want a pistol but maybe it cannot shoot Void because it would be weird– but it has to have something special. Otherwise, it’s just not fun.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: That’s exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing what else is there. One of the things that was revealed in the trailer was Cyte-09– a new frame hanging out with some veterans that we all know.
He favors a marksman and sniper playstyle. When you’re designing a Warframe on the team, how much of that is based on something the team wants versus the playerbase desires? Or a gameplay niche that you think you can fill? Is it like a battle between those three pillars?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: Honestly, the process is pretty fluid. Sometimes you’d think we have checklists that we do– oh we need a male frame, something like that? It’s not like that. It just kind of happens. We start by making something that looks cool and then from there, design [department] will take it and then from there, it will grow.
The most important part– this is not just for frames, but in general, is that someone is passionate about it. Otherwise, they never get enough “seasoning” that you need to make them special.
For example, Jade, we all wanted something, and then from that, we grew the concept. The most important part– this is not just for frames, but in general, is that someone is passionate about it. Otherwise, they never get enough “seasoning” that you need to make them special. That’s how it works. It’s never really like a conflict. Most of the time, you see someone passionate about something and you just jump on board and just help them along.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: From listening to everybody talk, it seems so much more collaborative instead of clashing. More like ‘how can we make it work?’ It seems like you’re always trying to find a way to make it happen. I would say you guys have been killing it with the last few Warframes. I just keep being surprised every time I see a new one. Even if it’s Warframe 59 or 60, it’s still fun.
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: That is all that matters.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: On the topic of Warframe and the list of Warframes, clearly the number has grown huge. I remember back in the day, just rolling with Excalibur, Mag, and Volt. I never thought it would reach this level 11 years from now. Is there a magic number in the team where ‘we can’t ever get to that number’ or is it going to be like you said, ‘as long as somebody is passionate’ that you can just foresee making Warframes as long as that love is still there?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: The only time I remember having a barrier was what happens after Mastery Rank 30 (MR30). What happens after that? What do we do? We’ve gone too far. That’s the only time we really felt that. With Warframe, there are so many ideas still. I look at my own folder of ideas and there’s plenty still there. All the people have ideas all the time.
There’s a ton of ideas and there’s always a desire to try new things.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: That’s exciting. No matter how many characters are involved– even when there are new frames, it never feels like your favorite is no longer viable.
I think that’s pretty cool, especially with the reworks you’ve been doing. Giving love to those older characters. Like Inaros– one of my favorites. I was so excited for that. But even without that, I still have a lot of good time with the new content.
Going back to 1999, are you excited to think of something brand new for activities or are those opportunities to revisit something you’ve done before or reinvent it?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: It really depends. Certain systems have been proven. I don’t think there’s more fun to be squeezed out by changing them. One example is the Syndicate. We can likely find a way to restructure that but we’re probably not going to win much out of that. People are used to some things. You change it and there’s going to be friction.
The only way you can keep a development team passionate about the same game for 12 years is if you keep innovating because otherwise, we would get bored.
But there is content like Circuit similar to Syndicate– it’s a different way to restructure sort of the same idea. We always want our updates to have something new. Something good for players and good for us. The only way you can keep a development team passionate about the same game for 12 years is if you keep innovating because otherwise, we would get bored.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: Speaking of that, when it comes to things that are new. Have you ever prototyped something? Has the team come up with a Warframe idea or gameplay system that was so ‘crazy’ that you can’t do it? Something so outlandish?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: Yeah, but mostly a timing thing. I cannot tell you what it is right now, it’s something we want to do someday. But because we do so many frequent updates, sometimes it’s hard to find a slot where you can add a feature that would take you a year. During that year, other parts of the team have to work on releasing update. It’s hard to keep all those balls in the air. Sometimes, we gotta wait and do this at another point.
But yeah, there’s a silly example. Captura, for example? The original idea was to send the images to social media. But because of permits with consoles and all that, it started getting delayed, it didn’t pan out.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: So in a previous interview, you talked about watching other game developers. If there was a piece of advice you could give to a young developer or designer who may be looking at your work, what would you say to them? Maybe a piece of advice?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: My most common suggestion is just start. I remember I tried making games 20 years ago. It was such a nightmare. There were very few engines available. It was a pain. Whereas now, there’s a bunch of engines that are super-advanced and are free. If you’re in that stage, just start.
The reason why Warframe has worked for 12 years is because it plays like nothing else, it looks like nothing else, and it’s made like nothing else. The way we communicate with the community when we develop this game? It’s nothing else
If you’re just trying to figure out how you can make a mark or find a market, for me, you have to find something unique. The reason why Warframe has worked for 12 years is because it plays like nothing else, it looks like nothing else, and it’s made like nothing else. The way we communicate with the community when we develop this game? It’s nothing else. Because of that, it works.
If you instead try to be the next WoW-killer, well, you know how that will go.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: The whole slew of teams that failed trying to do that…
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: Try and find something where you can excel. Something that can be properly yours. You won’t have as broad an appeal as something like WoW, but for people that like it– they’ll love it because there’s nothing else like it. That would be my advice for someone already in the process.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: I always loved hearing about the behind-the-scenes and everyone’s inspirations. There are so many different inspirations you can see in a game like Warframe. Warframe was like a nice window into Digital Extremes, your creativity and imagination. It’s interesting to hear about your inspirations and things that you look forward to.
If you could describe Warframe 1999 in three words, what would those three words be?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: In three words? Humans. Time. Experimentation. You’ll see why once you’ve played Warframe 1999.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: The second part of this, if you can say a quote that I would signal boost on social media, what would you want to get out there as a message to players about Warframe 1999?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: I think what makes Warframe special is that it’s a unique place and a welcoming community. It has a very unique gameplay and variety. It’s focused on fun. Steve Sinclair (CEO) used to joke a parody of Fallout’s slogan, “Warframe always changes.” If you want a game that has a spiritual core but is always trying new things, Warframe is a fun place to be.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: Okay, one final question. When you are making a new big content update like 1999 and designing around it, is there are thought of how much of this is going to be geared for veterans or new players?
Pablo Alonso, Warframe Game Designer: That’s one of our most common complaints. We’re putting all of our chips into putting this update. When new players see a new update, they tend to be dissuaded because suddenly they need to put in 200 hours first. With Duviri we tried putting it way earlier– literally at the start of the game. It didn’t work. We had to push it back.
So for Warframe 1999, it’s positioned for veterans. The minimum access gear-wise isn’t punishing, but you do have to do all the story.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: I appreciate the answer. It was an honor to speak to you. It means a lot. Thank so much!
Interview with Megan Everett of Digital Extremes
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: It’s an honor to be here! So I’m gonna get into the questions. One of the first things I wanted to ask for Warframe 1999– I was really surprised to see the other proto-frames. I wanted to ask, how hard was it to narrow down the list of all Warframes to a small set of characters in 1999? Everyone’s gonna have a favorite that didn’t make it.
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: I’m so glad you had that reaction. This is gonna be a shock-and-awe thing. I think most people can guess that Volt is getting a Proto-frame because of the starter mentality, same with Excalibur and Mag. But yeah, our artist, Liger Inuzuka, has done a lot of art for us. They’re the ones who came up with Arthur and the others.
I’m not gonna say it was a hard choice to narrow it down. We wanted the old-school frames. Nyx, for example, is Excalibur’s female version, so let’s make her his sister. We know Trinity to be the healer. It had to do more with roles. We knew we needed a diverse cast, like also a marksman. So we introduced someone like Quincy/Cyte-09. We went the route of what would make a good core-six group in terms of variety.
Liger then came up with the art, and we were like “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: That’s awesome to hear. For me, I have been a die-hard Rhino main since day one. I always love seeing more Rhino. But now that you talked about it, I can see how the characters not only fit thematically but their abilities all synchronize together.
It seems like Arthur is the protagonist of 1999. Does that mean other characters are in support roles?
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: In terms of the core six Proto-frames, Arthur is the leader from a story perspective. The one keeping them together. You’ll learn more as you play Warframe 1999. That’s something you can piece together, it’s almost like how best friends have fights every now and then. Arthur is trying to keep the group together and be that ‘dad’ for the group.
The trailers were just snippets. Lotus Eaters update will be a prologue quest. It will set the scene for how you get to 1999. In Lotus Eaters, it spells out why some characters can’t get to 1999 and who can. Arthur is the ‘dad’ of the group, and you as the Drifter will play an important role as well.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: That’s awesome to hear. So on the topic of romance. It’s a hot one in Warframe 1999. How hard was it for the team to lock down the rules of romance for Warframe 1999.
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: I love that question. I’m very excited about romance in Warframe. We have 11 years of content that has gone every way and will continue to do so. But we know for years that players have done their own versions of Warframe romance– what they wished could happen, what they wished could do. There are a lot of people on the team, myself included who are die-hard romance book readers.
We wanted to accomplish it (romance) in a way that’s very Warframe. It shouldn’t be too left-field or uncomfortable. We wanted to be respectful of it.
I think the Baldur’s Gate 3 phenomenon really hit home with how crazy the romance options a game could have, inspired us. We wanted to accomplish it in a way that’s very Warframe. It shouldn’t be too left-field or uncomfortable. We wanted to be respectful of it.
We want to do it in a way that makes sense to the story and the time you’re in. That’s why we chose instant messaging. We really wanted to make sure these characters felt special. These characters have really in-depth stories. What if they were to take that instant messaging one step further where you can actually flirt and have a relationship with the character?
The idea is if you can get one of your Syndicate characters to a certain level, maybe you’ll get a New Year’s kiss. It’s a romance system that’s very much tied to the present story that’s happening in 1999.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: I think that’s a lot of potential. A lot of other games just throw romance in. Warframe has a very established lore over the years. I feel like any type of romance that you were gonna go for feels well-earned at this point. These characters all mean something to the community in some way.
Between the amount of crazy fan-fiction that exists and who’s shipping who, I think it’s a great idea.
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: People over the years have romanticized many characters. I’m in that bucket as well. I have my own imagination. Everyone is free to do that, of course… I think it’s time. 1999 is the space to do it. It’s a completely optional thing too. The Syndicate of 1999 is going to be a classic Syndicate that players are familiar with like in Fortuna or Cetus.
You can just not engage in the relationship if you don’t want to. Not a problem. You can just be friends with them. It’s there if you want.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: Would it be possible to see other Proto-frame cosmetics in the future?
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: What a great question. I think what we can expect based on our historical updates is that we love to do a big juicy update and then release echo updates. We’ve done that a lot recently. I will say that we’re not done with Proto-frames. The six will not be six forever.
We have some ideas for the next ones (Proto-frames).
We have some ideas for the next ones. Perhaps the echoes of 1999 will give a little bit more for that– but that’s all I’ll say.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: So something that just came to me when you were talking about the voice cast– because Warframe has been around so long, a lot of the characters you have been established. When it comes to the human Proto-frames, was there any kind of fear of misrepresenting an attached voice to an old character?
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: That’s definitely a thought as we were thinking about Proto-frames. I can remember back in the day a decade ago when people would say that they were humans under the Warframe. But I think we have done what we believe to be a hopefully successful job at splitting these two.
Just because Arthur looks and sounds the way he does, that does not mean that that’s a direct reflection of the Excalibur that you have envisioned for 11 years. It’s just where we wanted to take the Proto-frames but not necessarily what your Mag looks like or talks like. If you think your Warframe is completely different, they can be.
We want to do justice to the work and the investment people have made into the characters. Their emotional attachment to them.
That’s what we did with the Gemini skins. Trying to separate the two. We didn’t want people to get the Arthur skin and put on the Excalibur helmet because that goes into the territory of blending the two in a way that doesn’t feel right. We want to do justice to the work and the investment people have made into the characters. Their emotional attachment to them.
The Gemini skins is a version of that to keep the two separate, but in a way join them together while not overwriting each other.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: I think you did a really good job of separating the two entities. I love hearing an interpretation of something that’s been around for a long time and being pleasantly surprised.
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: With the Gemini skins, they are completely optional. You can switch back and forth between them too. You can play 1999 in whatever skin you choose.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: If you could describe Warframe 1999 in three words, what would they be?
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: I’m gonna go with ‘Weird. Feral. Retro.’
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: That’s pretty apt. The second part of that question, if I could take a snippet quote from you, what would you say to the lapsed Warframe player to suggest hopping back in?
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: As a lapsed player, coming back to Warframe and seeing 1999. 1999 is almost compared to what someone would call Warframe 2. It is Warframe, the same one you know, but it has just gone off the wire and in a place nobody saw Warframe going. Maybe you needed a break and you want to come back and experience a new story that no one in our 11-year history expected, now is the time to do it.
We aim to please you and we feel like 1999 does exactly that. Try it out.
We have built a strong, crazy story over the 11 years and 1999 is going to take it in a very different direction. I think it will– hopefully, impress a lot of people with the visuals and the sound and the love going into these characters. We aim to please you and we feel like 1999 does exactly that. Try it out.
Dave Rodriguez, Editor for The Nerd Stash: Oh I like that. That’s a powerful message. I did want to say that because of how this industry is– how tough it can be to get through to developers. I just want to say that what you do means a lot. My girlfriend– now wife, bonded a lot thanks to Warframe. Life has evolved, Warframe has evolved and I don’t want to take it for granted. It’s something cozy that people can come back to. It’s like slipping on your favorite pajama.
Megan Everett, Warframe Community Director: We want Warframe to feel like home because it feels like home to us developers. I mean this from the bottom of my heart. We will keep making Warframe as long as people want to play it. We have an incredibly dedicated and passionate developer team– hundreds of people behind the scenes. We’ve been working on Warframe 1999 since last year.
We already know what comes after 1999– that will be a next-year conversation. We will continue making Warframe for years and years to come. Our goal is to always make it feel like home. We might change the lighting now and then, but other than that, you’re home.
