Killing Floor (video game)

Lore & Background

Killing Floor is set in London, England, where a biotechnology company called Horzine Biotech conducts military experiments involving mass cloning and genetic manipulation. The experiments go wrong, causing human subjects to mutate into hostile, grotesque specimens that overrun the facility and break out onto the surface, overwhelming civilians and police. The British government organizes ragtag teams of surviving soldiers and police to fight back against the hordes, and the player takes the role of a team member completing missions in and around London.

Gameplay features two modes: Killing Floor, where players fight waves of ZEDs culminating in a boss battle against the Patriarch, and Objective mode, where players complete challenges while earning money to spend at a trader between waves. Players select one of seven perks that provide bonuses to specific weapon types and can level up perks through actions like headshots or healing. Cooperative mechanics include trading items, dropping money, and welding doors shut. A feature called 'zed time' triggers slow-motion for particularly gory kills.

The game was originally a total conversion mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, first released in 2005. Lead developer Alex Quick was approached by Tripwire Interactive about porting the mod to Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, but did not follow through initially. Later, Quick contacted Tripwire again, leading to a port and eventual retail release. The full game was announced in March 2009 and released on May 14, 2009, after about three months of work by a crew of around ten developers.

Reader's Guide

Killing Floor's significance lies in its successful transition from a mod to a commercial product, a path that highlights the modding culture of the 2000s. The game became the top-selling title on Steam shortly after its May 2009 release, and by December 2014 had sold almost 3 million copies on PC. It won several awards, including Overall Best PC Game of 2009, Best PC Shooter of 2009, and Best PC Game Expansion or DLC of 2009 in Voodoo Extreme's Reader Choice Awards. Critical reception was mixed but generally positive: Eurogamer called it 'clever and relatively cheap,' while GameSpot praised its sound effects but noted poor graphics and voice acting. Some reviewers cited repetitiveness and a lack of plot as drawbacks. The game's legacy includes a sequel, Killing Floor 2, released in November 2016, and a third entry announced in August 2023. As of May 2019, the Killing Floor series had sold more than 10 million units combined with total revenues over US$100 million. The inclusion of a software development kit and level editor, along with Steam Workshop support added in late 2012, encouraged user-generated content and extended the game's lifespan.

Did You Know?

• The game's lead level designer and texture artist was Alex Quick.
• A cross-promotion with Team Fortress 2 in December 2010 added a pyro skin to Killing Floor and a gas mask and tie for the pyro in TF2.