Disintegration

Lore & Background

The game is set 150 years in the future after societal collapse due to climate change. Scientists developed a technique called 'integration' to transfer human brains into robotic bodies to reduce resource demands. A militant group named Rayonne became a superpower and forced all humans to undergo integration. The player controls Romer Shoal, a Gravcycle pilot leading a group of outlaws who have already integrated, rebelling against Rayonne to 'reboot humanity'.

Gameplay is from a first-person perspective. The Gravcycle hovers above ground, allowing Romer to issue commands to a four-person squad and activate their abilities while providing aerial support. Three Gravcycle models offer different advantages, such as the Heavy model's strong but slow attacks. Players can highlight and salvage resources to upgrade the Gravcycle, ground units, and an upgrade chip. Multiplayer supports up to 10 players, with nine crews at launch, each having unique characteristics and abilities.

Development was directed by Marcus Lehto, co-creator of the Halo series, and was the debut title for his 30-employee studio V1 Interactive. Lehto began brainstorming in 2014, with actual development taking about three and a half years. The game was initially envisioned as a real-time strategy title, but Lehto incorporated first-person shooter elements by converting the RTS camera into an active combat participant. The game Myth inspired the design. The musical score was composed by Jon Everist, who worked closely with the lead audio director to blend music with gameplay and cinematics using character themes and suites.

Reader's Guide

Disintegration is notable as the only game released by V1 Interactive, a studio founded by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, before its closure in March 2021. The game attempted to blend first-person shooting with real-time strategy mechanics, a hybrid approach that Lehto developed after finding the initial RTS concept insufficiently unique. Despite its pedigree, the game received 'mixed or average reviews' on Metacritic. Its multiplayer support was completely removed on November 17, 2020, less than six months after release, because the game 'unfortunately struggled to build a significant audience necessary for a compelling multiplayer experience,' according to V1 Interactive. The studio announced its closure on March 8, 2021, making Disintegration a brief footnote in the history of first-person shooters of the 2020s, representing an ambitious but commercially unsuccessful attempt to merge genres.

Did You Know?

• The game's director, Marcus Lehto, was the co-creator of the Halo series.
• The game's musical score was composed by Jon Everist, who previously worked on Battletech.