Exclusive Q&A with Chris Coniglio, Game Director of Red Metal

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Chris Coniglio, studio head and game director at Silent Factory, answered a few questions about their upcoming game Red Metal, which was also showcased during the Nordic Game 2024 event this past spring. Silent Factory AB is a remote gaming studio with an award-winning team of veterans from the digital production industry.

Red Metal is an action roguelite game focused on vehicle combat, packed with tense moments and a wide range of unlockable customizations. It’s very easy to pick up and play, dynamic, and allows players to battle various types of enemies. The game also features the ability to upgrade your arsenal while progressing toward the mission’s ultimate goal, earning money to purchase new vehicles and upgrades.

Red Metal is currently available to wishlist on Steam.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and Silent Factory? When was the studio founded, and how long has Red Metal been in development?

I’m Chris Coniglio, a former sound engineer and composer with experience in software development, project management, and innovation. After 12 years in the digital production industry, I founded Silent Factory last year with a few colleagues. We’ve been developing Red Metal for 10 months.

Red Metal was a featured title at the Nordic Game Spring 2024 event. What do you think contributed to its popularity and positive reception? What was your experience like?

We put a lot of effort into giving players something they couldn’t find anywhere else. During the concept phase, we prototyped extensively, did research, and played a lot of games to find an area where we could offer something unique. It turned out that combining vehicle combat with an action shooter and roguelite progression really resonated with players.

We regularly test the game and use the results to improve core gameplay, and I think that really showed at Nordic Game with a polished version that people genuinely enjoyed playing. Many players spent more than 30 minutes on the demo, they really enjoyed it and gave very positive feedback, which proved that we were one of the favorites at the event.

How did you come up with the idea of combining vehicle combat with action roguelite elements?

Our lead programmer, Klas, had a prototype where you ran over hordes of zombies with a vehicle—simple and fun. I saw the potential to combine that with roguelite mechanics inspired by games like Risk of Rain 2. We realized no one had done this before, so we explored it, made early prototypes, and when the concept was validated, we developed it into Red Metal.

Red Metal features a wide range of unlockable customizations, unique vehicles, and over sixty weapon modifications. Can you share the design process behind these features? How do they complement each other?

We designed the vehicles as unique characters, inspired by hero shooters. Each vehicle has its own abilities and playstyle. Our items and weapon modifications don’t just support specific builds—they give players tools for creativity with different damage types, stunt bonuses, and conditional effects like dealing extra damage while airborne. We put a lot of effort into discovering which playstyles are fun and how we could design items and weapon mods that combine to create amazing, overpowered combos.

Are there any unique features or mechanics in Red Metal that you’re particularly proud of? Or perhaps features you’re excited to reveal?

One of the most unique features in the game is the nitro system. You can also deal damage by colliding with others when nitro is active, and it regenerates over time. Proper nitro management and collecting items that increase tank size or regeneration can mean the difference between avoiding a massive explosion or being destroyed.

We’re currently working on procedural bonus tracks. Between hand-crafted levels, players will face challenges like runner modes (similar to a Death Star attack), rescuing survivors, or setting explosives to destroy a robot factory. This is something I’m really excited about.

How did you approach designing and implementing vehicle physics to be simple yet effective for players?

We spent more time on vehicle physics than on any other part of the game. Solid, fair-feeling controls are key for this type of game. We tried to find the perfect balance between arcade fun and realistic physics. One of the biggest challenges was achieving that fun feeling of drifting and performing crazy stunts while maintaining a solid, responsive feel similar to Rocket League. Although it was challenging, the physics continue to improve, and player feedback suggests that we’ve hit the sweet spot.

Can you tell us about the creative process behind designing the different enemies and bosses in Red Metal? What makes them unique and challenging?

The enemies in Red Metal come in two flavors: robots or mutants. We focused on giving these two groups specific weaknesses, strengths, and ways to synergize with each other. But most importantly, we wanted the enemies to feel intelligent and reactive, even somewhat predictive. Each enemy has unique behavior that forces the player to adapt. Our overall design philosophy for enemies is: very tough, but learnable.

When is the game planned for release, and when can we expect a demo?

We haven’t announced an official release date yet, but you can expect an announcement this fall. Currently, we’re planning for an early access launch in early 2025. There are also plans to port the game to all major consoles when version 1.0 releases.

Can you share some lessons learned during the development of Red Metal that might be helpful for other indie developers?

It may sound obvious, but stay true to what players enjoy. Build something that people have fun playing. Put your game or demo out there, accept feedback, and use it to improve.