Black State Q&A: Exclusive Screens and Insights on Creating Stunningly Optimized Games

The Exciting World of Black State: An Interview with Motion Blur’s Studio Director

This past summer, gaming enthusiasts were captivated by the unveiling of Black State, an innovative third-person shooter from Istanbul-based developer Motion Blur, which has drawn comparisons to the iconic Metal Gear Solid series. Earlier this year, during CES 2025, Motion Blur showcased their progress at NVIDIA’s booth, revealing that the visually striking game also boasts remarkable performance, even in its developmental stages. Unlike most contemporary titles utilizing Lumen and Nanite, Black State is crafted using Unreal Engine 5 with unique mechanics, including intriguing portal door functionality that allows fluid transitions between locations.

In light of this promising demonstration, we reached out to Motion Blur to delve deeper into the game and the studio’s vision. Below, you will find an edited transcript of our comprehensive conversation with Studio Director Ömer Faruk Güngör. Additionally, we’ve included exclusive screenshots to enhance your experience. As a reminder, Black State is currently available for wishlisting on Steam.

Black State – Gamescom 24' Tech Showcase B-roll (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP62ceWl5Mc)

Insights from the Studio Director

Ömer, can you introduce yourself and provide some background on Motion Blur? Is it correct to say that Black State is your debut title?

Indeed, our core team launched Turkey’s first international PC game back in 2006, titled Nightmare 22 (Kabus 22).However, Black State marks our first substantial AAA title, representing not just our studio but the entire region’s gaming aspirations.

As the Studio Director, I oversee all aspects of development and business operations. Moreover, I collaborated with our CEO and founder, Kadir Demirden, on the game’s narrative, ensuring we build a compelling story.

Motion Blur: The Team Behind Black State

How many people make up the Motion Blur team, and do you all work in the same office?

We have a dedicated team of 40 individuals working in-house. I have my own soundproof office, while the rest of the team occupies a spacious area within our studio. We believe that having everyone on-site fosters collaboration and productivity, which is essential for meeting our development goals.

The Concept Behind Black State

What prompted the creation of Black State? While it’s clear you’ve drawn inspiration from titles like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, what is the unique vision for your game?

The concept originated from Kadir’s vision back in 2017, which included innovative gameplay features like portal doors. After completing our R&D phase, we set about crafting gameplay, storylines, and levels that align with that original inspiration.

Currently, we haven’t fully unveiled the storyline or character motivations, but every element—including the mystifying doors leading to an art gallery or a ship—holds significance. We strive to ensure that every part of the game is logically consistent because we want players to stay engaged and avoid any cognitive dissonance while playing.

Technical Excellence and Game Optimization

Our extensive planning includes a 500-page design document pinpointing every detail before the development phase commenced. Our mission extends beyond merely creating a cool game; we aim to produce visually stunning titles with optimum performance. Impressively, during CES, we showcased gameplay running at around 400 frames per second, highlighting our commitment to providing a smooth gaming experience.

We are aware that not all players own high-end graphic cards. Hence, we have designed our game to ensure a fluid experience even on average GPUs. Even though we utilize Unreal Engine 5, we’ve made several optimizations tailored to our game’s unique mechanics.

Building Relationships with Industry Giants

We maintain a strong collaboration with NVIDIA, having received their latest GeForce RTX 50 GPUs to leverage their cutting-edge technology. Our optimization mantra revolves around ensuring that our game performs exceptionally on various hardware specifications, without sacrificing visual quality.

Future Platforms and Gameplay Dynamics

While we’ve focused on PC, are there plans for releasing Black State on consoles in the future?

For now, our primary focus remains on delivering a top-notch experience for PC players. However, we aspire to expand to other platforms eventually, ensuring we cater to all gamers without committing to a specific timeline at this juncture.

In terms of gameplay, missions will involve detailed exploration, requiring players to uncover various objectives. The game incorporates numerous doors leading to vastly different environments, creating a dynamic experience as players navigate between locales seamlessly.

Gameplay Variety and Player Freedom

Each level is crafted with non-linear elements, allowing players to choose their paths and play styles. While Black State follows a linear narrative structure typical of single-player games, it provides opportunities for player choice and exploration without being confined to traditional gameplay limitations.

Our gameplay mechanics emphasize flexibility, allowing players to proceed stealthily or engage in direct confrontations. We have developed over 110 unique takedown animations, which enhance the gameplay experience depending on the chosen approach.

Dynamic Boss Fights and Storytelling

Can players expect diverse boss fights throughout the game?

Yes, bosses in Black State are intricately linked to the story, and each will showcase distinct styles and patterns that players will learn about as they progress. While we may not have an abundance of boss encounters, the ones featured will enrich the narrative without overshadowing the overall experience.

As for storytelling, we respect the values of gameplay, ensuring that players are primarily engaged with action rather than lengthy cutscenes. While we have cutscenes to convey essential narrative elements, they will be utilized judiciously to maintain gameplay flow.

Development Status and Future Marketing

What stage of development is Black State currently in?

We are still in the Alpha phase, where everything is coming together, albeit with challenges along the way. We plan to gradually unveil more details about the game, focusing on its optimization to assuage potential concerns from players regarding hardware limitations.

In upcoming marketing efforts, we aim to shed light on our protagonist and the narrative surrounding them. We wish to inform players of the unique aspects of the game, especially regarding the intriguing portals and their implications within the story.

Engaging with Gamers

Our studio prioritizes communication with players, seeking to understand their preferences and desires regarding gameplay features. We are dedicated to providing experiences that resonate with the gaming community instead of solely adhering to industry trends.

Thank you for your valuable time, and we eagerly await sharing more about Black State in the future!

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