Interview: Creative Lead Jared Gerritzen Discusses Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed

A little while back, we reviewed Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Echo Edition for Nintendo Switch, and found it to be a, ahem, spirited multiplayer affair. But how did its creation come about?

We decided to pay the developers at Illfonic a visit and speak with Chief Creative Officer and Creative Lead Jared Gerritzen about the game, how it came together, and, most importantly, what comes next. (Yes, we asked about Stay-Puft.)

First off, why the Ghostbusters? What makes them such a natural fit for multiplayer?

I’m a lifelong Ghostbusters fan; my uncle took me to see the film in the theater. I was an 8-year-old goofy kid that was afraid of the dark and that movie stuck with me. I remember leaving the theater saying I needed a proton pack. The next day, I started working on a proton pack and particle thrower, and was that kid running around the neighborhood busting ghosts. I’ve been hooked ever since. So when I joined IllFonic, Ghostbusters was on my list of games I wanted to make. 

When that time finally came, it was that perfect storm; IllFonic was known for asymmetrical multiplayer games after the success of Friday the 13th. We had the opening to talk to a lot of companies and we pitched the idea to Ghost Corp in 2018. The IP was perfect for the kind of games we make.

What’s the biggest challenge in taking a franchise such as this and making it about multiplayer?

I want to say balancing the asymmetrical game was a challenge, but really, that fell on Jordan Mathewson’s (Design Director) capable shoulders. For myself, the biggest challenge was making sure this was 100% a Ghostbusters game that I as a fan, would be extremely proud of. From the feel of the particle throwers and the sounds; we scrutinized everything as fans. Being able to write a story that was then voiced by such icons from the original film was amazing but stressful, and very challenging to get everything right. I’m incredibly proud of what we have done.  

We understand the game has an offline mode for those that just feel like experimenting with roles against AI bots. Tell us more about that.

The goal for Ecto Edition was to make everything playable offline and let fans play the game without the need to play on the internet. Really, we wanted it to feel like a single-player experience. We noticed a lot of Ghostbusters fans might not be online players, so we really wanted them to be able to experience the game and world we made to its fullest. I really do enjoy it personally, too, I jump into some quick matches to catch a ghost when I have a few minutes to play. I really love what the team has done and how it adds a layer of playing without needing to play with others.

How has the reception to Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed been so far?

Ghostbusters fans are the best! I really feel everyone I’ve met who plays the game is extremely positive. It’s made all our hard work and hours spent making this project worthwhile. I’ve always been a GB fan but was never able to join a club or a fan group. While creating this game, I have become friends with many Ghostbusters fans on and offline. It has been really rewarding to talk with them about the game and get feedback on our work.

How have you been improving the game since its release?

We have added more ghosts, maps, gear, and exciting content; and are committed to balance and bug fixes. We targeted the Ecto Edition to be a major change for solo play and additional updates to the game. We added a huge amount of single-player focus and even added more story and lore to the game. We have more planned for next year as well, more to come on that in the new year.

We hear that the cast of the movies that took part in the game loved this. Would you say that Dan Aykroyd is a fan?

Oh man, I will never forget a few days in my life, and my voice session with Dan will definitely be one of them.  I flew to an undisclosed location where we set up our last voice recording session and my last real chance to be there and meet him. With Covid, we did all our VO sessions online, so I never got to meet him in person prior. Come hell or high water, I was making this session.

That morning, I was extremely stressed, “Never meet your heroes, ” kept running around in my head, but as soon as we met, he was exactly how we all hoped he would be: kind, funny, knowledgeable, all of it. He killed the VO session and was so amazing. He signed everything I had for him, but then, after the session, I thought I would go back to my hotel and get ready to fly home the next day. But he invited me back to his house to spend the rest of the day with him, leaving late into the night, discussing everything about Ghostbusters, aliens, his life, and even my life. He was so giving of his time and amazing, a true creator and talent. I showed him the game and the cinematics, and he was very impressed and happy with our work. One thing he said in our first session was how great Ray’s dialogue was in the game. James and Elyse Willems, my co-writers, really did a great amount of research, and I feel added so much to the story to help impress him.

How does it feel to have a physical version of the game available? With glow-in-the-dark art, no less?

The Nintendo Switch glow-in-the-dark cover is super cool for sure. I know we’re in a world of digital copies, and it’s quicker and easier but the physical copies of this game really make me happy. I was lucky enough to help create the collector’s edition and really pushed for the Tobin’s Spirit Guide because I saw it in a movie and really wanted one on my desk. The Ghostbusters fan in me pushed for it to be a centerpiece in the game, and we wrote such a cool story about it that making it a physical item really made sense. I luckily knew the perfect guy to voice it, Rahul Kohli, to make it come alive in–game.

We’re big fans of little touches made in the game that pay tribute to the Ghostbusters universe. I take it you guys are fans of the franchise.

Kind of yeah, hahaha. Working on this, meeting Dan and Ernie was amazing, visiting the Firehouse in NYC, and more because of this game will truly be prized memories forever. The memorabilia from it for the fan in me is an added bonus. What is really crazy and important to point out is this game is based off a movie that was from the 80s, before 3D graphics, online play, and so many other game features that are commonplace for us now. We took a majority of movie moments and made them game features, and the game really worked out to feel like the movie when they are busting Slimer. It’s just so cool, a bunch of goofballs making a game for a movie from almost 40 years ago that contributed to this high-level design organically.

What’s next for Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed? We’d love to fight it out with Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men across the city, but that’s just us.

Stay-Puft gets brought up a lot, but we feel the 2009 game did that fight so well that we really wanted to make a game that was new to fans but still gives you that iconic Ghostbusters montage – IE: going out busting ghosts, coming back to the firehouse, and repeating over and over again, until the big bad boss shows up that you have to take on.

Samhain is that big bad boss. We wanted it to be new and dip into the universe of Ghostbusters, not just the first film with all of the DLC. I love the OG film, but I also grew up on the Real Ghostbusters, so when we made the game, we really looked at the whole space, AND I’m so happy Ghost Corp let us run around picking all our favorite elements and allowed us to add our own ideas to it.

(Thanks to Illfonic for setting up the interview! You can check out Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed for PC and consoles now!)