When you have a universe as rich and complex as this, with decades of lore and intricate political structures, forcing it into the extraction shooter mold feels like a massive missed opportunity. In a genre defined by repetitive loops, high-speed combat, and the constant stress of losing gear, there is simply no breathing room for the player to actually engage with the story. How am I supposed to appreciate the nuanced dialogue of a deranged AI or the environmental storytelling of a derelict spaceship when I am constantly checking my six for a sniper? Deep lore requires pacing—it needs moments of quiet reflection and narrative progression that a PvP-focused extraction shooter cannot provide. We have seen this happen before where beautiful art direction and world-building become nothing more than a backdrop for a glorified loot grind. Instead of a cohesive journey that explores the philosophy of AI and the fate of humanity, we are getting a game where the story is relegated to flavor text on items or optional audio logs that nobody has time to listen to. It is a waste of the creative talent involved.
I disagree that the extraction shooter format wastes a game's lore; if anything, it provides a more immersive way to experience a hostile world. The high stakes of an extraction shooter perfectly mirror the themes of survival and desperation often found in deep sci-fi. When the world is dangerous and every corner could hide a threat, the lore feels more real because you are actually living the tension the characters feel. Traditional single-player campaigns can often feel like a guided tour where you are just a passenger in the story. In an extraction-based format, the world stays alive for years. The community discovers secrets together, and the developers can evolve the narrative through live events and environmental changes that react to player actions. Think about the potential for emergent storytelling—where the most memorable moments are not scripted cutscenes, but the narrow escapes and unexpected encounters you have within that beautifully designed world. Using a modern, popular genre ensures the game has a healthy player base and the funding to keep expanding that lore for a decade, rather than being a ten-hour campaign that people play once and then forget.