FragPunk Interview: Devs Discuss Esports Potential With Possible Official Tournaments

Story Highlights

FragPunk blends card mechanics with hero shooter mechanics, creating a very fun experience.
The game’s studio plans to support its growth in the esports scene, with an official tournament roadmap coming soon.
We interviewed Xin Chang, Creative Director and Producer at Bad Guitar Studio, to discuss the game’s future.

The first-person shooter genre continues to evolve, with many studios adding their own spin and finding great success. Bad Guitar Studio has done something similar, seamlessly blending card mechanics with a hero shooter to create gameplay that is both chaotic and incredibly fun while still feeling casual and accessible.

The game quickly became highly anticipated after receiving praise from notable esports players like Shroud and even surpassing 100,000 concurrent players shortly after its Steam release. However, many are still questioning the game’s potential when it comes to longevity and long-term content. To address these concerns, I spoke with Xin Chang, Creative Director and Producer at Bad Guitar Studio, over an email interview.

FragPunk Is A Refreshing Addition To The Hero-Based FPS Genre.

The game’s initial team consisted of just four people, including two artists, a programmer, and a producer. What does the team look like now? Have you expanded your operations and hired more talent?

Xin Chang: Bad Guitar Studio began as a passionate, young team driven by a shared love for FPS innovation. We started as a team with less than 10 members, and now we have more than 100 passionate designers contributing to FragPunk. While we’re a relatively new studio, our growth has been fueled by a punk-rock ethos—prioritizing creativity and player feedback over chasing industry trends. FragPunk, our debut title, embodies this spirit.

Beyond their abilities, what can you tell us about the backstories and personalities of the heroes in FragPunk? Are there plans to expand on individual character narratives?

Xin Chang: We are currently developing a more detailed narrative for the world of FragPunk, with the ambition of creating a “FragPunk Universe.” Our future updates will also gradually enrich the Lancers’ characters. As you can discover in our launch build, we have added special comics as rewards for completing challenges, explaining the Lancers’ backgrounds and stories.

Can players expect regular content updates post-launch, such as new heroes, maps, or game modes? How often do you plan to release them?

Xin Chang: Moving forward, FragPunk will follow a seasonal update model. Each season will last four months and be divided into two chapters. Every new season will bring a brand-new map, while each chapter will introduce new heroes, cards, and possibly fresh gameplay modes.

How does the development team plan to involve the community in the game's evolution? Will player feedback be able to influence future updates or features?

Xin Chang: We cherish our player community, and we want to extend our greatest gratitude to them for their love and support. Players’ feedback has always been an important reference for our updates, and we have been collecting players’ feedback through questionnaires and social media since the alpha test and summarizing them into reports. For example, we have nerfed Hollowpoint’s skill “Hollowpoint” in the launch version based on players’ feedback during the beta test. We also attach great importance to involving our community in the co-design of the game, and recently, we have launched a Shard Card design contest, in which the winners will be awarded the chance to add their own card designs into the game. We want to encourage our players to participate in the game design process and contribute their own inspirations to the game.

Given the competitive nature of FragPunk, are there plans to support an esports scene? If so, what steps are being taken to foster a competitive community and tournament infrastructure?

Xin Chang: We’ve always believed that FragPunk has the potential for truly thrilling competitive play. We want to see top-tier players, streamers, and rising stars showcase their skills, but we also hope to bring esports beyond the pro scene—integrating tournaments into schools and everyday life, making it part of every player’s journey. After launch, we’ll be revealing our official tournament roadmap, so stay tuned!

Speaking of esports, what specific changes or major fixes have emerged as more pro players like iiTzTimmy and shroud get into FragPunk and share their experience with feedback?

Xin Chang: Feedback from pro gamers and experts is valuable to us, but we do not rely solely on their opinions when it comes to adjustments. We want to ensure that competitive and casual players enjoy a smooth gaming experience, so no changes or fixes will be made, only considering one side’s opinions.

The randomness of the Shard Card system, although unique, could be a debatable topic in a game that also requires a lot of skill. Is there an existing system to reduce the randomness, such as the frequency of bad cards appearing less often in a row? If not, would you consider adding this in the future?

Xin Chang: Randomness is inherent to our Shard Card system, creating a never-repetitive player experience in every round. However, we did notice that some less interesting cards appeared too frequently during testing. Mechanism “Relic” allows players to retain a card between rounds if they find a great card. We are also working on new mechanisms to solve this very problem, so please stay tuned!

Can you elaborate on the player progression system? How do players earn rewards, and are there any prestige or ranking systems in place?

Xin Chang: Playing matches will award players with progression exp, and players get level-ups when their exp is enough and receive rewards. There is also a lancer progression system that awards players when playing with different lancers.
We have ranked Shard Clash as a more competitive mode in FragPunk. In ranked Shard Clash, we introduced the Shard Card pick-ban system in order to add strategic depth.

Beyond the Pioneer Bundle, what is the planned monetization model for FragPunk? How do you intend to balance revenue generation with a fair experience for all players?

Xin Chang: FragPunk will not involve any pay-to-win elements now, and in the future, our monetization model will be restricted to cosmetics. All players can enjoy the same experience without any real-money investment.

Beyond the zero-tolerance policy, can you provide details on the Phanuel Anti-Cheat? How effective have you found it to be, and are there any changes or further enhancements you plan to make to mitigate those concerns?

Xin Chang: Our anti-cheat system has been proven effective during the test, with nearly 1,000 cheating cases detected and punished, including DMAs. We will regularly post the cheaters list on our social handles to emphasize our zero-tolerance policy.

What measures have been implemented to ensure FragPunk is accessible to players with disabilities? Are there customizable controls or visual/audio aids available?

Xin Chang: We have added anti-motion sickness settings for players with sickness who play 3D games and colorblind modes. We also support customizable keybindings for keyboard/mouse and controllers.

Is there potential for modding support in FragPunk? Could the community expect tools or support to create custom content or game modes?

Xin Chang: Currently, we do not have specific plans to support mods, but we encourage our community to co-create the game content with us. We have launched a Shard Card design contest, and the winners get the chance to see their own designs in FragPunk. For more information, click here!

Are there any plans for collaborations with other franchises or brands to introduce exclusive content or events within FragPunk?

Xin Chang: We are discussing some crossover collaborations, but they are all in the very early stages. Please stay tuned!

FragPunk is a first-person hero shooter game developed by Bad Guitar Studio, a subsidiary of Thunder Fire Studio and NetEase, and published by NetEase. The game was released on PC on March 6, 2025, with a console release planned for the same day, which was ultimately delayed due to unexpected technical challenges. We thank Xin Chang for answering our questions and Dominik Graner for helping us.

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