Julian Gollop's next game does not look like a Julian Gollop game. The man forever fated to be referred to as 'XCOM creator Julian Gollop' in headlines is making a game with no RNG, no turns, and no apocalyptic bleakness. Chip ‘n Clawz vs The Brainioids is as perky as its name suggests, and its blend of Fortnite's artstyle with a better-executed take on the action-strategy gameplay of Brutal Legend makes it a hard-left turn in Snapshot Games' catalogue, which up to now has consisted of the dark fantasy Chaos Reborn, and XCOM-by-another-name Phoenix Point.
None of which is news to Gollop, of course. He knows this is outré for him and his studio, and he expects that long-time fans might find it a little hard to get into Chip 'n Clawz. When I ask him what he thinks will resonate with his most hardcore followers, he pauses. "Maybe only the humour?" he says with a chuckle. "Obviously it ain't turn-based, that's for sure, so I think that people who stick with turn-based games will struggle a little bit."
