Small teams are constructing an open world game set in London, and it’s already starting to feel a little non-standard. The name of this project is ENDS, and people constantly refer to it as a British GTA, but the truth is that the project aims to be its own thing; such is the studio of Concrete Realm. It’s merely a small group that has worked on developing this idea for almost two years.
I saw the trailer and some of the developer logs, and it first occurred to me that London goes this way for such a title. The city is steeped in history, alive even without a world upturned by the game’s mix of cultural and hidden rules.
How ENDS is Being Made
What sticks out is that the team is very open about how they make the game, and they speak freely about using tools, third-party packs, and assets as a foundation for transformation and reworking into their vision. Most studios downplay it, but it’s refreshing and almost uncomfortably honest.
The player will control two lead characters, but their individual stories remain a mystery for a while. The premise of ENDS is expectedly story-driven. It’s not meant to drop you in the middle of a city and tell you it’s okay to meander. There’s also a whole clothing system that allows you to tinker with how your character looks, which is small but adds to life.
Technology Meets Culture in ENDS
There is even an in-game phone-very contemporary. It streams music, captures photographs, and even photographs street art. What’s cool about that street art is that it’s real, made in London by an artist, and when each takes a picture of it, it teaches about that person. I like this little detail because, just like anyone else, I stop on a whim to gaze at some graffiti every time I walk around my city. It brings the game much closer to a real culture.
They are also working on the fighting. The devs have taken existing systems, which they altered thereafter. Lock-on targeting, AI behavior, and city patterns form its ingredients. From whatever I read, it seems like they aren’t entering the gimmicky world of crypto or blockchain, which is great to hear.
The Rest of the World and Missions
London’s underworld is what connects the missions shown so far. An early gameplay trailer of the game had mechanics involving drug dealing, featuring objectives delivered through text messages. This works, but I don’t know how long that will be able to hold out for the entirety of the game. It’d give the setting the layers it deserves in storytelling. Without it, the risk the game runs is a feeling of being flat.
One of the things I appreciate is that even now, optimization is a key priority. So, before the game gets even finished, the team is busy discussing frame rates, loading times, and stability. Man, I’ve played so many indie games where they consider performance and postmortem. So, early on, if that is front and center in development, that feels promising.
The Challenges Behind ENDS
Concrete Realm has been vocal about its challenges. Vehicles, combat animations, systems integration, and the like are still quite raw. They have done that on their Discord and Kickstarter, however. They even accept contributions from talented people. It feels somewhat like a community project, which makes me root for it even more.
That said, it’s a serious gamble. A city with rival crews and hidden alliances will bring cultural conflict. It deserves good writing. I remember from the days of the PS2, The Getaway, not because it was a good game, but because I could care about the story. Without that kind of narrative, ENDS could just feel like a pretty map with nothing pulling you in.
The trailer came out over a year ago, and now, the updates are more about technical progress than story direction. Perhaps this silence means that the plot is being saved for later, and honestly, that makes me curious. Sometimes the best reveals are the ones that take their time.
For now, ENDS promises a London city that a handful of ambitious people built. It is a project that shows some of its process but hides its heart. Whether such becomes a true landmark in British games or just another indie project depends on how much humanity they might bring to the narrative and characters.
I will keep a close eye on it, because a British GTA that feels like London is just too interesting to ignore. You may also be interested in: Ghost of Yōtei Shows Deadly Yari Combat and Teases the Yōtei Six
