Death from Above is a game about a Ukrainian drone operator who destroys Russian invaders. The game was developed by Finnish Rockodile Games, which initially just created a prototype of a game about drones. The idea to turn it into a game about the war in Ukraine came from Hendrik Lesser. He worked with Ukrainian studios back in the early 2000s, and in 2023, he opened Lesser Evil Publishing. It helps with the development of Death from Above and raises funds on Kickstarter. The gg editorial team talked to Hendrik Lesser, the founder of Lesser Evil Publishing. He told us about his path in the video game industry, the challenges of developing Death from Above, cooperation with military and volunteer organisations, and plans to open new studios in Ukraine.
In general, this was my first interview in English. When I first arranged this conversation, I expected to learn a lot about Death from Above, but I liked the end result much more. In addition to details about the game, Hendrik told me about how Russians are constantly organising cyberattacks and that the studio is already preparing for devastating reviews on Steam, and many other interesting details. He came across as an open-minded person who loves what he does. From the very beginning, Hendrik showed off his collection of Star Wars figures, and from time to time asked the editorial team for their opinion, for example, about the game's title or whether we had watched Starship Troopers. Instead of the planned hour, we finished in half, which describes him as a leader who is used to expressing his thoughts succinctly.
gg: What inspired you to create a game related to the war in Ukraine?
Hendrik Lesser: Our studio from Finland, Rockodile Games, was working on a prototype drone game, but it had nothing to do with Death From Above. It was just a game about flying drones, and when I saw it, I said: "Let's do something for Ukraine". I actively follow the situation in Ukraine, and I saw that drone warfare in this war is something special, different and distinctive. So why not combine all this and create a game?
I've been interested in history and politics since I was a kid, and I've been following what's happening in Russia for a long time. And I call what's happening now the second invasion. For me, it all started after Euromaidan. So I have been thinking about creating something in this direction for a long time.
gg: How does the development process work in general?
Hendrik Lesser: The game is coded by Rockodile Games, but we are actively assisted by Alexander Wolodarskij from the Ukrainian studio October Night Games. He is more of a freelancer, but he is in the process of joining the RCP Family (RCP Family is an independent and international entertainment software production company. Currently, RCP consists of 450 developers working for 15 game companies - editor's note). At RCP, we knew Alexander and approached him because Rockodile specialises in coding and we also needed a game designer.
gg: You've worked with Ukrainian companies GIS Arta and Aerorozvidka. How did you find them and how did they help you create the game?
Hendrik Lesser: I don't remember exactly how we found them. I think it was a recommendation from our Ukrainian friends. I personally worked with Ukrainian studios back in the early 2000s. So I know a lot of different people in Ukraine, and the RCP team is 20% Ukrainian. So we just asked: "Do you know any people who could help us?"
GIS Arta and Aerorozvidka gave some advice, but they are not game developers. So we used some of the advice and some of it we didn't, because a game can't be 100% realistic.
gg: How exactly are you going to help to and cooperate with the Army of Drones and the Come Back Alive Foundation?
Hendrik Lesser: When the Kickstarter campaign ends and Death From Above is released on Steam Early Access, 30% of the net profit from the game's sales will be donated to two Ukrainian charities: Come Back Alive and Drone Army. As soon as the development pays off, the amount of donations will increase to 70% of the net profit, and the remaining 30% will be used to develop new content for the game.
gg: You have also involved Ukrainian artists. How did they help in the development of the game?
Hendrik Lesser: First of all, Alexander Wolodarskij, because a game designer is also an artist. Then we started to involve other artists. For example, the main art of the game was made by Ukrainian artists. We wanted to involve as many Ukrainian artists as possible, because it would give them the opportunity to earn money, get some recognition and fame, and establish themselves. We also engaged the popular Ukrainian band Antytila to create the game's soundtrack.
gg: What models of drones will be in the game, and what equipment will be used?
Hendrik Lesser: First of all, we were inspired by the DJI Mavic 3. This model is the most common on the frontline, but it will be slightly modified in our game. Right now, we only have this model because it's an indie game, and the game will be available in early access on Steam first. Ideally, we'll add other drones, bigger and smaller, which will perform different tasks, but only when the full release takes place.
As for the hardware, there's nothing else except for the drone operator to connect to the virtual hardware, but it's hardly hardware.
gg: When is the full release planned?
Hendrik Lesser: Honestly, I don't know. It depends on how the game performs in the early access, and a lot can happen. Perhaps Russian trolls will downgrade us and write devastating reviews, and Steam will stop promoting the game. But I'd like to work on this project, ideally over the next few years.
Just imagine that the game could be played in co-op. Your friend controls the drone and you control the artillery. Then it would be a completely different game, and it would be great if we could do that. But I don't know when it will happen and I don't want to promise it. Ultimately, the player has to decide whether they think what we're doing is appropriate or not.
gg: Do the Russians bother you in any other way?
Hendrik Lesser: Russian trolls attack all the time. I even have colleagues in the industry who attack me, and almost every day I wake up and say "No, it is the right thing to do". I believe that what I am doing is right. Ideally, it would be to make something like Disco Elysium, you know, a really deep, interesting game, but it takes seven years.
The main thing here is to reassure myself and my wife, because when we first started doing this, she said: "Maybe the Russians will kill us". Of course, this is very unlikely, but still. Because we have already entered this war from the cultural side. The main thing is that every morning I wake up and have the energy to move on.
I also really want to punch Putin, his friends and everyone who supports this war in the face. And what can I do? I'm a game developer. So I create games that help me express these emotions and experience them.
gg: What types of drone countermeasures will be in your game?
Hendrik Lesser: Basically, players will face infantry fire. They will try to shoot down the drone or kill the operator. Or, if you get too close to the tanks with the drone operator, that's also bad, but we plan to add a little more different Russian soldiers and give them weapons to fight the drones: anti-drone guns and different radar systems.
gg: I would like to know more about the plot. Will it be a structured story or a set of missions? Where exactly will the player fight? Kyiv region, Donbas, or maybe you are planning a different structure of the game?
Hendrik Lesser: It will be a set of missions, so we won't have a big story, cutscenes or anything like that. We want to focus on the gameplay and decided not to go too deep into a specific region. We have several locations: forests, huge sunflower fields, etc. To be honest, I don't want the locations to be too realistic. If we make a mission in the game with the defence of a hospital or something like that, it could cause a very negative reaction for civilians and the military.
gg: Apart from Death From Above, what other options for the game's title have you thought of?
Hendrik Lesser: To be honest, I'm a big fan of the Starship Troopers series and I've played all the Call of Duty games. In both of these series, the name "Death From Above" is mentioned. So when I was thinking about the name of the game, that was the first idea and we decided to do that. We didn't have any other alternatives.
Sometimes you find something you like and you just work with it
In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, in the mission "Death From Above", you have to destroy enemies from the air. And in the Starship Troopers films, soldiers had tattoos with the words "Death From Above".
1) Screenshot from the Modern Warfare mission; 2) A scene from the movie Starship Troopers
gg: What engine are you using to create Death From Above. What is the most difficult thing for you to develop the game?
Hendrik Lesser: The engine we are using is Unreal Engine 4. The most difficult thing is to implement ideas, because we have dozens of them. We make decisions about what we add to the game and what we don't, because at the end of the day, we have time and budget constraints. This is the most difficult thing from the technical side.
But let me say right away, it's an indie game, so don't expect Call of Duty graphics or anything like that - it's not something we can do.
gg: Is there anything else you'd like to tell our readers about Death From Above?
Hendrik Lesser: Don't expect our game to be on the level of AAA projects. It's an indie game that we want to use to remind people what's going on in Ukraine.
I would also like to appeal to developers from Ukraine: if anyone has ideas for a game, please contact me. I'm ready to support the idea and maybe we'll make a project together.
About Hendrik's career, his journey, and his love for Ukraine
gg: Tell us a little bit about your career in the gaming industry - what games have you developed? What else have you done in the video game industry?
Hendrik Lesser: My personal career as a gamer started when I was 4 years old, which was 41 years ago. Later on, I started importing illegal games for the PlayStation because I always wanted as many people as possible to play games. I also wrote about games as a journalist and sold games in a store when I worked at a school for a few years. But I always wanted to create games. However, I went to study political science and philosophy.
But in the end, with the goal of making a game, I didn't finish my studies and started working at Take-Two. I was there for five years, started as an intern, and was promoted five times while I was there. I worked on Max Payne One, I was the producer of the German version. I worked on GTA 3 so that it got the German H rating; to achieve this, I had to change some missions.
In general, I worked on many games, and then in 2005 I founded RCP, where I built a structure that helps and enables game developers to be successful.
Later I built the biggest cultural club in Germany called Videospielkultur. I think I've had about 20 different roles and associations, some of them government-related. For several years, I was part of a group in the German parliament that advised on gaming. And my biggest role now, for the last six years, is that I am the president of the European Game Developers Federation. This is essentially 20 national associations from all over Europe and beyond. So I want Ukraine to be a part of it. We had already discussed this before the invasion.
But to be honest, I don't even remember everything I did anymore. For me, gaming is like my life.
What I decided to do is to help and empower game developers to do cool things, and to help the rest of society realise the potential of games as a cultural method. That's the purpose of my life.
gg: What message would you like to convey to game developers and fans?
Hendrik Lesser: They should understand that games are a cultural technique that can be used for many different things, and they shouldn't hesitate to tackle difficult topics. And if you know that through games, whether you play them or you create them, you can make these topics discussed in society, then have the courage to do it and don't worry about being blocked or hindered or stoned.
We can't lose our youth because we are afraid to use games to convey a message
Sometimes I feel a little sad when people say: "Oh, you just sit in a chair, right?" You know, some people can't go to war, but if they can do something, even if it's just on social media, then you know, you're part of the right team, so you shouldn't let the haters put you down.
gg: Have you ever been to Ukraine?
Hendrik Lesser: I think the first time I visited Ukraine was in 2006. I fell in love with Ukraine as soon as I arrived at the airport. I liked the spirit, the attitude towards people, the friendliness, the food.
After winning, I don't just want to visit Ukraine, I want to help build studios there. This is my own little Marshall Plan from the game side.
And don't get me wrong. It's not just because I'm a nice guy. Ukrainians have great skills. You have great education. You have great engineers. In general, you have a lot of talent. I've worked with Ukrainians, I have friends in Ukraine, so I know what you're like.
I definitely don't want people to think that I'm some kind of condescending Western guy telling people what to do, you know? I want to offer people new skills and opportunities. I have specific things to offer, and I want to offer what I can do.
Go Deeper:
Our game editor has been playing games since he was 4 years old and can't imagine himself without it. He has played 100+ games on PlayStation, but still considers The Last of Us Part II to be the best in the industry. In January 2022, he joined the gg team. He studies at the Faculty of Journalism at Kyiv International University.
