First 100 Thieves’ Project X gameplay revealed

North American organization 100 Thieves confirmed in May that it is developing its own video game with the working title Project X. While not much has been known about the project until recently, there have been many ideas as to what the game could look like.

And while it’s clear that the game is still in its infancy and the team at 100 Thieves is still deciding how they want to shape the game, the organization released an update on Project X, which also included feedback from 100 Thieves developers.

Start with a sandbox

We know it’s a first-person shooter, and there’s a playable prototype map that uses 100 Thieves to test out ideas and gather feedback on the title. Everything else is still up in the air.

“The goal was to build a sandbox,” said 100 Thieves CEO Nadeshot about the playable prototype featured in the Project X video. “A sandbox that could serve as a prototype so we can go on a map, try out weapons, and play the game at the most basic level.”

The video features footage of 100 Thieves members gun fighting in this prototype textureless first-person shooter map. The prototype is incredibly simple, just as Nadeshot described: empty walls, standard character models, and a multi-story building where players shoot at each other.

However, there are a few interesting elements that differentiate the very arena-like map from games like Call of Duty or VALORANT. Damage numbers appear over characters’ heads as damage is dealt to them, a feature more typical of cartoony shooters and battle royales. There’s even a video clip of characters sliding down a slope while gaining momentum, similar to Apex Legends’ acclaimed movement system.

The best of all shooters combined?

The video also includes several suggestions about Project X inheriting various traits from other games. From a Call of Duty Search and Destroy style game to a system that takes traits from VALORANT and battle royale games, it’s clear that all options are currently on the table as to what form Project X could eventually take.

One aspect of the game that doesn’t seem to be up for debate, however, is its visual design. “Our goal isn’t to make a boring, simple gun game,” Nadeshot said. “We don’t want to judge anyone for doing this, but our goal for Project X is to be a very bright, colorful, vibrant, animated game in a few years.”

This design philosophy distinguishes Project X from another developer-led video game project, DEADROP by Dr. Disrespect, which, in the limited glimpses fans have been able to see so far, looked a lot darker, with the design leaning more towards futuristic realism. And as 100 Thieves President John Robinson noted, the organization doesn’t even want to compete with DEADROP.