DEFECT Unveils Stunning Cyberpunk Shooter Gameplay From Former id Software Veterans

DEFECT is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing new cyberpunk shooters on the horizon.

During the Galaxies Gaming Showcase, indie studio emptyvessel – founded by former id Software veterans – unveiled the first full gameplay footage of its debut project. The result? A raw, atmospheric, and explosively detailed look at a futuristic city fractured by corruption, ruled by an AI overlord known as THE SYSTEM, and torn apart by warring factions who blur the line between law and chaos.

The premise immediately stands out. In a dystopian metropolis where every faction believes it’s fighting for survival or control, players must decide where their loyalties lie. You can align with THE SYSTEM’s authoritarian police, rebel cops gone rogue, or ruthless gangs fighting for dominance. Every mission unfolds differently – sometimes you’ll be smuggling illegal weapons, other times kidnapping high-value targets or arresting your fellow players. The unpredictable objectives mean no two matches play the same, and every round feels like a new chapter in a living, breathing city that constantly reacts to your choices.

At its core, DEFECT is a squad-based first-person shooter where four-player teams tackle dynamic, open-ended objectives. Whether playing solo, in co-op, or PvP, your team’s survival depends on coordination, tactical creativity, and how well you adapt to environmental destruction and chaos. The developers have ditched many modern shooter conveniences – there’s no automatic health regeneration, so you’ll need to hunt for limited-use healing stations scattered across each map. Every bullet counts, and the tension builds as resources run out in the heat of combat.

One of the highlights from the demo was DEFECT’s stunningly realistic destructible environments. Every wall, desk, and panel can be broken down layer by layer, creating real-time tactical opportunities. As firefights erupt, dust fills the air, reducing visibility but opening up creative gameplay – players can use that same dust cloud for cover if they have the right gear, like tactical goggles. Even flipping a table can make the difference between life and death, serving as impromptu cover or a way to block an enemy’s path. It’s a system that rewards experimentation and improvisation rather than rote memorization.

According to founder and game director Emanuel Palalic, emptyvessel wanted to create something immersive, unpredictable, and deeply reactive. “DEFECT is a HUD-less shooter where every weapon, gadget, and even ammo type affects the world in unique ways,” Palalic explained. “We’ve built a game that lives and breathes around player choices, where emergent moments are not scripted – they just happen.” That philosophy gives the shooter a sense of authenticity often missing from formulaic multiplayer games, where systems feel static and predictable.

Earlier this year, emptyvessel secured $11 million in Series A funding from NCSOFT, 1AM Gaming, and Black Phoenix Games to complete development and bring the title to PC and consoles. For now, DEFECT can be wishlisted on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG, where the game’s pages confirm that it will include a level editor and support both LAN co-op and PvP modes – features that should appeal to old-school FPS fans hungry for customization and local play.

The game’s minimalism is deliberate: no cluttered interface, no hand-holding, just raw immersion. Every firefight is designed to feel like a cinematic event, influenced by iconic action thrillers like The Raid and Dredd. The mix of brutal realism, layered destruction, and tactical cooperation echoes the best of SWAT 4 and Escape from Tarkov, but with a slick cyberpunk identity of its own. Add to that the unmistakable pulse of industrial sound design – rumored to feature Mick Gordon’s signature aggressive tones – and DEFECT could become the next cult favorite among hardcore shooter fans.

While no release date has been revealed yet, the technical specs hint at the game’s ambition. You’ll need at least a RTX 2060 and 16 GB of RAM to run it, though the developers recommend a RTX 3070 for optimal performance. With its uncompromising vision, gritty aesthetic, and developer pedigree, DEFECT isn’t just another shooter – it’s a statement piece for the next generation of immersive, system-driven FPS design.