Interview: Learning All About The Precinct, PS5's Super Promising Sandbox Cop Game

We've been keeping an eye on The Precinct for a while now. It's an indie game where you play as a cop, fighting crime on the streets of a sandbox city. It's always sounded like a really cool concept to us, and so we caught up with Lewis Boadle — the title's art director and co-founder of developer Fallen Tree Games. We asked Lewis about the overall scope of The Precinct, its inspirations, its gameplay, and much more.

Push Square: To start with, can you give us an overview of what The Precinct is? What was your goal with this project?

Lewis Boadle, Art Director and co-founder of Fallen Tree Games: The game is set in Averno City in 1983. You play as a rookie beat cop fresh out of the Academy, exploring and dealing with the ever-shifting criminal underbelly of Averno City. The plot of the game also requires players to solve the mystery of their father’s murder in the line of duty. There is a lot for players to uncover in the game.

The goal of this project is to deliver a high-quality police game that provides both action and simulation elements, so players really feel like a cop.

What are the main inspirations behind The Precinct? Are there any particular games, movies, or shows that pushed your ideas forward?

So many movies and TV inspired the game that it’s hard to know where to begin, but if we had to single out a few, we would probably say “Driver” (1978), “Fort Apache, The Bronx" (1981), "The French Connection" (1971), and “Taxi Driver” (1976). As well as those incredible movies, TV shows like “Hill Street Blues” (1981-1987) and “Cagney and Lacey” (1981-1988) are burned into our childhoods!

In terms of games, it’s pretty obvious we are huge fans of the original GTA games as well. We also have a soft spot for a GTA police mod called LSPDFR. The Precinct was our attempt to bring that concept to life in 80s style — with a top down camera!

Can you tell us about the game's development? How big's the team at Fallen Tree Games?

Most of the development has been just four of us. Two artists and two programmers to do everything. As the scope has expanded, and the quality bar has risen, we’ve been able to expand the team to include a dedicated designer, and bring on some additional programming help. We also use some brilliant external talent, such as voice actors, 2D artists, and musicians.

Your previous game, American Fugitive, obviously has a similar look and structure. How has your experience with that project helped shape The Precinct?

American Fugitive was an incredibly ambitious project for such a small team (as is this one), and we learned a lot! Players will have more freedom in The Precinct compared to American Fugitive. They can also continue intercepting and responding to crimes after the main story is over. That is why our crime-generation system is so important.

The Precinct also has voice acting, something which was not present in American Fugitive. We believe that voice acting really brings the story alive and it’s incredible to work with the talent that’s there in the industry right now.

So, procedural generation's a big part of The Precinct. What can you tell us about the game's procedural crime system?

We refer to it as the Crime Generation System. As players go about their patrol shifts — whether on foot, in a vehicle, etc. — the system generates incidents throughout the world. These incidents fall into four main categories:

• Dispatch Callouts: These are crimes reported to Dispatch and communicated to the player via radio. Players can choose to accept or ignore these callouts. Accepting them assigns the player to respond urgently, often due to potential threats to life or property. Examples: Store robbery, gang shootout, vehicle theft.

• Proximity Crimes: Serious offences that occur near the player's location. Players can decide to Accept and turn them into active callouts, or ignore them. These are usually visible and encourage players to observe their surroundings closely. Examples: Drunk driver, mugging in an alleyway, drug deal.
  
  
• Infractions: Minor offences that happen very close to the player. Engaging with these turns them into active callouts, depending on how strictly the player chooses to enforce the law. Examples: Parking violations, graffiti artist tagging a wall, littering.

• Incidents: These are general police duties that don't necessarily involve a crime but can lead to the discovery of criminal activity. Examples: Road traffic accident.

Some shift types will give more XP to successfully dealing with certain categories of crime. For example, if you choose ‘Drug Crackdown’ patrol, you’ll get more XP for arresting drug dealers.

What's the player striving for in The Precinct? Is there a main story, or is it purely a sandbox title?

Sandbox is a big part of the game but the plot of the game also requires players to solve the mystery of their father’s murder in the line of duty following a fully voiced questline in the open world. There is a lot for players to uncover in the game.

How big is the game's map?

The map has different districts with its own identity and problems. Players can anticipate spending approximately 6-8 hours to successfully complete the main story line. Additionally, players have the option to confront other gangs and gather a variety of in-game items. As previously highlighted, our focus on spontaneous crime generation ensures that the game delivers nearly limitless gameplay possibilities.

Are there penalties for not doing things by the book? How much freedom can players expect?

Since you’re a rookie cop, you are handed a handbook in the beginning of the game. There you’ll be taught how to respond to all kinds of crime and other illegal activities. You have relative freedom on how you approach any situation but within the boundaries of the law. There are both penalties for not doing your job properly, depending on the severity of your actions, and bonuses for following procedure.

Are there difficulty settings in The Precinct? How unforgiving can the game be overall?

The game is balanced and it’s an experience for everyone.

And finally, is there anything you'd like to say to our readers?

Thanks for all the support and encouragement the PS community has given us!

Huge thanks to Lewis Boadle for taking the time to answer our questions. Special thanks to Allwyn D'Souza and the team at Kwalee for making this interview possible.

The Precinct is set to release for PS5 this autumn. Are you looking forward to upholding the law? Start by patrolling the comments section below.