Rockwater Studio pitched a Queen’s Gambit chess game to Netflix before Netflix Games was even a thing. In fact, Rockwater found out about the ambitious project attached to the streaming service minutes before it was due to pitch its idea for the game. With that new information in hand, the studio’s head of marketing Jamie Brayshaw ditched all his meticulously prepared slides and pitch notes to grasp this new opportunity. His flexible approach worked, and Rockwater was working with Netflix.
It was about more than just timing, however, as Leanne Loombe, Netflix’s VP of external games, explains via video call to the studio. “With any game that we’re making, we want to find the right developer to fit with the experience we’re looking to make. It was really clear that [Rockwater] was the right developer for The Queen’s Gambit considering their wealth of experience within the chess genre.”
Loombe feels that Rockwater “deeply understands” the chess space, likely thanks to its experience making games like Chess Ultra. However, despite the developer’s experience with chess games, there were a couple of major shifts it had to take into consideration. Instead of its usual premium offerings for chess aficionados, The Queen’s Gambit is monetised by being a part of Netflix’s subscription service. In part because of that, Rockwater had to design a game for suitable for players of any skill level, players who have never played chess before, and even players who have never played a video game before, but have decided to give it a go because they like the show and the game is free as a part of their Netflix subscription.
The team set about making a chess game for everyone. While the art department pored over behind the scenes set photos of the show to match the game’s locations as closely as possible, the gameplay designers went to local chess clubs in Liverpool to see how the game was taught to newcomers. The end result is a game that teaches you chess while taking you on a tour of familiar locations, with famous faces popping up to guide you along the way.
This isn’t just for beginners though. I know a fair bit about chess – although the Netflix show taught me that I know far less than I thought – and still learned a lot from the later tutorials. Visual aids show whether your pieces are being defended or if you’re moving to a risky position, and Beth Harmon is always on hand to assess your moves. Want to know why your last move was terrible? She’ll help you review it and see the other possibilities that would have given you a more advantageous position.
Move reviews are nothing new in chess, but the presentation of The Queen’s Gambit is very slick. There’s also the big Harmon buff, an ability to give you a helping hand if you need it. Her gauge fills up if you make a blunder, until you can push the button to see the best possible move for your situation. This is presented via a cutscene of her imagining the pieces moving on the ceiling, marrying the mechanic to the show.
There’s an immense amount of detail in every scene, and the studio’s head of art, Mark Radcliffe, shows me fingerprints on the chess board and markings in the dust that coats the orphanage basement. It’s a testament to the meticulous work of the Rockwater team that this level of ‘triple-A chess’ is available on mobile devices. If you’re less interested in the visual fidelity, you can always switch to the standard top-down view, in which the pieces are represented by 2D icons rather than 3D pieces of burnished bronze or polished marble.
The design team at Rockwater worked closely with Netflix to create accurate representations of each key location in the show, albeit some compromises had to be made. Lighting was the biggest issue, as the windows of many areas didn’t give you a good enough view of the board, and so tweaks had to be made. Playing the game, there are still occasions when it’s a little tricky to see exactly which piece is where or click on the correct tile, but this is easily remedied by scrolling or pinching the touchscreen to get a different angle.
The game itself feels intuitive to play, and while the early tutorials will be skipped by many, I found myself learning high-level tactics by jumping into the later missions. After that, you can challenge the series’ pros from Mr. Shaibel to Vasily Borgov, who each have AI accurate to their IRL playstyles, or play PvP on an ELO-matched ladder. PvP feels a bit hidden in a dank corner of the game – the chess lessons that follow the series’ story are clearly the focus here – but there are options for ranked play, pass and play, or playing against various AI opponents of different skill levels to keep you invested.
Another cute feature is that after each match, the game analyses how Harmon you are. You’re following her chess journey, after all, and while you don’t have to adapt to her playstyle, seeing how aggressive, defensive, and generally stylistically similar you are to the protagonist is a fun addition.
The Queen’s Gambit is a chess game for players of all levels, and for fans of the show. Rockwater wants to reach Netflix fans who “don’t even play games”, and cater to Grandmasters too. I’m not convinced that The Queen’s Gambit will have enough for that level of player, but from novice to intermediate level players, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.