Since its launch in 2013, Warframe has grown exponentially, expertly straddling the line between action RPG, third-person shooter, MMO, and space opera. Now, the far-future game heads to 1999 as it explores the past to take the first steps into its bright future.

Warframe: 1999 is the next update for the beloved game, and for longtime players, it will feature the origins of the story they’ve been playing through for the past decade.

The update comes complete with a Backstreet Boys-like boy band, 2000-style computer viruses, and weird, period-appropriate visuals, all of which combine into something that doesn’t fit the game’s usual approach to tradition.

While none of the above is an explicit version of our own planet, it is certainly the closest to establishing its roots and defining exactly where the long-standing mysteries of similarities to our own solar system begin and end. .

It’s an exciting and revolutionary time for the game, so Dexerto sat down with Community Director Megan Everett to find out about everything players can expect from Warframe: 1999.

Time travel (mostly) without limits

Digital extremes

Introducing time travel into any media, be it games, movies, or television, makes for a difficult balancing act. Digital Extremes has flirted with this concept over the years, but no update has embraced it as openly as 1999 will.

As Everett explains, the developer took more of a narrative risk, allowing players complete freedom over their ability to time travel.

“1999 is a completely optional jump forward and back. You’ll be able to jump freely between the home system and 1999. We established that with a mission earlier in the year called Lotus Eaters, explaining exactly how your character, aka Drifter, is essentially eligible to go to 1999 and have that experience.

“You are not stuck in any way. In the quest itself, you’ll be stuck in a similar way to The New War. You can’t do anything else until you’ve done that story for obvious reasons.

“You can stay in 1999 as long as you want. You can stay there and never come back. That depends on you. I’m not going to nibble on your yum. You do what you want. There’s going to be a lot to do in 1999, so I wouldn’t be surprised if people spend some time in 1999.”

This next step for Warframe presents some navigational questions. However, the ability to move freely between 1999 and the “modern” Origin system should prevent the update from feeling more watered down and linear. Blending the two distinct periods together is a different challenge, but there’s plenty of reason to think it’s one that Digital Extremes can pull off at the first ask.

A look at the origins of iconic Warframes

Digital extremes

The chance to go so far back in time also allows the developer to tell the story of the early days of the titular Warframes. 1999 introduces the player to six Protoframes known as The Hex, representing the earliest forms of some of the most iconic “frames” in the game.

This list comes in the form of unique characters that possess the physical characteristics of Warframes available in the Origin system. This includes Arthur (Excalibur), Amir (Volt), Aoi (Mag), Quincy (Cyte-09), Letitia (Trinity) and Eleanor (Nyx).

While there are some pretty obvious reasons why the dev team chose those frames, Everett confirms that the makeup of the team is as much about complementary skill sets as it is about narrative delivery.

“It made sense to do starters, right? So you have Excalibur, you have Mag, and you have Volt. Then in terms of where we narratively wanted to go with them, they’re sort of the found family trope. We have Nyx, AKA Eleanor, because she is the sister female counterpart to Excalibur in Warframe lore.

“Obviously, we added a new one, Cyte-09, aka Quincy. He is completely brand new. We wanted to add a little flavor there to introduce that character. Then when we looked at that Warframe group, who are you missing?

“You’re missing your classic healer who could be part of that team. So Trinity was an obvious choice there. We wanted to go with the found family, which blends together and whose stories could be really interesting. There is a lot about these Protoframes that players still don’t know.

“The animated short we’re working on is going to give a little bit more of that found family and what their vibe is with each other, so it’s going to be really interesting for them to see.”

The idea of ​​Protoframes is an interesting one and a whole new avenue to explore for the story, so it would be a shame if it wasn’t capitalized on further in the future. If Everett’s subsequent response is anything to go by, it’s not something the player base needs to worry about.

“I think it would obviously be a missed opportunity if we didn’t make more Protoframes. It’s not 1999 anymore. We have the six, and this is The Hex. We will and want to make more Protoframes. I can’t say we’ll commit to all of them, but it’s definitely on our minds and in our plans to do more Protoframes.

“Again, there’s going to be a strategy behind it in terms of what we would do that would fit narratively into the story we’re trying to build with this. Everything is strategic about the following, but they are being done. I’m in the brain.”

1999 will not launch in isolation

Digital extremes

One of the most immediate and obvious concerns with a release as radical as Warframe: 1999 is that it might exist as an outlier rather than a properly integrated part of the universe.

Being able to ping backwards and forwards freely helps alleviate that as a pressing concern, but where does Warframe’s storytelling go next?

Fortunately, while the Origin system will still serve as the focal point of the game, the implications of 1999 will be felt for years to come, as Everett details.

“We’ve definitely looked at the next few years, actual years in terms of game development and different storylines that we haven’t expanded on yet. A lot of that is obviously in the Origin system, because we’ve been in the Origin system for 11 years, and players can probably guess the stories that we haven’t expanded on yet.

“We’re not going to do a 1999 or Echoes of 1999 and then drop it and leave it. I think there will always be some part of it that applies to whatever we do next. We also want to maintain the Origin System side of the story and continue there the stories we haven’t touched yet.

“So not to say the game will only be in 1999 and not much else will happen. It will be a round trip. Dr. Entrati, Albrecht Entrati, began his story in the Origin system, so there is more to see about his influence there. Plus, The Man in the Wall is literally everywhere.”

Warframe’s lore is so deep after 11 years of development that many different potential future narratives are possible. The idea that 1999 serves as part of that is probably a good one, allowing everyone involved to experience the game the way they want.

Whatever happens with the full release, 1999 is conceptually the boldest update in the game’s history. With over 50 million registered players, it’s not a make or break for Digital Extremes, but if it’s received well, it could change the landscape of Warframe forever.

Taking that risk and moving forward with a departure from the original formula is arguably the attitude that propelled the game to where it is today, so for a long-time player, it’s nice to see that continued desire to innovate remains so prevalent .

Warframe: 1999 is due out in December as a free update for Warframe players.