Communique 0725
Interview focus: Xenopurge by Traptics.
Relevant context: PC-based video game, due for release in Early Access on July 11, 2025. Windows-only formatting.
Manual verification: Steam Next Fest, Demo Disc #1
Interviewee: Mike Papagathangelou
Body text, Q1: What is Xenopurge?
Mike Papagathangelou: Xenopurge is a sci-fi squad command game where you take the role of a remote commander overseeing dangerous missions against alien threats. You don’t directly control your squad like in a typical tactics game — instead, you issue high-level commands and trust your team’s AI to execute them, while watching events unfold through your command interface. It’s a blend of tactical decision-making, risk management, and systemic gameplay, wrapped in a tense, horror-inspired atmosphere.
Talk to me about inspirations, starting with any sci-fi that has informed the creation of your setting?
MP: The original spark came from Aliens, especially that famous APC scene where the squad is being monitored remotely while everything goes sideways — that feeling of helplessness while watching through screens really stuck with me. We’ve also drawn some inspiration from Warhammer 40k’s grim darkness, and from Beyond the Aquila Rift, one of my favorite episodes from Love, Death & Robots. All of them capture that mix of mystery, danger, and isolation that fits well with the tone of Xenopurge.
There’s an interesting mix of gameplay elements in Xenopurge; can you tell me about what inspired those design decisions?
MP: Originally, the game started as a fully automated experience — you’d simply observe missions play out. But early tests showed that while it was interesting, players wanted more engagement. So we slowly added layers of player agency, always careful not to break the core fantasy of being a commander. Instead of micromanaging units directly, you manage resources, risks, and squad behavior through high-level commands. When it comes to the pacing of the game we’ve been heavily inspired by Nemesis the board game for its emergent chaos and tension. The goal was to create a unique hybrid where decision-making, adaptation, and indirect control all play key roles.
I really like the UX and the retro-futuristic interface. How did that come together?
MP: Thank you! The interface was a key part of the vision from the start. We wanted to fully commit to the ‘commander simulation’ fantasy — you’re not on the field, you’re watching from behind multiple monitors, dealing with limited information and system feeds. Duskers was a big influence on the minimal, diegetic UI concept, but we aimed for a slightly more retro-futuristic look inspired by 80s and early 90s sci-fi tech.
The design had to feel utilitarian, but immersive, with everything happening inside that interface to keep players grounded in the role. We put a big emphasis into making it as simple and direct when it comes to keyboard use. We still support mouse but the speed and directness of the keyboard is unmatched. However this is also one of our “conflicting points”. The combination of the ui and the keyboard are sometimes a scare to new players, and it does take 5-10 minutes to get the hang of it, but is guarantee you once you pass that 10 minutes, muscle memory takes over and command issuing becomes a straight forward process.
The game is coming out soon. When and where can people get their claws on Xenopurge, and what will be included at launch?
MP: Xenopurge is launching into Early Access on July 11th on Steam. At launch, players will have access to the core gameplay loop, 2 squad types with different playstyles,around 20 unique commands and 25 pieces of equipment to experiment with. The story is designed to unfold gradually across multiple runs but we’ll keep the best parts for the 1.0 release. And of course, we’ll be actively updating and expanding the game as we move through Early Access, with the community’s feedback playing a big role in shaping what comes next.
We have been playtesting and improving Xenopurge with thousands of players in closed playtest and this feels like a natural next step. Now that the core experience is set we want to add several QoL improvements and content based on the players’ preferences.
Thank you again for answering our questions. Good luck over the next few weeks.
MP: Thank you! We’re very excited to finally bring Xenopurge into players’ hands, and I can’t wait to see how people approach it. We’ve had great support from the community during development, and hopefully this is just the beginning.
Interview: concluded.
Final notes: Xenopurge is due to land on PC (Win) on July 11.
Audiovisual record embedded below:
