THE INFLUENCES OF KINGPIN

What the team used to inspire its unique world

urbanism

“I’ve lived in cities all my life,” Viktor Antonov says. “For Kingpin, we went to downtown LA and took pictures for references. you get on a plane, you go somewhere you’ve never been before, you get off the plane there’s this impact of light, colour, smells and architecture that hits you in the face. that’s what I was trying to bring.”

hollywood

CEO Drew Markham was influenced heavily by his two favourite films: Pulp Fiction and The

Big Lebowski. Play Kingpin today and you’ll spot numerous references to both; some subtle, some overt. Dialogue and even characters are directly based on the aforementioned movies, including two major boss characters.

Drew markham

he was known as a fiery and divisive force within the walls of Xatrix, but Kingpin was very much Drew’s own idea. Dan Koppel remembers that he didn’t suffer fools gladly, and he had the drive and ambition to ship Kingpin even when it didn’t ultimately conform to his earliest vision.

rap culture

Antonov originally wanted to push the science fiction envelope for Kingpin, and create a more futuristic world. But then hip hop group Cypress hill signed on to do the score and Xatrix was forced to tone down the otherworldly, settling on a milieu that was at home in the worlds of gangster rap culture.

open-world Games

“Fallout was the type of game I wanted to make,” says Dan Koppel. “An open world blended in with a story you can break off any time you want.” In the end, time pressures and technological restraints resulted in Kingpin being a smaller affair.