One bullet point stands out in this week’s 1.01 patch for PS4 action shooter Alienation: “added memorial area for Antti Kallioinen.” Kallioinen was the game’s art lead and passed away at the age of 42 in February, just two months before Alienation’s release. Now, this very loud action game from Finnish studio Housemarque has a peaceful spot in honor of him.
If you have the game, go to its Brazilian Fort Itaipu map. Head to the docks, right about here:
You’ll find a quiet island where the game’s music softens and your guns temporarily stop working. There are no enemy aliens, just a memorial built by a developer’s friends and added to his final game.
Why did his Alienation colleagues pick that location?
“They didn’t really have any other reason than finding a peaceful spot,” Housemarque’s Mikael Haveri told me. Haveri remembered his colleague as a humble, humorous guy who was constantly inspiring his coworkers.
“A lot of the color and variety of scenery of Alienation is from his hand,” he said. “The beautiful mayhem of the game now has quiet spot dedicated to the man who dreamed up the explosions.”