Dean Hall, the creator of DayZ, has launched Brutal, an open-source framework for game development

Image credit: RocketWerkz

Dean Hall, a seasoned professional in the game industry, has introduced Brutal, an open-source framework developed with contributions from his companies, Ahwoo and RocketWerkz.

Brutal, based on C#, is available for free, including in commercial gaming applications, without any royalties. Game developers are only required to acknowledge Brutal in their credits. Since its inception in 2022, the framework has been utilized in six projects by three different studios, aiding the development of games like RocketWerkz's Kitten Space Adventure and the Waylith engine used by Ludeon Studios for Rimworld. Additionally, Felipe Falanghe, known for Kerbal Space Program, is also working with Brutal.

In a detailed Reddit post, Hall clarified that Brutal serves as a framework rather than a traditional game engine, although it can be employed to create games directly, as demonstrated by RocketWerkz with Kitten Space Agency, or for building unique engines, as Ludeon Studios did.

The framework features a custom layer for interoperability, allowing C# to access native APIs and libraries, and employs various supportive libraries. Hall highlighted that Brutal focuses on minimizing allocations and overhead, emphasizing proficiency in a few low-level tasks.

Hall's motivation for creating Brutal stems from dissatisfaction with major game engines like Unity and Unreal, which he believes often fail to address developers' needs responsibly.

"This issue could intensify as the adoption of agentic workflows reduces the competitive advantages safeguarding established software companies," he added.

He expressed concern that these companies, facing diminishing competitive edges, might increasingly seek revenue from developers tied to their platforms, through royalties, subscriptions, or restrictive licensing.

Highlighting problems with Unity and critiquing Epic Games' Tim Sweeney for pursuing popular trends at the expense of stability and performance, Hall underlined developers' frustration.

Hall remarked on developers' perceived dependency: "Imagine if your game development relied on a company’s decisions beyond your control. However, this doesn't imply that Unity or Unreal should be abandoned overnight, as they are the best fit for many projects, and Brutal isn’t a complete substitute."

He anticipates more frameworks like Brutal will emerge, not because of a mass departure from current engines, but due to decreasing costs in developing alternatives. He hopes these alternatives will remain free. While Brutal may not address all industry issues, it offers a valuable option for some developers.

"The aim is to shift power dynamics. With open-access tools and source code, developers can build their systems. If we ever stop being accountable, they should have the option to fork the framework and pursue their path. Ensuring this accessibility is crucial to me."