You might not realise it right off the bat, but Team Jade’s ‘Delta Force‘ actually has a story of sorts unfolding behind the chaos and smoke grenades that litter the maps. Admittedly, I didn’t really think much on who I was playing or what I was doing as I poured a few hundred hours into the game over the course of the last few months—and so when I was asked if I’d like to interview Delta Force’s narrative team some months back, I wasn’t exactly sure where to begin.
Delta Force technically has two stories: one that remakes the original Black Hawk Down film with a spin on the classic games while the multiplayer modes loosely connect to that free campaign mode and continue off of it in a world rocked by opposing forces as I’ll let the narrative team better explain. I did go back and spend more time listening to the dialogue that plays in the background of the maps, and I rummaged about looking for any sort of environmental storytelling that I could reference to while writing up these questions.
And when I got the answers back, I was impressed with the level of narrative detail the team had concocted—in a game where most players will jump right into the action, it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees and I do wish I was able to interview the team one-on-one to get even more questions answered about the game’s characters, factions, and the state of the world in the year 2035.
Oh, and I also got the chance to ask some Arknights-related questions that are entangled within the world of Delta Force right now. The game is currently running a collaboration with the free-to-play tower defence title and there’s a bunch of free stuff being given out to players just by playing the game. You can get an idea of how Team Jade considers the art style of Delta Force when implementing collaboration items into the game and whether or not these collabs impact the story of the free-to-play first-person shooter.
Without further ado, check out our brief interview with Delta Force’s narrative team right down this way!
Heads up! This interview form was sent a ways back, so some may be slightly out of date. Formatting was adjusted for improved readability but otherwise no questions nor answers were altered.
Hello! My name is Genghis and I’m with the writing team over here at XboxEra. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions we have about Delta Force’s narrative and its recent Arknights collaboration!
Could you give us a quick rundown on what the story of Delta Force is? Who are the factions at war and what is at stake?
Archi Li / Narrative Designer Lead: Delta Force’s story takes place in a fictional universe where it’s the year 2035, a powerful global conglomerate Haavk begins deploying research bases, and military fortresses in strategic locations and resource-rich areas around the world. Their stated goal is to create a resource-equitable society, but in practice these actions spark conflict with local armed forces and civilians, threatening global peace.
Players take on the role of an Operator in the Global Threat Intervention (G.T.I.) task force — a multinational rapid-response unit dedicated to addressing global crises, preserving stability, and collecting evidence of Haavk’s crimes before launching targeted military operations against them. In addition to these two primary factions, the Operations mode also features the Ahsarah Guard — a local resistance group determined to free their country from Haavk’s influence and reclaim control.
How does the narrative impact the maps? Are there any static and/or dynamic interactions that occur because of this conflict that players can see when they play?
Archi Li / Narrative Designer Lead: In Warfare mode, players can see Haavk’s influence and changes it has brought across strategic locations of the world. Evidence of their crimes can be found throughout the map — these might be tied to meteorological research, mysterious agricultural experiments, or other secretive projects. Many details are left for players to discover through exploration; In Operations, each map reflects Haavk’s deepening control over Ahsarah.
Every season advances the story with new maps, bosses, and events. For example, one storyline explores the spread of brain–computer interfaces in Ahsarah. In that season, Dr. Rometheus, the scientist behind Haavk’s neural tech, becomes the focus of a special in-game mission. Players can choose to complete an escort operation to unlock additional story details and earn rare rewards.
When concepting new characters, how does the narrative team go about integrating operators into the story? Could you give us an idea on how that process works?
Jie Luo / Senior Narrative Designer: Great question indeed! It all starts with the gameplay designers proposing ideas for a new operator’s mechanics, and the narrative team would first consider what kind of player experience that gameplay creates — whether it’s high-adrenaline, methodical, or team-oriented. We then build the operator’s personality around that feeling. For example, players who enjoy Vyron often like fast, decisive, and high-pressure combat, so his personality is straightforward and assertive. Players who prefer Luna value situational awareness and security, so she’s written as cautious and analytical.
Once an Operator’s personality is defined, we work it into the game’s world by developing their backstory and the events that shaped them. We then collaborate with artists to design their visual appearance, animations, and VO lines. As the main story progresses, their personality and history influence the choices they make at key moments. Some new Operators also have connections to existing ones, creating emotional “ripples” when they meet again in the narrative.
Over the last week or so I’ve finally gotten around to playing the free Delta Force “Black Hawk Down” campaign and I was surprised to see the game play very differently complete with its own unique story. Could you give us some details on how this narrative came to life and does it have any connection to the multiplayer narrative? Were you inspired by the previous Delta Force games?
Jie Luo / Senior Narrative Designer: Our Black Hawk Down campaign was mostly adapted from the film, with some elements inspired by the classic Delta Force game. We began by studying the film’s background, cultural impact, and script to understand why it was so successful and powerful. The biggest challenge in adaptation was shifting the audience from being passive viewers to active participants — players now control the story’s events and become its protagonists.
We identified the film’s most essential scenes to recreate the tension and emotion of the original, while writing new dialogue that feels authentic to its tone. We framed the campaign with narration from a veteran character at the start and end to create a sense of authenticity and continuity. Dialogue was carefully written to maintain the chaos and urgency of war, while also guiding the player’s objectives so they don’t feel lost.
As for its connection to multiplayer, some players may notice that one playable character in Black Hawk Down is actually the father of the multiplayer Operator D-Wolf. The campaign also features Jacob Haavk, the head of the Haavk Group in multiplayer. While we stayed faithful to the film’s atmosphere and avoided excessive changes, we included these small Easter eggs to hint at the shared lineage between old and new titles.
Arknights is a very, very fun tower defence game and I was surprised to see the collaboration announcement with Delta Force last month.
How did this collaboration come to be?
Kosmo Sun / Senior Quest Designer: The Delta Force series is a long-standing franchise with decades of history, rooted in documentary reports, films, and literature. When we rebooted it, we placed it in a new era and setting, meaning we had to start fresh while still honoring its legacy. Alongside our core audience, we also wanted to welcome younger players influenced by diverse pop culture, who are fascinated by speculative technology and stylish tactical gear. That’s how we noticed the theme of Arknights resonated with Delta Force, and heard frequent calls from players who enjoy both games for a collaboration.
With that clear demand, both teams quickly found common ground and made the partnership happen.
In the collaboration menu in-game, players can currently “hire” prospective Arknights characters to earn credits towards free Amiya-themed weapon skins and I couldn’t help but notice the little flavour texts written in the ad postings that can be chosen. Were these written by the Delta Force narrative team or were they provided by Hypergryph?
Kosmo Sun / Senior Quest Designer: These were written by the Delta Force narrative team, with Hypergryph’s approval. We feel that, in Ahsarah, signing short-term contracts with Rhodes Island Operators is an unusual but believable premise. Even in 2035, online job postings remain common — and in a conflict zone like Ahsarah, demand for security, technical experts, and other services is constant.
Each “job posting” was written in the voice of a specific Ahsarah faction — Haavk, the Ahsarah Guard, or G.T.I. — reflecting their needs, the seasonal storyline, and the personality of the poster. For example, a Haavk ad might casually hire “outsourced security personnel” with minimal requirements while reminding applicants that it’s an external contractor role — humorously hinting at the grim fate of expendable mercenaries.
Does this collaboration interact with Delta Force’s story in any way? Is it canon that “oripathy” (a disease that ravages the world of Arknights) has now made its way to Delta Force?
Kosmo Sun / Senior Quest Designer: We wanted to preserve the identity of both IPs. When Arknights concepts like Oripathy appear in Delta Force, they’re presented and labeled exactly as in the Arknights universe. These are more direct references than canonical integrations, and they don’t alter the Delta Force storyline.
How is the decision made to make Arknights skins for certain characters? For example, why did Luna get the Schwarz-inspired outfit instead of Hackclaw?
Kosmo Sun / Senior Quest Designer: We start by prioritizing Operators who don’t yet have any Appearances (especially special ones), and consider the order in which they were added to the game. Luna was therefore a prime candidate. Next, we match them to an Arknights character with similar traits. Luna is a calm, decisive, battle-hardened veteran skilled with a composite bow — including recon and shock arrows. These qualities aligned closely with Schwarz from Arknights, making her the natural reference point for Luna’s crossover Appearance.
Any final thoughts you’d like to share with our audience in regards to Delta Force’s narrative, its future, and the current Arknights collaboration?
Archi Li / Narrative Designer Lead: Delta Force is an IP our team deeply loves. We’re constantly exploring new ways — through technology, gameplay, and storytelling — to bring its spirit to life for players around the world, while introducing it to a new generation
Thank you for your time!
Delta Force is a free-to-play first-person shooter that is available on PC via Steam/Delta Force Launcher, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 consoles, and mobile devices. Full cross-saving is available across all platforms while cross-platform play is limited between PC and consoles. You can read more about the game in our impressions article right thisaway. The next collaboration Delta Force sees will be with the horror film franchise ‘SAW’, which you can learn about over here.
