SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate

My Role: Story and Script, Research and Level Design

Studio: Irrational Games Australia

Released: 2006

Platform: PC

Publisher: Sierra

SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate thrusts gamers back in the control of an elite squad of up to five SWAT officers charged with confronting, subduing and arresting the most dangerous criminals in tense police situations. As with the original game, the expansion pack emphasizes tactical deployment over pure run-and-gun action and requires proper use of a broad range of real police gear and tactics to help the team overcome any obstacle, rescue endangered civilians, and bring order to chaos.

Illegal weapons are flooding the city, and it’s turning into a war zone as factions vie for control. But who’s behind the supply?

“Stack up.”

The Stetchkov Syndicate was an expansion to the original SWAT 4 game made by Irrational Games in Boston. It was my first opportunity to do some real writing work. A criticism of the original game was that the missions didn’t have a linking narrative, and I was tasked with creating a story thread that ran through all the missions for the expansion.

Enter the Stetchkov brothers, Bulgarian gun runners who were providing weapons to groups across the city. Drug dealers, religious zealots, professional bank robbers, everybody got whatever they wanted… for a price.

The climax of the game sees the player and his crew raiding the brothers’ hideout, uncovering crate after crate of high-powered firearms.

Writing effective dialogue for the perpetrators was a challenge as they were limited to a handful of bite-sized phrases. Getting a realistic tone while still selling the narrative was difficult.

I was also in charge of researching the new weapons and equipment for the expansion, intended to fill the niches in the original game’s equipment selections.

This game got me an entry on the Internet Movie Database, of which I was very proud.