'My brother and I wanted to shoot at each other': The Lemaitre brothers couldn't find a perfect 1v1 FPS, so they made one of the year's best shooters themselves

GamesFPS’My brother and I wanted to shoot at each other': The Lemaitre brothers couldn’t find a perfect 1v1 FPS, so they made one of the year’s best shooters themselvesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Lemaitre Bros)

Straftat

Dissatisfied with the current offering of multiplayer arena shooters, brothers Leonard and Sirius Lemaitre did what any reasonable gamers might do and created their perfect game:Straftat, a breathless 1v1 shooter. Combining the unsettling and liminal world of their previous game,Babbdi, the distilled white-knuckle action of frag-fest greats and a little sprinkling of breakcore, it is quite unlike anything else.

(Image credit: Lemaitre Bros)

Straftat

In a world of grindy, endless live-service games, Straftat is a breath of fresh air—and a huge dose of adrenaline that gets your heart pumping. It’s so quick that I sometimes sneak a cheeky round or two between articles to get the old grey matter synapses juiced up. After, typing away is a breeze.

During one match, I was unknowingly pitted against Leonard. After thoroughly trouncing him, he conceded that I “beat him at his own game”. Surprised to have played against one of the developers, we got talking and Lemaitre delved into Straftat’s fraternal origins, which—as someone with fond memories of piecing together maps in Hammer SDK and playing Unreal Tournament 2004 with my older brother—struck a deep chord with me.

“My brother and I wanted to shoot at each other,” Lematire says. Fair enough. But it goes well beyond that: “We are also really fond of designing maps and weapons.”

Much of Straftat’s charm stems from its dizzying selection of arenas and things to kill each other with, all of which exude creativity. The maps can feel otherworldly and dreamlike, with the UI and many of the weapons appearing strangely organic. The sources of inspiration are as wide and varied as the game itself.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

“The Mangas, Blame! and Aposimz have had a huge impact on my work,” Leonard tells me. “Other than that,Gérard Trignac,[Giovanni Battista] Piranesi, Fumito Ueda games [Ico, Shadow of the Colossus], and a lot of neoclassical and brutalist buildings.”

Some maps are more off-the-wall, with a couple taking place in what is obviously supposed to be Twin Peaks' Black Lodge. The thread that weaves through it all is the joy the Lemiatre brothers felt creating Straftat, something immediately obvious from the moment you launch the game. Lemaitre concedes as much, telling me “It’s a childhood dream. It’s fun to make and fun to play.”

It’s a game that undeniably reflects its creators' esoteric interests. AsHelldivers 2director Johan Pilestedt puts it, “A game for everyone is a game for no one.”

It all comes together to create something original, yet familiar to those who have played Quake and Unreal Tournament. Straftat is definitely its own thing though, so I was curious to learn what was missing from the classics that led them to make it in the first place. Lemaitre puts it pretty succinctly: “The game mode, the pacing, the map design, the ease of use.”

All of the bestUnreal Tournament games have been delisted, and good luck trying to have fun in a game whose core player base has been honing their skills for the better part of three decades. But those games' heydays feel replicated in Straftat. It’s not just the laser-focused twitchy movement and shooting that harkens back to games of yore—it’s the community too. I couldn’t tell you the last time I added a friend on Steam, but since playing Straftat, I’ve added a good handful. Most of those you go up against are lovely folks and with the game being quite niche, all are quite like-minded.

Curiously, there’s no ping indicator in the server browser, so it’s not always a guarantee that you’ll be up against someone local to you. Though this can cause friction, it made me keen to add players with reliable connections and who posed a good challenge for rematches. Naturally, you get talking to them as was the case with Leonard Lemaitre.

But as I collect new pals, I can’t help but think of the epic matches that could be had if Straftat extended beyond its 1v1 scope. Lemaitre feels the same way, but it largely depends on its success. “If the game does well, that’s a top feature we’d like to implement,” he says.

The 100+ maps included at launch have been designed with a 1v1 focus, though, and while much of it could be adapted, repeating the same trick could be beyond Straftat’s scope as Lemaitre admits that “It would be a tremendous amount of work for my brother so there’s a high chance we’ll keep it 1v1 only.”

It’s still early days for Straftat, but I’ve already unlocked every hat, skin and map on top of those found in the DLC. Though it’s endlessly replayable, I’m desperate for more. Again, if Straftat proves to be a success, Lemaitre is keen, but is realistic and says “If the game does well, we’ll definitely keep releasing free updates and DLCs.” But he and Sirius “have many more ideas for new features, maps and weapons.”

But as we have seen time and time again, multiplayer games will only last as long as their player base does. Though even without an internet connection and human opponents, you can hop into a game of Unreal Tournament or Quake owing to their legendary bots. Unfortunately—and perhaps understandably—Straftat won’t be getting any. When asked, Lemaitre gave me a resounding “No.”

More about fpsTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

More about fps

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

A valuable TF2 hat shimmers in the moonlight.

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

FBC: Firebreak

The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

Latest

Double headed wizard man holding arms up looking sad

See more latest►

Most Popular

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)

I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games

6 games that could be bigger hits than you’re expecting in 2025

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals