Metal: Hellsinger is a rhythmic first person shooter. The game was developed by The Outsiders and published by Funcom. It was released on Windows, PS5,...
Metal: Hellsinger
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The Outsiders was a Swedish video game developer founded in 2015 by industry veterans including David Goldfarb, who worked on Battlefield 3 and Payday 2. They are best known for Metal: Hellsinger, a rhythm-based first-person shooter published by Funcom and released in 2022. Funcom acquired the studio in 2021 and closed it in October 2025, though Metal: Hellsinger is still available.
Metal: Hellsinger is a first-person shooter set in Hell where your weapons fire in sync with a heavy metal soundtrack. Shooting on beat builds your score multiplier and increases your damage. The concept sounds like a gimmick, but it executes well enough that the rhythm mechanic becomes genuinely engaging once it clicks. Read more on the Metal: Hellsinger game page.
It was a pretty fun game, and using the beat of the music to beat the game is a unique concept. I had to turn up the forgiveness since I have absolutely no rhythm.
Every track was created specifically for the game by the composer duo Two Feathers. The game features original music performed by metal vocalists including Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Matt Heafy of Trivium, Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, and Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy.
Metal: Hellsinger launched in September 2022 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions following later that year. It launched day one on Xbox Game Pass and received positive reviews. A Dream of Destruction DLC followed in 2023.
David Goldfarb was lead designer on Battlefield 3 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and game director on Payday 2 before founding The Outsiders, and Metal: Hellsinger is his passion project as creative director. His background in large-scale shooters is visible in the game's feel, even at a much smaller scale. Metal: Hellsinger is a strong debut and a good example of a focused concept executed well.
Before Metal: Hellsinger, The Outsiders revealed Darkborn, a horror action game, in 2019. Darkborn was cancelled, which Goldfarb later described as a near death studio experience, and Funcom then greenlit Metal: Hellsinger. Funcom acquired the studio in 2021, and it operated as Funcom Stockholm. In October 2025, Funcom layoffs hit the team and Goldfarb confirmed on Bluesky that the studio would close. Metal: Hellsinger remains available, and Funcom retains the IP.
Metal: Hellsinger is a rhythmic first person shooter. The game was developed by The Outsiders and published by Funcom. It was released on Windows, PS5,...