https://www.polygon.com/e3/2018/6/15/17466204/just-cause-4-preview-demo-interview-avalanche-e3-2018

Just Cause 4 has a lot of fancy new features that look nice stuffed into an E3 demonstration. This iteration of the underrated open-world franchise has a brand-new engine, which allows for realistic wind, tornadoes, sandstorms and other extreme weather. And there are more weapons, more vehicles and more gadgets, further cementing Just Cause as the best unlicensed James Bond games. But when I sat down with Avalanche Studios game director Francesco Antolini, I couldn’t help but focus on how this entry would take the best bits from previous entries and make them stronger.

Few franchises have as strong a template as the Just Cause series, and yet it hasn’t quite had its big moment in the spotlight. After speaking with Antolini, I think Just Cause 4 has a legitimate shot. The director speaks to why Just Cause 3 struggled to find its audience, why weather is the holy grail of open worlds and how catering to streamers can mean encouraging players to be creative. Antolini even discusses the impossible: how to make explosive red barrels feel fresh.