Game Business – Page 20

New ‘groundbreaking’ PS3 Exclusive to be made by Indigo Prophecy devs

Indigo Prophecy

You might have heard of a game developer called Quantic Dream, if you’ve ever heard of a highly-acclaimed game known as Indigo Prophecy (or Fahrenheit). If you haven’t, Indigo Prophecy is a fairly recent adventure game that won accolades for its breathtaking storyline, freshness and the semi-cinematic experience it delivered. You can tell just by looking at those adjectives that this was one hell of a game.

Quantic Dream has signed a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios to make a PS3 exclusive title, which will “set a new benchmark in delivering emotionally compelling experiences to gamers.” Considering Quantic Dream’s record, they may not be bluffing. The game will reportedly be using the Cell Broadband Engine™, but no other important details have been announced.

You can find the whole press release at the source, but the interesting parts of the same are as follows:

Michael Denny, Vice President, SCE Worldwide Studios, said: “We’re really excited to be working with Quantic Dream for the first time and to have this opportunity to once again push the gaming experience to realise a new level of interactivity and, in particular, to engage players at an emotional level never experienced before. We’re looking forward to revealing more news on this special title later this year.”

I’d be really glad if I get to play a game that actually touches me. No game has come close to doing that since LucasArts’ masterpiece Grim Fandango.

David Cage, Founder, President and CEO of Quantic Dream, said, “We always believed that “next generation” meant more meaningful content based on players’ emotional involvement. To us, PS3 is the only platform that can truly deliver on this promise, and SCE WWS is a group that is both inspiring and pleasant to work with.”

Finally, somebody realizes that next-gen doesn’t necessarily mean bigger and better graphics and sound.

This is one project I am really looking forward to. More details are expected to be released “soon”. Hit the source for the full press release.

[Via Kotaku]

You gotta FIGHT! For your RIGHT! To Plaaaaaaaaaay GAMES!

I reported a couple of days ago on the BBFC and Irish Film Censor Office’s decisions to effectively ban Manhunt 2 in the United Kingdom and Ireland by refusing to rate the game, citing “casual sadism” and “callous violence”, and the ESRB’s decision to rate the game “Adults Only”. Since then, Sony and Nintendo have both reaffirmed their policies (which I was unaware of at the time of the last article) of refusing to license “AO”-rated games, or to even let them play on their systems. Universally, these boards and companies are treating this game as an imminent threat to society, and that is not an exaggeration on my part.

This should put a burr beneath the scrotum of any adult who feels that we have a certain right to decide what forms of entertainment are suitable for our own consumption. As an American, I applaud the constitutionally-enforced inability of the ESRB to ban this game, but am saddened and disturbed by Nintendo’s and Sony’s decisions to disallow games designed for responsible, mentally-capable adults. According to figures from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer and video games, and the average gamer age is 33. Of all gamers, only 31% are under age 18, with 44% falling between 18-49 years of age, and 25% aged 50 years and over. Quick addition tells us 79% of all gamers are adults, yet these companies, boards, and committees find this adult content intolerable, and in some cases illegal. This is disheartening to me in a way I can’t begin to express to you.

But I digress. Before I lose you on this one, I wanted to share with you GAMERS FOR GAMING, a cause championed by Jim Sterling and David Houghton, two of my new favoritest tea-sipping bad-asses over at Destructoid.com. They’ve attached themselves to this story like a couple of rabid wolves may attach themselves to… another rabid wolf… attached to… freedom of expression? I dunno, metaphors aside, these guys are working on getting our thoughts and feelings across to everyone who is working to stifle our freedom to choose, the freedom of media, and the freedom of expression in art. Fight with us. Follow along. This affects us as gamers, as consumers, and as free people. It’s not a little issue. It’s not about one game, but about everything that ratings boards and law makers can take from you in the future once we start down this slippery slope. There are so many reasons to get in on this, I’ll not try to innumerate them. Get involved.

A very special thank you to the people with the voice that have taken up this torch. It’s good to see gamers getting involved in something worthwhile.

Manhunt 2 rated AO stateside; Banned in Britain, Ireland

Once again, stuffy old people are afraid to count on free adults to distinguish for themselves the bold line between fictitious entertainment and really-real life. Low-resolution slaughterfest and high-profile hype-machine Manhunt 2 (slated for release on PS2, Wii, and PSP) is receiving the royal cold-shoulder from ratings boards across the globe, being banned so far in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and awarded the scarlet letters “AO” in the US. I’m sure the mania isn’t settled yet. Read on for the disheartening details of worldwide stupidity and my carefully formed, ojective rebuttal.

Continue reading “Manhunt 2 rated AO stateside; Banned in Britain, Ireland”

Blockbuster Video adopts Blu-Ray exclusively, HD-DVD pouting currently

It looks like Sony got something right this generation after all. After dogging the HD-DVD format in sales during this year’s first quarter, Sony-backed Blu-ray has gained a powerful ally in the format wars. Blockbuster Video rental stores have announced that going forward they will carry Blu-ray DVD exclusively in-store, although they will continue carrying HD-DVD in 250 initial test stores and online. They report that Blu-ray accounted for 70% of rentals between the two formats. This may deal the killing stroke to HD-DVD in a valiantly fought, yet futile, battle. And if it isn’t, rumor has it Target plans to do the same soon. Oh Noes, HD-DVD!

The North American HD DVD Promotional Group (what a name) says Blockbuster is jumping the gun, and that their decision was skewed by the success of Blu-ray titles released the first 3 months of this year. That’s right, the “TNAHDDVDPG” says that Blockbuster’s decision was skewed by RATIONAL THINKING! Logic ftw!

Thank Science I didn’t buy that HD-DVD player for my Xbox 360!

Resume

The most important aspect of your work life is keeping an up to date and easy to read resume. Yesturday I received a resume from a 3D Artist. The layout of the resume was fine: work history, education history, self-taught education history, summary of skills, and a little more information about him. The guy seems to have worked on some interesting stuff, but he forgets one thing – URLs! Even if you don’t have a portfolio provide some direct links to rendered pictures, hosted on ImageShack or some other provider!

An employeer won’t sit down and email over 5,000 applicants and ask where are your pictures. If you don’t want to put the direct links in your resume then at least include them in your email.

$ of your assests? – Developer Poll

I was actually requested this topic by a reader named Robert: “Iâ€™ve always been very interested in exact figures developers have paid for art, sound assets. Maybe if you could ask some developers and post the info. The name of the artist or composer doesnâ€™t have to be includedâ€¦”

So I do ask you fellow developers – how much do you normally pay for all of these assets?

With my current game, The Divine, I’ve actually avoided paying any of my staff upfront. I’ve worked out a royalty system so basically they all have an incentive to make this game awesome.

In the commercial game industry you can see from the 2003 Developer Salary Survey (it’s the most current online edition, offline is already 2006) that paying your workers can cost a serious amount of money!

So as I asked above if you are a developer please post (comments section) some information to help Robert out.

Thanks! 🙂