Development News, Development Features

Pull out the popcorn

Films and games are two incredibly similar mediums that often overlap. Sometimes, this results in incredibly lacklustre movie adaptations, such as the Hitman flick, or rushed releases like Transformers: Dark of the Moon. However, that's not to say that some properties don't have the potential to make excellent PlayStation...

Everything's better with friends

You may know first-party powerhouse Sony Santa Monica best for creating the God of War games, but Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has revealed that the developer also played a pivotal role in one of the PlayStation 4’s most important features: the Share button. Chatting candidly with EDGE magazine,...

Money, money, money

If you assumed that God of War: Ascension was a cheap, easy-to-make spin-off, then you were dead wrong. According to a translated interview with 20Mituten, lead producer Whitney Wade has hinted that the prequel had a budget somewhere in the region of $50 million. That’s a colossal sum, almost on par with its chief antagonist,...

Specifics under lock and key

Retro City Rampage creator Brian Provinciano has been particularly complimentary of Sony’s strategy with the PlayStation Vita over the past few months. Writing on Twitter earlier in the year, the one-man development shop encouraged indie outfits to work on the platform, after the portable version of his Grand Theft...

Ex-Idol Minds employee spills the beans on troubled exclusive

Do any of you remember Warrior’s Lair? The PlayStation 3 and Vita dungeon crawler – originally revealed as Ruin – made a big splash during the platform holder’s E3 press conference way back in 2011, primarily due to its first real hint at the potential of cross-save. However,...

The people behind PlayStation are fired up

We apologise for continually bleating on about it, but Sony has changed. There’s a marked adjustment in attitude exuding the company that was once deemed anachronistic and arrogant, and that bodes well for the PlayStation 4 as last week’s Games Developers Conference proved. The firm’s positive...

Rebel two

Fans of outrageous sprites may be excited to learn that Arc System Works is hoping to create a brand new fighting game franchise for the PlayStation 4. According to Shoryuken’s translation of Dengeki’s interview with BlazBlue series producer Toshimichi Mori, the company has nothing to show yet, but is itching to start production on...

Just a little bit more than Heavy Rain

When you spend twelve months filming with Hollywood actors Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe, you’d think that your game’s budget would be through the roof. But according to Quantic Dream’s head honcho David Cage, the upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive Beyond: Two Souls didn’t actually cost that much money to...

Guerrilla Games is piling on the polish

Killzone: Shadow Fall’s single player campaign has been playable from start to finish for a “couple of months”, game director Steven ter Heide has revealed. Writing on Twitter earlier this morning, the Guerrilla Games employee stated that he was taking advantage of the quiet time in the office to play...

Try again

The threat of failure in games is a foundation that’s existed as long as the industry itself. Ever since the days of Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and more, the idea that you can ‘lose’ at a title is something that we’ve come to expect. But while this mechanic was originally conceived as a means to conclude sessions and ultimately...

Using its many limbs to reach into the next generation

The engine behind PlayStation Network puzzler Hamilton’s Great Adventure is extending its reach to the PlayStation 4. Bitsquid has confirmed that its multiplatform development suite will be compatible with Sony’s impending next generation system, promising a flexible production environment...

Reality just got a lot blander

Nvidia’s luridly named PhysX technology will bring realistic physics to the PlayStation 4, the graphics company has announced. Developers will be able to utilise new software development kits on Sony’s next generation system, which in turn will result in more life-like destruction, character models, and clothing...

Life in the old dog yet

Despite the recent announcement of the PlayStation 4, Sony has insisted that there’s still plenty in the pipeline for the PlayStation 3. Chatting with the PlayStation Blog, SCEE president Jim Ryan insisted that the manufacturer’s current platform will remain an important part of the company’s output for the...

Twelve teams hard at work on Sony's next generation machine

There’s been no shortage of exclusive content on the PlayStation 3, but it looks like Sony’s aiming to maintain its impressive output on the PlayStation 4. Chatting with IGN, Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has insinuated that all twelve studios in Sony’s stable are...

Different day, same old questions

The Last Guardian, The Last Guardian, wherefore art thou, The Last Guardian? We fully expected Team ICO’s hotly anticipated – but oft delayed – adventure to re-emerge during Sony’s big PlayStation 4 blowout this week, but once again, Fumito Ueda’s giant catbird was nowhere to be seen. We didn’t e

Phew

With studios folding by the dozen due to the weight of increasing development budgets, many analysts have questioned how teams will survive the transition to the impending next generation. However, chatting with Gamasutra immediately after last night’s Killzone: Shadow Fall reveal, Guerrilla Games’ managing director Herman Hulst has...

Connected over a curry

Tenzin was one of the more interesting characters from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The Tibetan explorer couldn't speak a word of English, making his relationship with protagonist Nathan Drake pretty unique. However, according to an excellent feature on GameSpot, the character was originally conceived as a mute female, who...

Stockholm syndrome

Starbreeze, the Swedish studio behind the solid Syndicate, has revealed a few scant details about its upcoming co-op shooter, Storm. The sci-fi title – which doesn’t have any platforms attached to it – is currently in development, and is described as "our future". It's unclear whether that's a tagline, or the company being...

Elena job

For as interesting as Nathan Drake is, the protagonist has always relied on strong female characters to properly etch out his personality. According to a recent post-mortem with Gamasutra, that’s one area where Uncharted: Golden Abyss developer Sony Bend struggled. The game’s writer and director John Garvin has revealed that female...