Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and nowhere is that more true than in the world of video game development. The creative impulse cannot be controlled or reined in, even in as expensive and time consuming a medium as video games. Just look at the made feats that people will go to around the world to make sure their vision gets out. Polish developer Zbigniew Staniewicz led a project to restore all the cut content to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, an American-made sequel to a Canadian game, five years after the game came out. He then spent three years making the mod. Now that’s perseverance!
Jetsetter, Digital Trends’ weekly look at the international video game development scene and hot imports, raises a glass to developers who keep on trucking. Two subjects in this week’s column continue to plumb forward in spite of hardship.
It’s a wacky summer for Japan’s Atlus. On the one hand, the company put out two of the year’s best games, the spectacular Dragon’s Crown and the equally spectacular Shin Megami Tensei IV. On the other hand, the studio’s parent company Index is bankrupt and has been accused of fraud. Atlus is a profitable business though, and that’s why Index decided to auction it off. According to Bloomberg Japan, bidding came in around $200 million. Who’s buying? None other than faded Japanese giant Sega. Index is reportedly still deciding on who it wants to sell to, so everyone out there penning Sonic the Hedgehog and Persona fan fiction should cool their jets since other buyers are in the mix.
Swedish video game development is on the upswing! A few years ago, the robust Swedish dev scene was in decline. Starbreeze was struggling to come up with ideas as those as good as in Chronicle of Riddick and The Darkness, while GRIN, developer of the brilliant Bionic Commando Rearmed, closed after a few high profile disasters like Terminator Salvation. No more! Starbreeze just turned in the best game they’ve ever made in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and the studio Fatshark, made up in part by former GRIN staffers, are working on their sixth game in four years - War of the Vikings, a sequel to their successful historical combat game War of the Roses. ” War of the Vikings is our next step in establishing Paradox and Fatshark as leaders in the art of online war,” said executive producer Gordon Van Dyke. Them’s fighting words.
The pre-order gravy train is over, United Kingdom! If you’ve waited to put in an order for Sony’s new console abroad with places like grocer Asda, the still-alive Blockbuster, or world-dominating force of nature Amazon.co.uk, then your dreams of playing PlayStation 4 on launch day are dead and gone. “Please note – due to high demand, orders placed for this PlayStation 4 console from August 6th may be received after release date,” says Amazon (via CVG), providing chilly comfort to those who wait. “We will ship orders as soon as we receive sufficient inventory.”
In all seriousness, this isn’t a huge deal. The fact that they’ve been able to keep launch day preorders open for two months after E3's big PS4 price announcement suggest that Sony is very confident about its supply chain this fall. Even if you don’t get one at release this fall you likely won’t have to wait too long. Or hey, UK citizens – you could just import since it isn’t region locked.
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. His work has appeared in The AV Club, Salon, Edge, and many others. He is patiently waiting for Namco to finish Klonoa 3.
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