Matthews: Ports and expansions contributed to loss of FEAR fans

Monolith's Dave Matthews, lead art designer for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, says multiple expansions and console ports have likely cost the shooter franchise some fans. In an interview with CVG a comment was made to Matthews that the TimeGate developed expansions and Day 1 Studios developed console-ports of the critically acclaimed shooter could be responsible for bringing new eyes to the horror-fueled FPS. "And killed off a few," Matthews noted.

Matthews primary reason for the comment based on story decisions taken once the series was out of Monolith's hands. "[TimeGate] took the story in a direction that we didn't intend ... We look at Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate as an alternate universe," Matthews told CVG. "F.E.A.R. was about Alma, F.E.A.R. 2 is about Alma, and we wanted to continue the story the way we originally intended."

This time around Monolith, who gained Xbox 360 experience from the Condemned series, has committed to develop all three version of the upcoming sequel. "While there will be some slight variations between the different versions ... our main goal is to make sure the experience is synonymous across all three platforms."