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Double Fine, Codemasters, former president Rubin, more seeking payment from THQ
THQ may be no more, but several parties have filed claims against the defunct video game publisher. The Kurtzman Carson Consultancy group shows Double Fine, Codemasters and even individual former executives Jason Kay and Jason Rubin are seeking financial compensation for unpaid obligations from THQDouble Fine (PDF link) is looking for $595,000, claiming THQ offered up Stacking and Costume Quest as free PlayStation Plus downloads without Double Fine's knowledge, and that none of the PS Plus revenue was shared. Codemasters (PDF link) is looking for an exact $1,002,714.25, seeking reimbursement for unpaid royalties and storing quantities of Bodycount, Dirt 3 and F1 2011 discs in a warehouse somewhere. Kay (PDF link) and Rubin (PDF link) are seeking $2.1 million each for failed "employment obligations." The two claim unpaid vacation time, sick leave and severance.THQ's final assets were auctioned off for nearly $7 million earlier this week, including Darksiders, Homeworld and the Drawn to Life series. The results of the first auction were posted in January, facilitating the transfer of ownership for Saints Row 4, Homefront, Company of Heroes 2 and more.
Codemasters shutting down Bodycount developer
Codemasters is preparing to close down its Guildford studio, which was responsible for Bodycount. The shuttering will affect the 66 employees, who were informed today about the 30-day consultation shut-down period (based on the studio's size), required by UK law. "As we look to take greater leadership in the racing category, Codemasters is proposing a studio structure that adds resource and strengthens our best-in-class racing teams," a company spokesperson said in a statement. Those being laid off are being "encouraged" to apply for positions at Codemasters' Warwickshire HQ (Dirt, Grid, F1 Online) and the Birmingham studio, which is working on a new racing IP. Bodycount's "poor design choices and lack of any compelling moments" didn't sit well with us, nor with critics in general, and earned it a Metacritic score in the low-50s. The game premiered in 36th place on the UK charts two weeks ago, then disappeared. It's a IP that's not likely to be heard from again.
Deus Ex maintains UK top spot, Driver races into second
Deus Ex isn't quite ready to give up the glory it earned for knocking Zumba Fitness off the top of the UK All Formats sales chart last week. The conspiratorial RPG may have experienced a 46 percent reduction in sales from its debut week, but it still had enough to keep Driver: San Francisco in second place for its premiere week. The usual cast make up the rest of the top ten, including Zumba Fitness dancing in third (take that!), with the exception of Madden NFL 12, which found a nook in sixth. The only other new title to enter the top 40 last week was Bodycount, which despite serious faults, found a home in 36th place. Find the UK top ten after the break.
Bodycount review: Mindless manslaughter
In some ways, I admire Bodycount -- it's a game that says, "OK, shoot guys. That's really all we want you to do. Shoot them with your gun, move on, and then shoot more dudes, because shooting dudes is fun." And you know what? It's right. In Bodycount, mowing people down is satisfying, thanks to your obscene amount of power and the sheer volume of dudes being tossed your way. However, nowadays, when other entries in the shooting-dudes genre offer us so much more than that, Bodycount wears pretty thin, pretty quickly.%Gallery-126207%
Bodycount demo shoots Xbox Live, PS3 version forthcoming
Codemasters has announced a new demo for Bodycount. The Xbox Live demo of the unabashed shooter is available now and clocks in at a hefty 1.45GB, so you'll have to count the minutes before you even get to the bodies. A PS3 demo "will follow" at some point in the future.
Bodycount dev diary shows off some variety
The thing about a title like Bodycount is that it really takes the focus off the what, who and where of the killing and puts it on ... well, the killing. This developer diary rectifies that, showing off the variety of both your opponents and the battlegrounds where you'll square off.
Bodycount developer diary is just crazy about its guns
In this first developer diary for Codemasters' straight-laced shooter, Bodycount, a few of the game's creators get together to talk about a subject near and dear to their hearts: Wildlife preservation. Oh, wait, did we say wildlife preservation? We meant guns. All of the guns.
Count the days until Bodycount's August 30 release
Late last week, we learned that scintillatingly explodey Bodycount would launch its campaign against restraint and ammo conservation this August. That date's just gotten a bit more specific: the month is still accurate, but just barely so, with Bodycount scooting in under the tripwire on August 30.
Bodycount bringing an arsenal to consoles this August
Bodycount may have missed its intended "early 2011" release window, but it seems that Codemasters wasn't far off. Today the publisher announced an August launch for the title and gave us a new peek into the game's 'splosion-packed action. As you'll see in the clip after the break, Bodycount is clearly about employing a variety of weapons as often as possible, all the while chasing an elusive enemy known as "The Target." (Seriously.) Apparently you'll be extending the pile of bodies across Africa, Asia and "mysterious bases" (okay, stop it) in said search, but the folks at Codies won't speak up until an upcoming community Q&A. You can participate in that over at the US PlayStation Blog.
Bodycount preview: The journey
I'm going to take the mic here for a moment, readers, and tell you something personally: It has been fascinating to watch the development of Codemasters' FPS Bodycount. I originally posted the game's unofficial announcement early last year, saw a preview and talked to creator Stuart Black at last year's E3, saw the game in action after Black left the project and, finally, got to see and play it last week at this year's E3 conference. Long story short, I've basically had a front row seat on the development of this one, and it's been very interesting to watch it develop over the past 16 months. Black's original vision was not much more than just a demo level, a slick future shooter with a snappy female voice feeding orders in your ear. And from preview to preview, that vision has been prodded and poked by other developers, growing up into the game Bodycount has become. Unfortunately, much of what appealed in the initial vision has gotten a little muddied along the way. Some elements of that early demo are still in there (and there's a whole lot more besides), but Bodycount's gone from a lot of unique potential to a much more mundane reality. %Gallery-126207%
Bodycount squeezes off six shots, demo on the way
Codemasters hopes to fill your daily requirement for explosions with these half-dozen new shots from Bodycount. Development on the new FPS, designed by Black creator Stuart Black, continues apace despite his departure from the project and Codies is confident enough in the work so far that a demo is incoming. Game director Andy Wilson tells VideoGamer.com that, "When people play it, they seem to really get on with it, so we want to put it in as many hands as possible." No word yet on a release date for the demo -- the full game is due "this summer" -- but at least we can count on there being one.%Gallery-125027%
THQ takes on distribution of four Codemasters releases this year
THQ announced today that, through its THQ Partners unit, it would be handling the North American distribution of four of Codemasters 2011 releases. In fact, THQ Partners actually began its task today, with the release of Dirt 3 into the retail channel. The deal also encompasses distribution of Operation Flashpoint: Red River, Bodycount and F1 2011. The new Operation Flashpoint hits June 7, with Bodycount set for "later this summer." Financial details of the deal weren't disclosed, but it has been confirmed that Codies will continue to handle the marketing of all four titles in-house.
Bodycount preview: Paint it something other than Black
Last time we saw Codemasters' FPS Bodycount was back at E3, when creative director Stuart Black declared Lady Gaga as one of the game's influences. Cut to six months later and Black has left the company, and the game's been delayed to next summer. So how's Bodycount doing? Not as bad as you might think. It turns out Black's leaving Codemasters wasn't completely unexpected. "We'd been talking about it for a while," Andy Wilson, the game's director, told us at a recent press event. "He had it in his mind -- there'd been some hints -- and we started talking about it more shortly after E3. It's a personal decision with him -- it's certainly not something to do with us or anything that was happening on the project. It was just his time to go." [Ed.'s note: Black claims otherwise, telling GameSpot in a recent interview that "it was clear that Codemasters were unable, or unwilling, to provide the support needed to realize the vision I had for Bodycount."] So Black moved on, but Bodycount, Wilson assured, is "still going to be the game that it was going to be at the beginning." %Gallery-110342%
Bodycount's bodycount rises, game delayed to summer
Following the departure of creative director Stuart Black, the Bodycount team at Codemasters is losing more high-profile talent, this time Codemasters Guildford GM Adrian Bolton, according to Eurogamer. Also out: Bodycount's original spring 2011 release date, replaced by "early summer." CEO Rod Cousens said that the delay wasn't necessarily related to the outgoing developers, but instead is about quality concerns with the game. "He's left, but I don't think the company centres around one person. If I left I don't think the company falls over," Cousens said, noting that "someone will fill the void." The delay happened due to Codemasters' unwillingness to "compromise the game."
Codemasters dishes on acquisition, expansion and forthcoming games
Codemasters employees worried about having to pack up their stuff and head for Bangalore should probably relax, as VP of studios Gavin Cheshire denied such plans in a Develop interview. After a recent 50 percent acquisition by Indian company Reliance Big Entertainment, worry apparently spread about the possibility of Codemasters relocating development to its new parent company's home country. "I can safely say that this is absolutely not the case," Cheshire said. "There are obviously some 'strategic' moves for both partners, but in terms of development at the level we're at, it's very much about Reliance investing in our skills and abilities over here in the UK." Let's hope Reliance is investing lots, as Cheshire spells out a whole mess of titles currently in development at the UK-based publisher's trio of development studios. "Our Guildford studio is working hard on Bodycount, and we will be looking to take that franchise further and further with the addition of more IP. In Southam it's full steam ahead with the next iteration in our Flashpoint series, as well as the next Dirt and Grid." Thankfully, with all those games in development, the publisher has a plan -- and an upcoming game engine, EGO 2.0 -- for helping to manage it all. "We are focused on EGO 2.0 at the moment, which will be coming in with a massive title that we can't talk about just yet. That will really keep us cutting-edge." Cutting-edge, you say? Figure skating sim confirmed?! We think so!
Stuart Black to leave Codemasters this October, Bodycount still on for early 2011
Black and Bodycount developer Stuart Black has announced intentions to vacate his current position at Codemasters this October, Eurogamer reports. "He's got all his design work to do but he's going to finish before he leaves the team to complete the game, which takes him through to October," Codemasters says. Apparently an "80-strong team" will remain working on Bodycount after Black's departure, seeing through the game to its planned "early 2011" release window. Though Eurogamer claims Black's choice to leave is predicated on "post-E3 fallout," Codemasters has denied as much to Develop, saying, "It isn't really the case that Stuart has left from 'E3 fallout,' there's nothing like that going on. E3 coverage was actually very good." We've followed up with Black for clarification of his reasons for leaving, but for now, Codemasters assures us that "progress continues" on Bodycount. %Gallery-95082%
Bodycount's Stuart Black discusses his inspirations
Stuart Black showed off his upcoming Bodycount title on the show floor here at E3, and while we were able to see the title earlier this month, we did talk with the creator about the sense of fun he's trying to bring to the shooter genre this time around. "I wanted to get away from the seriousness of so many shooters at the moment," he told us. "Serious men in dangerous roles, and all that jazz, yeah? And we wanted to create something that was a little bit silly, a little bit ridiculous and more uplifting." Lady Gaga was apparently an influence, after Black saw one of her concerts. "Going to her show, feeling really uplifted and energized by that, and going like yeah, I want to get that kind of spirit in the game. Just want to have fun with it -- fun with a gun!" And to accomplish that, Black put things like XP and health orbs in the game that looked familiar if you've ever hunted Agility Orbs in Pacific City. "The orbs are a little homage to Crackdown. I'm a big fan of Dave Jones, I've known him on and off for years, great to see him back making games again." He also pointed out an in-game nod to Metal Gear Solid (an exclamation point marker on a building), and gave some kudos to Borderlands, another shooter with an arcade bent. "I was quite surprised at how well the [damage] numbers worked in Borderlands. You see it in videos, and you're like, that looks a bit naff. But you play it, and you're like, that's really $*(%ing cool, actually ... That spirit is sort of lost in video games, and we can do that stuff, and we should revel in it."
Preview: Bodycount
When the finishing touches are placed on Bodycount, Stuart Black's follow-up to last generation's Black, it has the potential to be a fun, sexy, arcade FPS. Unfortunately, the pre-E3 demo that I played wasn't ready for the limelight. It's refreshing to see a more light-hearted take on the genre, with a focus on the sheer fun of firing weapons. I certainly wouldn't mind a change of pace from the gravitas and machismo of games like Call of Duty and Killzone. Bodycount's colorful, spy-themed world reminds me of Monolith's No One Lives Forever series -- and that's a good thing. The world of Bodycount is heavily influenced by TV's Alias, with the player assuming the role of a reluctant operative, thrown into unstable areas of conflict. For reasons unknown to the player, he's become a member of "The Network," an organization whose slogan -- "Your Safety is our Concern" -- comes off as more than a little disingenuous. His objectives come courtesy of an unidentified female handler, and the game promises to explore the evolving relationship between the two. %Gallery-95082%
Interview: Bodycount creative director Stuart Black
Codemasters' upcoming Bodycount is a rather curious project, building upon the foundations of last generation's Criterion Games-developed FPS Black with inspirations as varied as Alias, Star Trek and Lady Gaga. The eccentricities of Bodycount appear to be a reflection of its creator, Stuart Black -- a man that shares his game's energetic, in-your-face attitude. Joystiq: First off, the title: Is there a deeper meaning behind the obvious implication of the name "Bodycount?" Stuart Black: You shoot a lot, a lot of people. You're going to kill a lot of people in this game, achieving that body count. We're not going to be apologetic about it. That's not what the game is about; it's about firing guns -- and what are guns for? Killing people. We want you to understand that everyone you kill in this game ... they deserve it! They're all nut-jobs. I didn't actually come up with the title Bodycount. It was actually one of my other designers in the studio, and soon as he said it, I was, "Of course, it totally fits." %Gallery-87733%
Bodycount confirmed for Xbox 360, PS3; early 2011 release
Bodycount says: One! One new gallery of screens from Codies' new IP digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/09/bodycount-confirmed-for-xbox-360-ps3-early-2011-release/'; Taking aim at the "whack-a-mole mechanics" of your typical cover-based shooter, Codemasters is finally ready to take the wraps off Bodycount, the new first-person shooter IP in production at Codemasters Studios Guildford under the direction of Black creator Stuart Black. "Our shredding tech enables us to create a different kind of gameplay, where players and AI can't hide behind indestructible cover," says Black. "Here the environment is constantly changing as the game world is shot to hell; it's going to be a huge amount of fun." That huge amount of fun will be built on the EGO Game Technology Platform, an evolution of Codemasters' EGO Engine, for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The story has something to do with killing 'Targets' – those are the bad guys – on behalf of the 'Network' – ostensibly the good guys. In addition to a full campaign, Bodycount will feature expected FPS enhancements like online multiplayer and co-op modes. Codies' "first internally produced new IP for many years" will be shredding environments in Q1 2011. We'll let executive producer – and former Sony London director – Tom Gillo have the last comically hyperbolic word on Bodycount: "From the jaw-dropping devastation caused by firing into enemies or shredding the world around you in a hail of bullets, Bodycount will crystalize that moment of pulling the trigger into an exhilarating sensory overload of action." %Gallery-87733%
