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Bleszinski: On-disc DLC an unfortunate necessity
With the recent kerfuffle surrounding Street Fighter X Tekken's on-disc downloadable content, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski chimed in on the issue, calling it "an ugly truth of the gaming industry." Speaking to GameSpot, the well-known designer noted that prior to a game finally shipping, there are "often three or four months where the game is basically done," leaving developers with "an idle team that needs to be working on things."For the sake of compatibility, some downloadable content may need to be located on the disc itself. "It's an ugly truth of the gaming industry," Bleszinski added, "I'm not the biggest fan of having to do it, but it is one of the unfortunate realities." Once the industry goes entirely digital, he said, the issue will be obsolete.Capcom recently raised the ire of its fans when it was discovered that upcoming downloadable characters were already on the disc. The publisher stated that the content was included on the disc in order to ensure compatibility by offering a "single, unified version of the game." In a response to Better Business Bureau complaints, the company later stated its belief that there is "effectively no distinction" between bonus content included on a disc and downloaded content.
Gears of War: Exile was once a thing, isn't a thing anymore
Way back in January 2011, a trademark for Gears of War: Exile surfaced on the US Patent and Trademark office website. Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski has revealed the studio was working on a project named that, but that it has since been canned."Let's just bury the hatchet now," he told Gamespot here at PAX East. "Gears of War: Exile was an unannounced game that I can't give any details about that has since been cancelled." Outside of the existence of the trademark, there really isn't any other information.Some speculated Gears of War: Exile was to be a Kinect title and an on-rails experience, but without any further information from Epic it looks like we're left to speculate on what could've been.
Mike Capps: Epic Games has a PC-exclusive game in the works
Gears of War and Fortnite dev Epic Games is getting back to its roots with a PC-exclusive project, creative lead Cliff Bleszinski and president Mike Capps announced today during a PAX East panel. "We might be working on a PC-only title," Capps teased, before Bleszinski picked up where he left off: "Let me say that again: we are working on a PC game."The panel is still going on, but we'll be sure to chat to the Epic folks as soon as it's over.Update: Epic Games prez Mike Capps told us after the panel that the unannounced PC project is currently underway, and that the current plans are to keep the game exclusive to the PC platform. Unsurprisingly, he wouldn't tell us anything else.
These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier
Everyone in the industry has a story about their formative experiences with video games, but Jon-Paul Dyson, the director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, was a bit more blunt than most."Great artists don't borrow. They steal," Dyson said, borrowing a quote from Pablo Picasso as he introduced Wil Wright, Sid Meier, John Romero, and Cliff Bleszinski. Speaking in front of a packed house at GDC, the four industry luminaries shared the games that inspired them as creators, and continue to influence them today.
Cliff Bleszinski to host GDC Awards, Schatz returns for IGF Awards
Planning to attend GDC? If you are, you'll get to see everyone's favorite design director of Epic Games, Cliff Bleszinski, host the 12th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, replacing Double Fine's Tim Schafer as host. The Independent Games Festival Awards is kicking it old-school with 2007-2009's host, Andy Schatz of Monaco, winner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and Excellence in Design awards in 2010's IGF. Peruse the list of finalists for both award shows right here, and look for winners to be announced March 7 from GDC.
Cliff B talks Fortnite: 'There's no dudebros in it'
We cornered Epic lead Cliff Bleszinski on the VGAs red carpet yesterday to talk about the newly announced Fortnite, and he says that it'll be very different fare from the popular Gears of War series. "There's no dudebros in it," he told us outright. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, right? But creatively for the team, Gears has been amazing for us. But it's fun to kind of stretch our wings and do something that's a little different from the usual." Epic's Lee Perry is the project lead on this one, but Bleszinski says that he definitely is involved in playing the game and giving feedback on development. "It was a project that was pitched internally. I was a staunch supporter of the idea, because the game is just like a no-brainer -- I was like yes." So Epic is hard at work on Fortnite, Chair Entertainment is doing Infinity Blade on iOS, and we're curious as to what Bleszinski is up to lately. "I just hang out at the beach these days," he joked. "No, trust me, I have plenty to work on, it's just a lot of unannounced stuff. Trying to figure out where a lot of things are going in the next five years." Given the success of Chair's iOS offerings, is that platform something that Epic's main branch would consider making games for? Bleszinski says no. "If we were to do that, which we're not, we'd probably make like six or seven iOS games. Our bread and butter is still with triple A and it's still largely with console, but it remains to be seen what happens."
Epic's Cliffy B teases 'fresh, new experience' to be revealed at VGAs
We've been let down by Epic teasing new IP in the past, so we're a bit wary of tipping you off on this one. That said, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski took to an official Spike Video Game Awards promo himself to hint at a big reveal coming from his studio this week. "An entirely fresh, new experience" is what Bleszinski characterizes the unveiling as, specifically noting that it doesn't have anything to do with Gears of War or Infinity Blade. Presumably, the reveal does have something to do with the once teased GDC 2011 announcement (the announcement that never happened), as well as the recent hirings, though Bleszinski isn't offering up much else in the clip. Okay, okay -- he also offers that the project is being developed internally at the Cary, NC headquarters for Epic. Otherwise, like you, we'll find out what the big secret is when the VGAs air later this week. Peep the teaser right here in the meantime.
Bleszinski: 'Code magic' can still squeeze power out of 360
Speaking to Next-Gen, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski expressed his belief that developers can still sap some untapped potential from Microsoft's Xbox 360. Said Bleszinski, "With creative programming you can squeeze anything out of any given platform," adding that all is needed is "a little code magic." Bleszinski stated that Epic employed such magic in creating Gears of War 3, noting, "We're now at at the point where it's not learning how to use the hardware, it's learning to trick the hardware into doing what you want it to do." He compared the current state of Xbox 360 to the end of the Super Nintendo era, when programmers "started using Mode 7 in ways you never expected." Presumably he's not talking about go-karts and turtle shells.
Gears of War 3 campaign DLC will focus on different cast
We know to expect the voice of Aisha Tyler in upcoming Gears of War 3 campaign DLC, but the rest of the cast remains a mystery. Posting in a NeoGAF thread, designer Cliff Bleszinski shared some additional details, explaining that the story won't be focused on the game's core cast. And though it won't be based on the Gears of War graphic novels either, former Stranded-turned-COG Michael Barrick will appear. "No, it won't be the graphic novel, but it will have all new campaign content that doesn't have Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird in it," Bleszinski wrote. "Expect Barrick and more..." We're assuming Aisha Tyler won't be the one playing Barrick.
Bleszinski: Shadow Complex 2 is 'largely designed' and 'sitting there'
Remember when we told you that Shadow Complex 2 was probably going to come out, even though Epic focused on a new iOS title, Infinity Blade, after releasing Shadow Complex? Turns out we were right. Again. Epic's Cliff Bleszinski confirmed to Gamasutra that Shadow Complex 2 is "largely designed" and is just "sitting there." Bleszinski said Epic and Chair Entertainment, the developer behind Infinity Blade and Shadow Complex, are looking for a partner to help finish the sequel. Even though it left Shadow Complex 2 behind, Bleszinski said developing Infinity Blade for iOS was the right move: "We needed a flagship product for iOS, plain and simple," he said. "And we could have ported Shadow Complex, but it would have been a lot of work and it might not have been the right fit. And then Donald Mustard suggested Punch Out!! with swords with RPG layers and we were like, 'Yes!'" Update: We got a comment from Chair, which reads: In a recent interview, Cliff reiterated the same thing ChAIR's Donald Mustard has said in the past and Epic President Mike Capps commented on a few weeks ago. Following the release of Shadow Complex, ChAIR did some really great design work on Shadow Complex 2. ChAIR then shifted gears to develop Infinity Blade upon noticing a huge opportunity with the emerging iOS market. In regards to the "looking for partners" comment, its likely Cliff was referring to a potential publishing partner. Given the tremendous popularity of Shadow Complex, there's a ton of interest in a sequel and plenty more we'd like to do in that universe. We're confident we'll revisit when the right opportunity presents itself.
Bleszinski would 'love' to make a Kinect game
Even though nothing's come of that Kinect-compatible Gears of War rumor, it doesn't mean Bleszinski isn't open to devloping with Microsoft's peripheral in mind. He told IndustryGamers that while he'd like to give it a go, it's really an issue of time and money. Isn't that always the case? "If I had unlimited amounts of time and a team I could sit down and make a cool Kinect game, and I would love to, but it's a matter of time and opportunity costs right now," he said. While we knew long ago there wouldn't be any Kinect functionality in Gears of War 3, we fully expect something down the line. As one of Microsoft's most successful franchises on Xbox, we wouldn't count the series out after the release of its third game this September. But as of right now, there isn't any indication to suggest that a Kinect-compatible Gears is more than just a brilliant idea bouncing around the internet's collective noggin.
Gears of War 3 single-player preview: Two paths coming together
During Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, Cliff Bleszinski and Ice-T took to the stage to show off some single-player co-op action in Gears of War 3. In a small room high above Microsoft's booth here at the LA Convention Center, I was given an extended look at that sequence by Bleszinski himself, who was keen to show me the destructive capabilities of the mech, which I would ultimately get to see more of in my time with Horde mode. As you can imagine, the Silverback mech is pretty powerful. But before we could get to that, Bleszinski set the scene. "The section we saw at the press conference showed Marcus and Dom on a flotilla, dealing with a Lambent Leviathan. It's ultimately taken out by them in a Silverback while Cole and Baird up above take a giant crate of Tickers and empty it onto it. Once we're done with Marcus and Dom, we're going to swap over to Cole and Baird and play with them during that same sequence." %Gallery-125877%
Bleszinski: Master Chief passed on a Gears of War 3 cameo
Curious as to why the Xbox 360's two biggest exclusive shooters never managed to fuse, forming some kind of chimera made of space armor and hilariously disproportionate guns? Wonder no more -- in a recent interview with Complex, Gears of War' designer Cliff Bleszinski revealed, "I actually approached Microsoft on getting Master Chief into the game, but those guys are kind of squeamish." He jokingly added, "If you had to break it down, I'd say that Gears is like Mortal Kombat and Halo is like Street Fighter." From there, things get ... a little grisly. Bleszinski said, "if we were to get Master Chief, we'd get his model, put him in a COG suit, make it blow up, and do some test animation work. We'd have to see what his head looks like being blown to smithereens or how his arm would look getting sawed off." We're not sure the ol' arm-saw technique's gonna work on MC. After all, this is the same guy who can get shot point blank by a rocket-propelled grenade without suffering any structural damage.
Bleszinski: Gears 3 multiplayer has to be good, or 'the franchise is dead'
Not only are we excited about the prospect of joining the Gears of War 3 beta next month because, you know, of all the dude-sawing -- we're also hopeful that the tests will prevent a rough start-up for the full game's multiplayer experience. In an interview with IGN, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski acknowledged (the beta test-less) Gears of War 2's less-than-optimal online offerings at launch, saying the developer "can't afford to make that mistake twice." The outspoken developer explained, "if we release Gears 3 and it has the same launch as Gears 2 online then the franchise is dead." He later added, "to be fair, over the course of the six title updates, we got Gears 2 in a very good position. And we need to take it to great. And that's what this will help do." We've got another suggestion for making the game "great" -- two chainsaws. One on your gun, and another one on your chainsaw. Chainsawsaw.
Bleszinski: Marry gamers, don't date them (or: design long-term engagement for fans)
In a candid talk during the Game Developers Conference on Thursday, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinksi advised attendees to "have an educated gut," and to be cognizant of the value of marketing and long-term relationships with customers. He encapsulated his talk in the "power creative," a project member who is unique, valuable and visibly tied to the game's identity. "This could be anyone," Bleszinski said. With consumers constantly immersed in an information feed -- via social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook -- it's important for game designers to be "surgical" and "devious" in creating IPs that thrive in an always-on, heavily branded world. According to Bleszinski, the market only tolerates games that land on the far ends of the spectrum between freemium or "snack" games and big-budget productions like Gears of War. "I believe the middle class game is dead."
Unreal: Cliff Bleszinski really likes musicals
Listen, just because Cliff Bleszinski makes games where you chainsaw dudes in half doesn't mean the man can't feel. Like, take this interview with Adult Swim about his favorite shows for instance, in which he admits that he kinda, sorta loves musicals: I can enjoy a twisted, strange movie like [Funny Games] but also be like, "Sweet! Chicago's on Blu-ray now! Let's go see The Lion King on Broadway! Oh my God, I love Wicked!" ... There's this weird dichotomy going on with my tastes. I think it's important to enjoy all spectrums of entertainment that way. Well, this certainly explains why so many Epic games feature highly choreographed knife fights between rival gangs. Also, because we were all thinking it: This. ... No? Well, we were thinking it.
Gears of War 3 multiplayer preview: Dedicated to the fans
When Gears of War 2 launched, its mutliplayer community quickly singled out two distinct issues: the nerfed shotgun and a mess of glitches, including a host exploit that was allowing unscrupulous players to gain an unfair advantage. Epic would eventually address these issues through title updates, but one serious problem remained: all of those damn cheaters. These ne'er-do-wells plagued the community until the bottom fell out, leaving only a dedicated core group of players. You won't find too many folks playing much Gears 2 these days. For Gears of Wars 3 multiplayer, Epic is adding dedicated servers, the community's most requested feature, which design director Cliff Bleszinski describes as "the best way" to combat cheating. %Gallery-117484%
Cliff Bleszinski talks Bulletstorm's development, canned co-op
Speaking to the Telegraph, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski discussed the development process of Bulletstorm. He noted that the game began as a cover-based, third-person shooter akin to Gears of War "but in a world that felt like you were eternally in a factory that manufactured sparks." Over time, the team came up with the leash and sliding, and changed over to the first-person perspective that we see today. The leash in particular changed the gameplay, with Bleszinski noting, "we realized people were playing with their enemies like a cat plays with a mouse before he takes it out, so we thought why not reward people for that, and so the points system came along." Another interesting tidbit: Bulletstorm originally had campaign cooperative play, but it was eventually removed. According to Bleszinski, co-op killed the game's pacing: it "just broke down, and it was a situation where people would race through the game, ignoring the vistas and they wouldn't set up as many skillshots," he said. That's probably for the best, because we're not sure today's processors could have handled the profanity generated by another Bulletstorm character anyway.
3DS, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Bleszinski talks at GDC
We're guessing Satoru Iwata will talk about the 3DS during his Game Developers Conference keynote. But it's even safer to assume that Nintendo's Hideki Konno will mention the system during his newly-announced GDC talk, called "The Development Process of the Nintendo 3DS". Konno works as producer for Nintendo hardware, and is also producing Nintendogs + Cats, so he should have at least a passing familiarity with the hardware. A third high-profile Nintendo talk has also been announced: Nintendo's Kensuke Tanabe and Retro Studios' Michael Kelbaugh and Bryan Walker will present "We Hate You: Why Donkey Kong Country Returns was So Hard". Okay, it's actually called "Donkey Kong: Swinging Across Oceans" and it's about developing the game across continents. GDC also announced one more marquee presentation: Cliff Bleszinski's "Industry Lessons Learned and Applying Them to the Road Ahead", a wide-ranging talk about "Bleszinski's thoughts on AAA gaming, social gaming, and the connected future" as well as the importance of PR and marketing to game design.
Epic Games to reveal new IP at GDC 2011
Cliff Bleszinski said recently that Epic Games would unveil a brand new IP at next year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. This will be a brand new universe, unrelated to anything Epic has done before, according to Bleszinski. "Gamers votes with their dollars and they often like established IP, but those IPs came from somewhere, right?" he told EGM. "Call of Duty was crafted by the original Medal of Honor guys. Gears of War was crafted by the original Unreal Tournament guy. I look forward to creating what's next." We pinged Bleszinski ourselves to try and find out what platform Epic is aiming for, but he tells us there's "not much to say yet." The company has had a lot of success with Infinity Blade on iOS recently, and has also been rumored to be working on a Kinect title. GDC 2011 kicks off on February 28 -- we'll be there in San Francisco to cover any announcement for you.
