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What's in a Name: Demiurge Studios
Albert Reed is the studio director and co-founder of Demiurge Studios, the Boston-based team responsible for the forthcoming Shoot Many Robots and a mess of contract work with Harmonix' Rock Band franchise, Gearbox Studios' Brothers in Arms and Borderlands franchises, and many more. Reed discussed the origin of his studio's name during an interview with us at GDC: "Late night with a thesaurus searching for words that mean 'creativity' and 'innovation.' So the demiurge was -- there's a bunch of different interpretations of it, some of which are sort of ... mean to religions. I don't know. But the one that we originated from was the Greek philosopher Plato needed -- there was no one in the Greek pantheon of Gods who sort of created the Earth, there wasn't much of a creation myth there. So the demiurge was sort of responsible for forming the material world. So the Earth and trees and all that stuff, right? And so since we make worlds inside of video games, that seemed appropriate." Shoot Many Robots is being planned for digital launch later this year on consoles, and currently has no publisher. Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.
First shots of 'Shoot Many Robots'
Demiurge Studios released the first trailer and screens of the downloadable action game, Shoot Many Robots, and ... well, the game does what it says on the tin (bonus: it destroy lots of things made of tin). In the trailer after the break and the screens below, you will see little other than robots being shot, save for the occasional image of men (up to four), some of whom are in kilts, on the verge of shooting robots. In fact, the media is so focused on the robots and the shooting thereof, that we have only the briefest glimpse of the included RPG elements -- we can see numbers coming out of the robots as they're shot, and a flash of a screen in which you can upgrade weapons. You know, so you can better do that thing that is the title of the game.%Gallery-117003%
Shoot Many Robots proves there's truth in advertising
We were a little concerned about the first original release from Boston-based Demiurge Studios, despite its nearly 10 years of supporting work on major titles like Mass Effect and Borderlands. Sure, the trailer (just after the break) looks cool, but doesn't Shoot Many Robots sound upsettingly like a product from Idiocracy's dumbtopian future, advertised during a commercial break from "Ow, My Balls!"? But the more we thought on it, the more we realized that there's a certain value to plainly stating what it is you do well, without all the highfalutin language. So, you're releasing an arcadey downloable game on 360 and PS3 about shooting a lot of robots? Why not just say so, Poindexter? Auto and restaurant industries, you're on notice: If we can't buy the "Vroom Get There Fast" and "Good Taste Tummy Full" by the time Shoot Many Robots drops in 2011, you're officially behind the curve.
Schilling's 38 Studios leaving Massachusetts for Rhode Island
38 Studios is OUT ... of Massachusetts. Curt Schilling's studio, which just announced its first project, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, at Comic-Con last week, is moving from Maynard, Massachusetts to Rhode Island. The state will be giving the development house $75 million in loan guarantees. According to The Boston Globe, the studio is obligated to bring 450 direct jobs to Rhode Island by the end of 2012 or face penalties. Massachusetts is home to several high-profile game developers now, including Harmonix, Turbine and Irrational. Demiurge Studios, which will become the state's largest independent studio once 38 leaves, had the most immediate reaction to the news, sending out an open letter to Curt Schilling. Studio CEO William D. Reed, who was the former director of the greater Boston region for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development wrote, "I can assure you more industry professionals than ever call this great state home. A large number of game-focused graduates and brilliant thinkers come from our local colleges and universities, supplying the talent to meet our industry's growing demand. Our businesses are truly fortunate to grow in such a thriving community." The letter concludes that if "anyone on the talented 38 Studios team" wants to stay in Mass., they're welcome to join Demiurge. Keith Stokes, the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., informed the Globe that the state will provide 38 Studios the $75 million in bonds while it adds jobs and meets predetermined milestones. If 38 Studios goes under, RI taxpayers will be left holding the bag.
Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide
That's right, folks -- Harmonix has just revealed that Green Day: Rock Band will be available for all come June 8 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Up to 6 players (3 mics; 3 instruments) will progress through the career of the trio, unlocking collectible images (more than 100, apparently) and some 40 minutes of "rare and unreleased" footage from interviews, outtakes and performances along the way. As alluded to above, GD:RB will also sport the same vocal harmonizing feature that made The Beatles: Rock Band such a delight for mic hogs and comes loaded with 47 Green Day tracks, including "Brain Stew," "Jaded," "Hitchin' a Ride," "American Idiot," "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Oh, and if you're looking to export these tunes, worry not: all 47 tracks are fully exportable to a console hard drive and playable in Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and the recently announced Rock Band 3. The export fee is $9.99 via Xbox Live or PSN. The export features is not available for the Wii system. Additionally, if you've picked up the six Green Day tunes already available as DLC, you can play them in the new game with added harmonies, "unique" visuals and more "exclusive archival material." Green Day: Rock Band will be available as a standalone game for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, while Wii owners will get a bit of a price break at $49.99. A special edition Green Day: Rock Band Plus will also come to Xbox 360 and PS3 for $69.99 and includes fancy packaging, an "export" feature (we assume, a voucher to export the disc tracks to the hard drive) and the six previously released Green Day DLC tracks. Update: The GameStop pre-order bonus for the standalone game is an export voucher (for Xbox 360 or PS3). Essentially, pre-order GD:RB from GameStop, and you can export all 47 tracks to your console hard drive for free. %Gallery-87997%
Harmonix cooperatively developing Green Day: Rock Band with Demiurge, MK12, others
MTV Games has confirmed that Harmonix is working on Green Day: Rock Band. The reiteration follows the widespread misinterpretation of a Demiurge Studios designer's personal blog post, specifically this line: "Not included in the [VGA] announcement was the fact that Demiurge Studios was working on Green Day: Rock Band." A spokesperson for the publisher told Joystiq in a statement, "Green Day: Rock Band is being developed by Harmonix in partnership with Demiurge, MK12 and others." This is not Demiurge's first time working with Harmonix on Rock Band: the studio had also previously worked on the Rock Band Country Track Pack and the Rock Band Metal Track Pack.
