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Rumor: Rockstar New England's QA department laid off
News that our fellow gaming industry professionals have been stripped of their employment is always a bad thing -- even when said professionals work for a studio that we ... kind of ... forgot about. Hey, it's not our fault. Do a quick search for "Rockstar New England," and the only result is a post about the studio's origins published April 2008. They've reportedly been working on an unannounced project since then -- but then again, who isn't these days?According to Kotaku, Rockstar New England (formerly Mad Doc Software) just axed about 10 percent of its staff -- including the entire quality assurance department. Unnamed sources reported Rockstar is cutting QA across the board in favor of having a single QA studio -- a fact that doesn't bode well for the non-bugginess of Grand Theft Auto V. Strangely enough, Rockstar New England's site says the studio is hiring for a few programming and designing positions. Rarely do gaming studios have such Wal-Mart-esque turnover.We've contacted Rockstar to find out if Kotaku's sources were accurate.
Rockstar acquires Mad Doc Software, forms Rockstar New England
There's a brand new face for us to lovingly stick into our Take-Two Family Album -- Rockstar New England. Take-Two's Rockstar Games has announced the formation of the studio following the acquisition of Andover, MA-based Mad Doc Software, "one of the premier independent development studios in North America." The praise release continues with Rockstar founder, Sam Houser, weighing in on the purchase."The team at Mad Doc Software is extremely talented," he said. "Bringing them within the Rockstar Games family will enhance our core technology and further support our commitment to creating progressive and innovative gaming experiences."C'mon everybody, let's join in singing the praises of the studio that most recently worked on the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition! What's that? We can't hear you! We seem to be experiencing audio difficulties! Hello?!
Trek writer encourages more storytelling in games
After Bethesda Softworks acquired the rights to make Star Trek games last year, they hired famed screenplay writer D. C. Fontana (Trek, Babylon 5, Earth: Final Conflict) and her writing partner Derek Chester to script the storylines for Star Trek Legacy and Star Trek: Tactical Assault. Fontana's participation in these projects underscores a growing trend in game development, where top writing talent is being brought in to supplement next generation production values. She believes this is healthy for the industry: "Today, the games have to have more going on in them--story, character, crisis or conflict, goals. Because of that, I believe writers will begin to see the possibilities in this form of storytelling."Fontana also penned Activision's well-received Bridge Commander, and Legacy has promising previews. However, the valuable experience that Hollywood writers and bestselling authors bring to the table doesn't always guarantee a successful game. While R. A. Salvatore's Demon Stone may have been a decent platformer, not even Chris Claremont could save X-Men: The Official Game, and Dungeons & Dragons writer Keith Baker's efforts weren't enough to overcome the uninspired gameplay of Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom. Still, it's refreshing to see a focus on narrative that has served companies like BioWare so well.Star Trek Legacy will be released next week for the PC and Xbox 360, and will feature the voice talent of all five starship captains from Archer to Janeway. Hopefully, it will fare better than its handheld sibling Tactical Assault, which has suffered a Khan-like wrath from gaming critics.
Star Trek: Legacy updated screens
Bethesda Softworks (Elder Scrolls: Oblivion) and Mad Doc Software have released 10 new screens from Star Trek: Legacy, which will combine strategy and squad-based shooting elements across all the Trek settings. Take the captain's chair of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Borg vessels this holiday season.See also: Star Trek Online tidbits
