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Dirt 3, Operation Flashpoint: Red River due in Q2 2011
"I don't think it does any good to publish in a congested period when everyone's putting out their shooters," Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens told Eurogamer. Instead, you'll see the European publisher's biggest upcoming games, off-road racer Dirt 3 and serious-face shooter Operation Flashpoint: Red River, in the second quarter of 2011. Provided next year's congested first-quarter schedule remains untouched by delays, that puts Codemasters' pair safely outside the commercial blast radius of Killzone 3, Dead Space 2, and Bulletstorm*, and likely a few months before the next Call of Duty. Whilst avoiding it on retail shelves, Cousens is taking a couple of pages from Call of Duty's book -- fluttering in the wind, having been blown up in the library level. "We're not difficult to predict," Cousens said. "If DiRT comes out next year, GRID will come out the following year, and then DiRT will be out the year after that. So you can map us out." As Dirt and Grid alternate, Codemasters aims to have a new F1 racing game out every year, and a new Operation Flashpoint every other year. The publisher hopes to provide "a new IP that sits in opposite years to each other," but as far as racing and action games go, you now know the general strategy for the next five years. By next year, we might also see where, exactly, over-the-top FPS Bodycount fits in. * Actual video game titles.
Everyone agrees: new IP needed for industry 'to survive'
What do Sony's Michael Denny, Square Enix's Yoichi Wada, and Codemasters' Rod Cousens have in common? Okay, they're all middle-aged men that happen to work in the video games industry -- but they also share a common belief in pursuing original IP. "For me the answer is clear, simply, we must support new IP creation to survive as an industry. Consumers crave new things. If we want to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive marketplace, we have to continue to produce new experiences," Denny told GI.biz. Certainly, SCEE has been pushing a lot of new IPs this generation, with Denny overseeing games like Heavy Rain and EyePet. Wada agrees with Denny's sentiment, noting that "as an entertainment company the business won't be viable if we don't continue to nurture new IPs." This may be ironic coming from a company that's releasing a game called Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers this holiday, and both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIV next year, but we can credit them for making The World Ends With You, right? Cousens goes a step further, saying innovation has always been at the heart of the industry. "From day one since we walked in the door we've always tried to be experimental, to be innovative, to take things into new areas and to make it interesting." Obviously, the reason why publishers need to invest in new IPs is clear -- let's not forget that games like Madden used to be an original IP at one point. Source - Sony: Industry needs new IP to survive Source - Wada: Business 'not viable' without new IP Source - Cousens: Industry must pursue new IP
Codemasters CEO: We're an attractive acquisition
Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens went full-out lady of the night in an MCV interview speaking about industry consolidation, saying his company should be considered attractive to potential suiters. Cousens believes Codemasters is "the fastest growing company in the fastest growing entertainment sector" and believes it is "unrivaled" as a privately-owned company.Well then, wow, that's coming on strong. Codemasters did have an admittedly strong 2007 despite the mixed quality of games like Overlord, Dirt and Jericho. The company is also planning its Codemasters Online convention for Birmingham, England in March. We'll keep an eye on who is checking out Codemasters from the streets and certainly report if anybody puts money down for a good time.
