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Rumor: Grin Barcelona worked on Strider, Streets of Rage games
Anait Games published correspondence from an anonymous former employee of GRIN's Barcelona studio, which closed unceremoniously before the main studio did in 2009. The anonymous party went on to identify two projects that were in the works before the closure: an update of Capcom's Strider and a Streets of Rage game.The Strider game had 3D models and concept art, and even a teaser video -- which you can see above. Capcom canceled the project, and GRIN kept working on it, with the intention of changing out the IP. It was only after the failure to get this game picked up that the studio went ahead with Streets of Rage, of which we have yet to see any media.
Music from Grin's canned Final Fantasy game 'Fortress' found unguarded
Before Swedish megastudio Grin collapsed back in aught nine, it was juggling a trillion different projects for a trillion different publishers. One such project that never saw the light of day was a Final Fantasy franchise entry titled "Fortress," which we got a peek at not long after we learned of Grin's closure. And now we're able to hear some music sampled from the game as well, as former music director Erik Thunberg dropped one such track on his portfolio website.So, uh, you may wanna line up these shots of the game with the music playing in another tab, to try and recreate the feeling of the Western-born Final Fantasy game that never was. Hold that Chocobo plushie extra tight.
'Pid' is a pretty platformer from Grin vets Might & Delight, planned for XBLA/PSN/PC in 2012
We're suckers for artsy platformers, so when Beefy Media's Adam Boyes took to Giant Bomb's livestream this evening with a debut trailer for Might & Delight's latest offering, "Pid," and the game was a gorgeous hand-drawn platformer, we were pretty excited to tell you all about it. In Pid, you'll control what appears to be a little boy in a colorful and mysterious world of platforms and robots -- like Limbo and Machinarium had a digital baby, if you will. The trailer showed off a bit of co-op play, as well as a variety of different environments through which to romp. Pid is being built using the Unity engine (like that mystery Square Enix game, among many others), thus making its ubiquity across platforms all the easier. While Boyes admitted the M&D folks don't have a publisher for the game yet, he said they've been actively speaking with publishers and are looking at an Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC release in "the back half of 2012." Expect more details and the trailer tomorrow, on Joystiq, when the game gets announced "officially." Head past the break for a quick snap of the game in action.
Let's play the blame game: Inafune on what went wrong with Capcom's original IP push
In the latter half of 2009 and early 2010, Capcom released two major retail games in collaboration with prominent Western devs: Crimson Skies dev Airtight Games created Dark Void, and gun-for-hire Grin rebooted Bionic Commando. Those two games, however, were prominent sales flops. One even contributed to the eventual closure of Swedish dev Grin. For its part, Capcom promptly returned to its tried and true franchises, with a lineup today featuring many more sequels than back in 2009. At the time, Mega Man co-creator Keiji Inafune was overseeing production on Capcom's retail titles, and when I spoke with him this past week at the Tokyo Game Show, I wanted to know what went wrong. Beyond sales, neither game was particularly loved by critics, especially Dark Void. "[It's] very, very simple: The publisher was Japanese and the developer was foreign. Even inside Japan, when you work in two different companies, they always blame each other for any small mistakes, so that's pretty much what happened in those two games -- blaming each other," Inafune explained. He went on to compare those development experiences with that of Dead Rising -- a game that has since become a major franchise for Capcom, not to mention a commercial success.
Inafune: 'Messed up' working relationship led to Bionic Commando's Wifearm
"At the end of developing Bionic Commando, things got really messed up between the two companies," Mega Man creator and former global head of production at Capcom Keiji Inafune told me in an interview this week. Sitting in a quiet corner of Tokyo Game Show's business area, Inafune was addressing the retail version of BC developed by the now shuttered studio Grin -- a game that helped nail the coffin shut on the Swedish dev house, and scared Capcom off of its big third-party push. In case you weren't aware, at the end of BC's main campaign, it's revealed that the protagonist's bionic arm is, at least partially, made from his dead wife. Seriously. "I don't even know what happened there," Inafune lamented. The project was apparently rife with development issues, which Inafune exemplified with a phrase that represented the attitude Grin and Capcom had for each other at the time: "Whatever, do what you want, I don't care." Though he couldn't say what specifically happened to result in such a bizarre game ending, Inafune explained that the issue of foreign companies working with Japanese ones was at the heart of the situation. "At the beginning, things are very, very good between the two companies. Things get kind of weird from the middle, and it gets really bad at the end -- especially for the Japanese companies," he said of the development process. "They should be more flexible about things," Inafune added, no doubt part of his decision to leave his long-time employer late last year. "If you don't do that, everything will become messed up from the middle. And that's the most important part. Not the beginning, but in the middle and finishing the game."
Payday: The Heist announced, hopes to steal your free time on PSN
The Official PlayStation Blog has announced a brand new title called Payday: The Heist, a downloadable first-person shooter for PSN built around a series of six high-stakes robberies. With AI or fellow co-op players, you'll charge into banks, prisons, and armored cars to get the goods and get out as alive as possible. The graphics look ... serviceable, but there's supposed to be some depth here too, with three classes to play with, and an experience-based upgrade system to unlock new weapons and other accessories. The game's being developed by Overkill Software, and all we know about them is they're run by Bo Andersson, a Swedish developer from Grin, the company that developed Bionic Command: Rearmed and the PC ports for Tom Clancy's GRAW and its sequel. So there's a little pedigree here to begin with. We'll have to see how the game looks in full action later next week at E3.
GRIN founders say Square Enix turned their smiles upside down
Despite shipping three poorly received titles back-to-back – those would be Wanted: Weapons of Fate, Terminator: Salvation, and Capcom's reboot of Bionic Commando – it was still quite a surprise when developer GRIN suddenly closed its doors in August of 2009. Shortly after the shuttering, we learned that the Swedish developer had been working on a new Final Fantasy game titled 'Fortress' for Square Enix and now, nearly two years later, co-founders Ulf and Bo Andersson are finally pointing fingers. And they're both pointing right at Square Enix. "We wanted to come in and revolutionize Final Fantasy, which is exactly what they need," the brothers told Sweden's Aftonbladet in a far-reaching article on the demise of the once-mighty studio. "The latest version sucks of course." After working on Fortress for Square Enix for six months without receiving any payment, the studio simply couldn't afford to stay open. Square Enix, for its part, introduced seemingly impossible restrictions on the delivery of milestones. At one point, GRIN was directed to deliver its code to Japan via fax. Bo Andersson told Aftonbladet, "It is as silly as it sounds. It is an impossible requirement, you can not send ascii or binary codes on the fax. It is backward. Really retarded. It was almost a criminal activity." To make matters worse, Andersson claims that Square Enix then said the milestones were not being sent to the right person and instead should have been sent to the legal department. The Andersson brothers suggest that Square Enix had already made up its mind that Fortress wasn't a project it wanted anymore. "Nothing seemed good enough. Square did not believe anymore that the Nordic style suited Final Fantasy," the Anderssons said. To test their hypothesis, they sent over concept art from Square Enix's own Final Fantasy XII, to which Japan responded, "It does not look like Final Fantasy." While many former GRIN staffers landed at studios like Fatshark, others formed their own outfits, like Might&Delight, Outbreak Studios, and Whiteout. The Anderssons, however, have been hard at work on a new studio, one with a notable change: It won't be dependent on big publishers. They'll be at E3 next week showing off their new project, so expect to learn more about it – and more about the demise of GRIN – then.
Bionic Commando Rearmed reduced on Steam
Steam has restarted its "Midweek Madness" offers now that its two weeks of madness have ended. From now through Thursday at 4PM PST, you can get Bionic Commando Rearmed for just five bucks, half off its normal price! If you've never checked out Bionic Commando, this is a great chance to do so before Rearmed 2 hits on February 1. We promise we won't judge you for never having played Bionic Commando if you do this soon. But we'll warn you, that window's closing. We feel an urge to just completely go off on someone who's never played one of the best NES games ever, or its beautifully executed remake. Five dollars is a small price to avoid that lecture.
Former GRIN devs form Whiteout
From the knocked-out teeth of developer GRIN comes a new studio: Whiteout. GI.biz reports the team is currently working on a CryEngine 3 project, for which it has already created a playable prototype, and will generally focus on downloadable titles. This is likely a wise direction to take, considering Bionic Commando: Rearmed was GRIN's one real success amidst the retail disaster trifecta of Bionic Commando, Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Terminator: Salvation. Whiteout is at least the third studio to respawn (which is a totally different studio) out of the death of GRIN. Outbreak Studios formed before the corpse was even cold, while Might&Delight -- made up of the Rearmed team -- is also grappling new projects.
Interview: Might&Delight's Jakob Tuchten
With little more than a cursory announcement a few weeks back of Might&Delight's existence, the ex-GRIN staffers making up M&D's numbers haven't been vocal about what they're working on next. And according to art director Jakob Tuchten, that's (at least partially) because the future is still somewhat unknown for the fledgling studio. "We have had some really nervous and positive meetings with publishers, and we´re sketching up some promising ideas." M&D has said, however, that it aims to "continue doing what we started with [Bionic Commando] Rearmed ... small, fresh games with strong old school flavor." So when we asked about working on more licensed properties, it wasn't surprising that Tuchten teased, "We have a tasty list with publishers and their old titles that we would love to remake." That said, he added that M&D probably won't head in that direction. Hit the break to find out more about the studio's plans for the future, as well as everything else that Tuchten had to tell us.
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 jumping into Q1 2011
Download in HD from Big DownloadRumored over the weekend to have been revealed at Captivate 2010, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is now official. The game is slated to once again hit Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in Q1 2011 -- no PC version has been announced. While fans might have hoped development would be helmed by Might & Delight, the studio formed by the ex-Grin staffers responsible for the original Rearmed, the task's been handed to Fatshark, the studio behind Lead & Gold. The sequel sees Nathan Spencer return, this time fighting the presumably evil General Sabio, "a new technologically sophisticated foe," who is "on the brink of launching a deadly missile attack." Rearmed 2 also promises new weapons, two-player co-op (no word if it's online this time) and new tunes from the same composers who created the brilliant soundtrack for the original Rearmed. Of course, none of that is important because, as the debut trailer makes quite clear, Nathan has learned how to jump. %Gallery-91177%
Marvel vs Capcom 3 for Xbox 360 & PS3 announced, along with Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 [update]
Update: Capcom has officially announced both Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2. Additionally, a Capcom representative clarified some details about the MvC3 character roster for Joystiq: "We're not necessarily hyping the number of characters with MvC3, we're hyping quality. These aren't just sprites you can plug into the game. This is a full, disc-based release with gorgeous 3D models powered by the latest version of MT Framework. At this point, there are roughly 30 characters in the game, but that number will increase. You can rest assured that Niitsuma-san and his team will be working hard to include as many characters as possible before the game hits next year." Original Story: There have been rumors swirling around about a sequel to Capcom's superhero-flavored fighter Marvel vs Capcom 2 pretty much since the game arrived 10 years ago. And given Capcom's recent success with a Street Fighter revival -- not to mention the sales rampage of MvC2 on XBLA and PSN -- the sequel rumor mill has once again begun turning furiously. This week's press-only Captivate event in Hawaii, held yearly by the Japanese publisher, is said to have showcased just such a sequel in Marvel vs Capcom 3 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, claims PlanetXbox360. At the same event, a sequel to Bionic Commando: Rearmed is alleged to have been announced, though no details were provided in the post. According to the report, MvC3 will receive a retail release "later this year or early 2011" and will run in "full 1080p." Allegedly, while the full character list is unknown, some have been confirmed. "Wolverine, Spider-Man, The Hulk, Magneto, Storm, and a few others will be back; but the team behind MvC3 have said they will be blowing fans out of the water with the sheer number of characters this game includes," alleges PlanetXbox360. The rumored sequel is said to be a nontraditional 2D fighter, which suggests that it could feature 3D elements, as seen in Street Fighter IV. PlanetXbox360 claims we'll hear more about the title next week and that the game will be playable at E3 this June. When reached for comment, Capcom told Joystiq, "We don't comment on speculation and rumors." [Thanks Nathan Garcia!] Editors' note: Joystiq did not attend Captivate this year. We determined the perceived environment, and associated downtime, of the event was not in accordance with our editorial policy. We expect to provide firsthand preview coverage of all Capcom titles shown at Captivate during E3 this June. For more information on our policies, click here.
Might&Delight reassembles GRIN's Bionic Commando Rearmed team
GRIN may be no more, but some of the talent behind the studio is coming back. The team responsible for Bionic Commando Rearmed, arguably GRIN's greatest title, have announced plans to return to game development with a new studio: Might&Delight. Focused on "advancing back to the 80s," the new studio opens today in Stockholm, Sweden. According to a press release, "our ambition is to continue doing what we started with Rearmed. Small, fresh games with strong old school flavor." Starting another team is no small task, so we wish Might&Delight the best of luck on its future endeavors. We can't wait to see what retro revivals it'll be able to come up with.
Rumor: Former GRIN/Square Enix title 'Fortress' tech demo leaked
It's been awhile since we've heard anything about GRIN's "unreleased masterpiece" -- a collaboration with Square Enix (and assumed Final Fantasy off-shoot) titled Fortress. An anonymous report released last September claimed the title was currently in the hands of another, unnamed developer. Yesterday, some tech demo footage purportedly displaying the fruits of said studio's labor landed on YouTube. We've posted said video after the jump. Without any inclination of who is responsible for developing Fortress -- if anyone is developing Fortress -- it's impossible for us to test the credibility of this video. The original poster, YouTube user DiipuSurotu, doesn't mention where the video came from, only stating that it's a tech demo for an "official, but currently unannounced sequel to Final Fantasy XII." We've contacted Square Enix to see what they think of the footage. It doesn't really look like your traditional Squeenix fare, but the character models certainly resemble those featured in the leaked concept art that surfaced last year. Oh, also? There's totally a Chocobo at the 1:15 mark. That's Final Fantasy-y enough for us. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
More abandoned GRIN projects surface
With several canceled games previously revealed by an artist's online portfolio, another online portfolio has now revealed what appear to be two more projects from the recently shuttered developer GRIN. The first features a very angry looking man with a magical, possibly possessed shield. Sketches in the portfolio elaborate on the game's combat system, showing off various gameplay situations like counterattacks and dodges. Other sketches make reference to a ninja game, above, and go into detail about a "Ninja energy" system. Said energy would serve to fuel the game's sweet ninja maneuvers like bullet deflection, super jumps and "shadow dodge". The concept goes on to illustrate other abilities, like mounting the backs of dinosaurs and hijacking enemy vehicles. Also, the ninja's sword looks a bit like the tonfa blade wielded by one Strider Hiryu. That's probably just wishful thinking on our part, though a new Strider was rumored way back in 2008. Of course, these are just sketches, and it's possible any related projects never made it past the planning stages at all. Still, we can't help but wonder about the games that might have been. [Via Siliconera]
Capcom may shift established franchise development overseas, Q1 delays 'strategic'
Capcom will apparently focus original IP development in its Japan-based studios and outsource established franchises to other lands, according to a Question and Answer session (warning: PDF link) posted on the company's investor relations site. No executives are named in the Q&A brief, but the transcript is of a phone meeting with analysts. In it, a Capcom representative states that the reboot of Bionic Commando, developed by the late GRIN, "demonstrated the difficulty of outsourcing the development of [a] new title to overseas companies." The document adds that the company is "considering ways to separate the roles of activities in Japan and overseas." International companies may be used to develop existing games series with "well-established characters and universal themes." A little less clear is this note: "Overseas companies will also handle certain parts and/or lineups of such games." Also mentioned is the "strategic decision" which prompted the recent Q1 2010 delays of major franchises, making for a rocky financial quarter. Capcom allegedly "combines management and development to reach various decisions ... [it] would not decide to postpone the launch of a title" purely for development reasons. Source -- Q&A Summary [PDF Link]
Rumor: GRIN Final Fantasy game in hands of new studio
While the closure of GRIN was sad for many reasons, some of you may have been disappointed never to have seen the company's Final Fantasy project, which we believe is the Fortress game seen in this concept art. Based on word from "sources close to both [GRIN and Square Enix]," GamesIndustry.biz reports that the game is actually still in development -- though obviously no longer by GRIN. So, assuming this new developer finishes the game, you'll get to see GRIN's "unreleased masterpiece" after all. Kind of.In fact, according to the report, GRIN was removed from Fortress after six months due to "quality issues," which means that the game was in someone else's hands before the studio shut down. The loss of the Fortress job may then have contributed to GRIN's financial troubles.
Art from GRIN's canceled projects revealed
We knew that GRIN was working on a project in conjunction with Square-Enix titled Fortress at the time of its closure -- however, the portfolio of Bionic Commando lead character designer Björn Albihn offers a look at a few more of the studio's games which might have been. In addition to concepts from Fortress, the art collection includes a look at a spaghetti-western shooter called The Cult, a PSP game called Switch and a number of character models from an untitled project. All the models look amazing -- particularly the designs for The Cult. Though the smiling developer has closed its doors, we certainly hope these projects will see the light of day in some form or another. [Via Superannuation]
GRAW and Splinter Cell: Double Agent infiltrate Games on Demand
Grab your night-vision goggles and strap on your Kevlar, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Splinter Cell: Double Agent have been added to Xbox Live's Games on Demand service. While GRAW is available in nearly all Xbox Live regions, Splinter Cell: Double Agent is only available to (most) European Xbox Live users. Prices vary by region, but we're confident in saying that no matter where you live, the asking price is probably too high for games that launched in 2006.
GRIN's 'unreleased masterpiece' was a Final Fantasy game codenamed 'Fortress'
GRIN closed its doors last week, causing a flood of ex-staffers to put their work online in the hopes of scoring a job. Tomislav Spajic is one of those former employees and has confirmed on his LinkedIn profile that GRIN's "unreleased masterpiece" was actually a Final Fantasy game for Square Enix. Yeah, we can hardly believe it, too.In fact, Spajic's personal site has a whole bunch of concept art and one of the games listed (called "Fortress") is likely the Final Fantasy game for Square Enix. We've seen it on other ex-GRINners' LinkedIn pages, like Erik Lindqvist's here, where Lindqvist flat-out says, "During 2009 I've been working on the preproduction for an unannounced, and now canceled project with the production name 'Fortress' for Square Enix."[Via superannuation]
