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The Last of Us making-of documentary now on YouTube
Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us, a documentary that chronicles the creation of Naughty Dog's post-pandemic PlayStation 3 action game, is now free to watch on YouTube. Previously available as an exclusive bonus for The Last of Us Season Pass buyers, Grounded tackles the game's development from pitch to release, explaining a number of design choices developer Naughty Dog made along the way. This week's YouTube release follows up on Grounded's recent launch on Amazon Instant Video. Fair warning: Grounded occasionally delves into spoiler territory, so you might want to hold off on watching it until after you've completed the game's single-player campaign. [Image: Sony]
The Last of Us documentary 'Grounded' now on Amazon Instant
Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us, the behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the development of The Last of Us, is now available on Amazon Instant Video. The documentary follows developer Naughty Dog's creative process and provides insight into how the studio successfully cultivated a new IP following Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Formerly exclusive to The Last of Us season pass holders, this 85-minute feature is only available to Amazon users in the US right now, but Sony says it'll also be made available on the company's YouTube channel eventually. Grounded was produced by Area 5, the outfit formed by ex-1UPers in 2009. Area 5 has since produced I Am Street Fighter, a documentary on the community surrounding arguably the most popular fighting game franchise on the planet, and most recently successfully crowd-funded a six-episode series highlighting the culture of video games, called Outerlands. [Image: Naughty Dog]
I Am Street Fighter filmmakers creating documentary series Outerlands
Area 5's newest project is a documentary-style series called Outerlands. The group of filmmakers are taking to Kickstarter to fund the first six-episode season of the show, requesting $210,000 by February 15 to produce it. The team has already raised over $25,000 towards its goal. While Outerlands is vaguely about the "people and culture of videogames," the project's Kickstarter pitch video hints at the numerous topics Area 5 plans to cover, such as game preservation and e-sports. The team has stretch goals that start at $300,000 and reach $1 million, some of which will provide funding for additional freelance artists and musicians like Fez creators and composers Phil Fish and Disasterpeace as well as Sound Shapes composer Jim Guthrie. Formed in 2009, Area 5 comprises five former 1Up Show staffers, who created the I Am Street Fighter and Grounded: Making The Last of Us documentaries.
Capcom officially uploads I Am Street Fighter documentary to YouTube
Capcom has made sure-you-can (get it?) watch the 72-minute Street Fighter documentary, I Am Street Fighter: 25 Years of Inspiration, with YouTube's first non-pirated copy uploaded to the Street Fighter YouTube page. The documentary, created by Area 5 and originally released as part of the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector's Set, explores the creation, history and fandom of the Street Fighter series, and features series producer Yoshinori Ono and former Capcom community manager Seth Killian. If you were sad to miss out on the 25th Anniversary Collector's Set of the game, or just wanted to see why the Street Fighter series has had such a lasting impact on the world of gaming, check it out. Just make sure to grab some popcorn and sit somewhere comfy, because you're gonna be there for awhile.
Area 5 producing monthly 'Atomix' magazine for iPad
Area 5, who produces the Co-op video series, has partnered with Mexican game mag Atomix to make your iPad useful. They launched an English-language version of Atomix yesterday as an iPad-native app, with articles and layouts designed to take full advantage of the device. You can swipe to scroll through articles, tilt to load galleries, and play embedded video within each article. It's also really pretty! The app is downloadable for free through the App Store. Each month, a new issue will be available in-app for 99 cents. For a preview of the magazine (or for a chance to experience it vicariously, if you don't have an iPad) check the video after the break.
1UP Show staff returns as Area 5 with new show
Unwilling to let a little thing like no longer being gainfully employed slow them down, the 1UP Show team of Ryan O'Donnell, Matt Chandronait, Cesar Quintero and Jay Frechette have returned with a brand new moniker -- Area 5 -- and a brand new show called CO-OP. The very first episode, available right after the break, features a bevy of former, current and very recently current 1UP staffers recounting their top games of last year.The show currently has no advertising or revenue model, so if you like what you see and hear, perhaps a PayPal tip would be in order.
