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Report: Sony closing BigBig Studio, linking Cambridge with Guerrilla
Sony is closing the UK's BigBig Studio right after it finished work on Vita launch title Little Deviants, following a regular review of SCE Worldwide Studios, Develop reports. The review also led to a restructuring of Sony's Cambridge studio, which will now work closely with Guerrilla Games to release a Killzone title on Vita. Sony issued a statement to GamesIndustry about the closure: "It has also been proposed that BigBig Studio should be closed. BigBig have been an important part of SCE Worldwide Studios since joining in 2007. However, it was felt that by focusing on other Studios that are currently working on exciting new projects, we would be in a stronger position to offer the best possible content for our consumers." The number of people affected by BigBig's closure or the restructuring of Cambridge is unknown, but we hope it's tiny(tiny).
Race against the Motorstorm: Arctic Edge devs tomorrow
The development team at Bigbig Studios -- who are ironically comprised of employees under 5 feet tall on average* -- will face off against Motorstorm: Arctic Edge players tomorrow in an evening multiplayer event. According to the PlayStation UK Blog, the event will take place on European servers from 17:30 GMT (1:30PM EDT) to 19:00 GMT (3:00PM EDT). Along with (probably) destroying the community at the PSP racer they made, the developers will offer a live Twitter commentary to the Europe-only event. That's right. Bigbig Studios is so confident they will destroy the opposition they will be tweeting as they race. That, kids, is called confidence. *This information is probably not accurate.
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge dev diary is cold as ice
Here's the takeaway message from the first installment in a series of four developer diaries for Motorstom: Arctic Edge: It's a lot like Motorstorm, only smaller, and covered in snow.However, this omnipresent precipitation introduces several subtle nuances to the gameplay, including avalanches, crumbling ice bridges and vehicular bobsledding. If you're now looking forward to feeling de rhythm and feeling de rhyme, check out the video diary after the jump.
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge races to retail Sept. 29, download Oct. 1
If you're looking to get downright chilly in Sony's upcoming Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, know that you won't have to sweat the summer heat much longer, because PlayStation Blog has confirmed that the PSP version of the game will slide into retail September 29 and become available as a PSP Go launch download on October 1. Both releases are priced at $39.99 and include 12 reversible tracks and eight vehicle classes. If, however, you were hoping for yet another excuse not to upgrade your console hardware (but how can you resist?), you're going to have to a wait a bit longer for the PS2 version of Artic Edge, which will release "later this fall." The console port features everything in the PSP game, plus an old-school, in-your-face, split-screen multiplayer mode.
Joystiq impressions: MotorStorm Arctic Edge (PSP)
click to enlarge MotorStorm is about to roll onto the PSP for the first time with a new title -- and it's not even a port! MotorStorm Arctic Edge, developed by Bigbig Studios (the guys responsible for Pursuit Force), made an appearance at the recent Sony Gamers Day event and took us for a ride through its chilly environments. If all those word things after the break aren't your thing, be sure to give the screenshots in our gallery a long, cold stare.%Gallery-51347%
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge supports 8-person online multiplayer
Game director Richard Ogden recently spoke with Pocket Gamer regarding the upcoming PSP installment in the MotorStorm franchise, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge. Ogden talked about transitioning from BigBig Studios' previous PSP game, Pursuit Force, but, more importantly, dropped some tasty details concerning multiplayer. He said folks will be able to break up the monotony of racing against CPU players with some racing against actual people in the form of 8-person multiplayer through Ad Hoc and Infrastructure Mode. Ogden also went on to talk about the new engine created just for Arctic Edge, as well as the environmental hazards players can expect to encounter traversing the game's icy tundras, so give the interview a read here.%Gallery-45751%
Sony dished out 16 million for Motorstorm devs
While it may not be the most exciting news to grace your face (so to speak), it's still something that a lot of curious minds want to know. Ever since the announcement of Sony buying out Evolution and BigBig Studios, something in the back of our minds asked "how much? Those studios are relatively small, right?" but we weren't told anything at all, until now.Turns out the deal was made for around £16 million, which equates to roughly $33 million. In addition to the deal, we've come to learn that, as is natural with development studios, they're hard at work on other titles. Evolution has undoubtedly started work on Motorstorm 2. We're just glad Sony brought these guys under their wing -- maybe their next installment will fix whatever was broken in the original.
TGS07: Sony nabs Evolution and BigBig Studios
At Kaz Hirai's keynote speech, there were only a few, erm, key announcements made. One of these was the DualShock3. Another was the expanded remote play presentation and a third was the delay of Home. Another tidbit worth mentioning is Sony's acquisition of Evolution and BigBig Studios, makers of MotorStorm and Pursuit Force, respectively. These are part of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios now and will be overseen by Phil Harrison. Philly H released this statement regarding the acquisition: "Our strategy is to create the best games by working with the best talent and Evolution and Bigbig are world-class additions to our team ... The incredible people in these studios further extend the depth and skill of the industry's largest platform-exclusive development resource." We're glad to hear it and expect to hear new games coming from Evolution Studios soon. BigBig is releasing their second Pursuit Force game on the PSP at the beginning of October.
Pursuit Force designer promises "the whole cow" for meatier PSP sequel
Designers say the darnest things sometimes. Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice lead designer for Chris Whiteside recently sat down for an interview with IGN and immediately responded to past forum suggestions and direct pleas for more content in the sequel. According to Chris, "many people commented on forums that they wished there was a little more 'meat on the bone', and with Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice you get the whole cow." No kidding. For the second go-round, the team of developers decided to sit down for a fireside chat with Hollywood script writers to encapsulate that "blockbuster-type feel" and from the sounds of it, it worked. The extra content includes Pursuit Force "recruits" that will have "their own behaviors and characteristics" of which to help the player progress. The game will also feature a new "Boss" feature, in which the boss battles seem more of a stage on their own, taking the player "onto huge vehicles and navigating huge hazards to reach your opponent." Lets see. 24 new weapons (including our all-time favorite in just about any game, the flamethrower), assault rifles, rocket launchers, 54 drivable (and more responsive) vehicles, control sentry guns, hovercrafts, 4-player ad hoc wireless, story mode with purchasable content, three difficulty settings and more ... the whole cow, no kidding. Look for more on Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice as we near its September release. %Gallery-3216%
Pursuit Force sequel: Extreme Justice on PSP & PS2
Bigbig Studios is giving it another shot. Despite the original Pursuit Force falling short of expectations (the North American release was admittedly better tuned), SCEE is giving the developer another chance, announcing Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice for PSP -- and PlayStation 2. Both versions are tentatively planned for release in Europe this summer; apparently giving the PSP version no lead-time.Extreme Justice looks to build off of the same over-the-top action featured in the original. Tanks, trains, and airplanes will be added to the mix of vehicles you can jump between, along with a bike and sidecar, jet skis, helicopter, and hovercraft. In addition, players will be assisted by an AI-controlled task force with characters who specialize in air support, high-speed support, special ops, and heavy assault. The "Justice Bar" will also be added to the playing field, a crutch of sorts, granting rookie super-cops the ability to regain strength and prolong missions.The PSP version will ship with a 4-player ad hoc mode. For PS2, 2-player split-screen multiplayer will be added.[Via PSP Fanboy]
