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Let Cliff Bleszinski show you Bulletstorm's 'Hideout' level
Stylish and thoroughly sadistic, Bulletstorm -- the arcade-style FPS from People Can Fly and Epic Games -- was one of the best things we played at E3. Naturally, we wanted more ... and its creators have delivered, in the form of the new walkthrough video found after the break. But it's not any old walkthrough. This one's narrated by none other than Gears of War creator and Epic's designer director, Cliff "Seriously, Don't Call Me CliffyB" Bleszinski. Marvel at the carnage that unfolds in the newly revealed "Hideout" level. Cower behind desk furniture as a storm of bullets rips apart space pirates. Forgive us for being so melodramatic -- we just really dig this game so far.
'Alice: Madness Returns' trademarked by EA
Electronic Arts has submitted a trademark application for "Alice: Madness Returns," a possible name for the previously announced sequel to American McGee's Alice. Beyond an "unofficial" teaser video for the sequel released in late 2009, details on the project have been slimmer than the Queen of Hearts' soldiers. We've contacted EA for info on what's down the rabbit hole.
DeathSpank dispensing co-op justice on PSN July 13, XBLA July 14
DeathSpank, Monkey Island co-creator Ron Gilbert's homage to Diablo, has been fully loaded with laughs and is ready to make its debut on PSN July 13, arriving on Xbox Live Arcade the next day, July 14 (barring any temporal anomalies). We played the game a couple months back and were smitten with its charm, humor, loot and bacon. What we didn't see back then was DeathSpank's cooperative mode. Since there can only be one DeathSpank (we don't think the world could handle two of him) player two will control his spell-casting sidekick, Sparkles the Wizard. We're sure Sparkles is just fine with his silly name, so long as he gets to tag along with the Hero to the Downtrodden. DeathSpank will loot your wallet for $14.99 on PSN and 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) via the Xbox Live Marketplace. %Gallery-96046%
Bulletstorm kills retail with skill on February 22, 2011
Epic Games' Cliff Blezsinski took the stage at the EA keynote to show off People Can Fly's Bulletstorm. Thankfully, he had more than a new trailer with which to scare your dick off (that's an actual phrase in the game, by the way) and confirmed a launch date of February 22, 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 EA Partners title. Would you like to know more? Feel free to crack open our preview and sup on its delicious juices.
THQ Partners program to assist publishers and developers with global distribution
Amidst the seemingly endless barrage of recent business announcements from game developers and publishers, THQ revealed its new "THQ Partners" program, led by former THQ wireless head Tim Walsh. Rather than mirroring similar initiatives at EA and Activision, THQ seems to be taking a different approach to its program: the publisher will be assisting developers and publishers in the US to bring their games to a global audience. Like the aforementioned EA and Activision initatives, however, there's a heavy focus on pedigree. "I'm looking forward to working with a select number of world-class developers and publishers to distribute their great games through our global network," Walsh says of his new position, briefly touching on the "quality over quantity" mantra repeatedly preached by THQ as of late. THQ Global Publishing executive VP Ian Curran echoes the sentiment, adding, "THQ Partners is charged with maximizing the efficiencies of our global distribution network by enhancing our product offerings with quality games from developers and publishers who don't have the benefit of our extensive retail and online sales operations." In human speak, "enhancing our product offerings with quality games" means "we're going to publish good games, and more of them," and those other parts in there talk about working harder to bring more games to more markets, on a global scale. Though we've reached out to see if THQ is already in talks with developers and publishers, the announcement says that Tim Walsh and THQP "will be meeting with interested parties at E3." Update: Tim Walsh answers some questions on the new program for us after the break.
Interview: Insomniac Games' Ted Price on going multiplatform, EA Partners
After announcing a new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 project with EA Partners, Insomniac Games faces a bombardment of questions from fans and press. We fired off some of our own earlier today in an interview with Insomniac CEO Ted Price and EA Partners' Global Marketing VP, Craig Rechenmacher, and while the prolific developer remains tight-lipped when it comes to discussing the details of the new project, we learned more about the partnership's motivation and scope. Joystiq: This announcement, is this for a single game? Or is this for the entire franchise? Ted Price: This is for a single game. Why not a franchise? Why start with a single game deal? Ted: At Insomniac we actually tend to do game to game deals. We do one deal at a time and our goal is, though, to have a longterm relationship with anybody we work with. As you know we worked with Sony for 14 years and it has been great, and we're looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with EAP as well. Craig Rechenmacher (EAP): Yeah, from our standpoint, we're announcing a one-game deal, but our job is to make this first product a massive success. And if we do that, this is gonna be a long-term relationship. With this announcement, is Insomniac creating more games or spending more individual time on each game it ships? Ted: Well, it's easy for me to answer the last question -- we are definitely spending more time on games these days than we used to. As you may remember, back in the PlayStation One and PlayStation 2 days, we had one team and we were releasing a game a year. And that was a pretty brutal pace for us. However, as the year stretched on, we began to increase the size of the teams and lengthen our production time to add more polish to the game and have more time to tune them. And now we're continuing to do that, making sure the games we release are the absolute best they can be. Having multiple teams also gives us the luxury of sort of leapfrogging -- having staggered releases -- so that we can have a consistent stream of releases over the years. However, as we've moved into the PlayStation 3, we have lengthened our development times.
Insomniac Games joins EA Partners for new PS3 and Xbox 360 project
Insomniac Games' Ted Price has announced a new direction for the company: a multi-platform one. Best known for their PlayStation exclusives (Resistance, Ratchet and Clank), the company has announced a "brand new universe and franchise ... to experience in the coming years." With the goal of providing an "awesome experience for as many players as possible," the game will appear on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, courtesy of Insomniac's new partnership with EA Partners. While PlayStation fans may be stunned by the team's decision to work with a new publisher, Price reassured fans in a blog post that Insomniac's "relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment is still very strong" with "additional projects" planned "exclusively for PlayStation 3." It appears Insomniac's relationship can be considered analogous to that of Bungie's with Microsoft -- Bungie recently signed with Activision to develop multi-platform titles, while still working on the Xbox-exclusive Halo: Reach. Working on Xbox 360 games isn't the only planned change for Insomniac games. While famous for its ability to produce games on an annual cycle, Price says that Insomniac will give focus on spending "more development time to iterate and polish our games." According to Price, "all future Insomniac titles will benefit from longer development cycles, which will directly benefit you, our fans."
DeathSpank trailer dispenses justice, toll-free hotline number
We get to see a little bit more of DeathSpank, the Diablo-like adventure from The Secret of Monkey Island co-creator Ron Gilbert, in the above video just dispatched by publisher EA. We've already spent some hands-on time with the game, which is due to land on PSN and XBLA this summer, and it places petty high on our list of games we want to spend a lot more time with, and soon. Not just because it's fun, but also stupendously funny (not to mention filled with forbidden bacon). You can get an interactive taste of the game's humor right now by calling the DeathSpank Hotline at 1-866-631-1574 (toll-free from the US). It's reassuring to know there's a hero out there ready to dispense justice, vanquish evil and be a hero to the downtrodden in so many different languages!
EA had 'extensive conversations' with Bungie before Activision partnership
What, did you think the company that created Halo only had one gentleman suitor after parting ways with Microsoft? Don't be silly -- the studio, which recently formed a ten-year partnership with publishing supergiant Activision, was also approached by EA last year. David DeMartini, general manager for EA Partners, explained to CVG, "we had extensive conversations with them, but could never really figure out a deal that made sense for both of us. It just didn't come to fruition." Though Bungie was ultimately snatched up by one of EA's biggest competitors, DeMartini claimed that he's not bitter. "I don't want to see them fail - I want them to be successful," he explained. "And when they start up a second team, we'll have other discussions with them about that game as well - because they're a great studio." My, what a twisted, complex love triangle that would be.
Impressions: Bulletstorm
Epic Games and Painkiller dev People Can Fly have finally taken the wraps off Bulletstorm, their FPS collaboration for EA, and it's looking like a brutal yet beautiful love note to fans of over-the-top action. Epic's design director Cliff Bleszinski and Bulletstorm producer Tanya Jessen (who also produced Gears of War on PC) flew in to San Francisco last week to debut the game. The duo kicked things off with the above trailer before getting into the nitty-gritty details in a live gameplay demo, with Bleszinski steeling the crowd for what he considers to be "a mix of Burnout, Duke Nukem and Firefly / Serenity." Bleszinski prefaced the demo by saying that, while still very much into the Gears series, "what really gets me out of bed in the morning is crafting a whole new world" -- something that he's excited to do on this project with the team at People Can Fly in Poland. He says he plays the game three to four times a week to offer his feedback, and that Epic's art and production teams in Raleigh, NC work daily with PCF. He said that Epic also sends techs to the developer on a frequent basis to ensure that it is up to speed on Unreal Engine updates. Whatever they're all doing, it looks amazing -- both from a visual and gameplay standpoint. Blezsinski said that, unlike most modern FPS titles, Bulletstorm "doesn't take itself too seriously," adding that it has the intense action, the headshots and the like, but "does it with a wink and a smile." But what does it do differently? Skillshots. "It's like a cat playing with a mouse before killing it," Blezsinski said of the game's core play mechanic, claiming that it takes the scoring system introduced in Unreal Tournament -- killing sprees, double-kills, etc. -- to "the next level." %Gallery-92124%
'EA Partners Game T.B.A.' headlines changes to EA release calendar for fiscal 2011
[Arrested Development; 20th Century Fox] Not much has changed in EA's game plan for fiscal 2011, which spans April 2010 – March 2011, since the publisher first posted a full release schedule last quarter. Notable changes include Medal of Honor's previously known "delay" from late summer to fall this year and confirmation that the "Shooter from Epic" listed back in February is in fact Bulletstorm, due in the first quarter of 2011. What's new to the release calendar is an "EA Partners Game TBA," for console and handheld/mobile platforms, scheduled for release between October and December this holiday season. The teased listing could be any one of the actually announced EA Partners games in the pipeline, including Rock Band 3 and Grasshopper Manufacture's mystery project, or it could be a truly unannounced title -- we'll see. Also newly penciled in for the fourth quarter of 2010 are the recently announced Monopoly Streets and a "TBA" EA Play game. It should be noted that EA's newly revised calendar omits downloadable console games, which were included on the previous iteration of the calendar. Those entries included a "DTC Game For Console Online" due out in the holiday quarter, as well as an "Action Title TBA" and "Hasbro Title TBA" previously scheduled for the first quarter of 2011. Two EA Partners downloadable releases, Shank and DeathSpank, are expected this summer. Source [PDF] - EA Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2010 Results
Hands-on: DeathSpank (XBLA/PSN)
When a game is described as "Diablo meets Monkey Island," two reactions come naturally: "Neat!," followed by, "Wait a second ... how can that even be possible?" Well, it is. I found this out for myself earlier this week when the 'Stiq had its first hands-on (we'd seen it at PAX 2009) with DeathSpank, the latest game from Ron Gilbert, designer of The Secret of Monkey Island (but not Diablo). His new downloadable game is a fast-paced, button-mashy loot-'em-up, as well as an adventure filled with interesting characters and diabolically funny dialog. Also, it's about bacon and a hero who's favorite number is ... plaid. %Gallery-92049%
Be on the lookout for APB June 29
Attention, all units: EA will release Realtime Worlds' cops-and-robbers MMO APB on PC in North America on June 29, in mainland Europe on July 1 and in the UK on July 2. The initial $50 game purchase, either through retail or by download, will include 50 hours of playtime, as well as "unlimited time" in APB's so-called social districts, where players can customize, chat and trade. When the 50 hours are up, players have the option to purchase 20 more hours for $7, 30 days of unlimited access for $10, or discounted 90- or 180-day passes. In addition, extra playtime can be earned through certain unspecified accomplishments, according to EA: "APB provides avenues for accomplished gamers or creators to earn rewards for their creativity and subsidize their ongoing costs with their in-game efforts." Pre-order incentives, which are currently offered by APB.com, include access to the demo and early access to the full game, plus an assortment of bonus cars, clothing and character Emotes, some of which can be seen in the gallery below. %Gallery-92108%
Pachter: EA, DICE and Respawn will impact future Call of Duty sales
Do you imagine that every morning, when Michael Pachter wakes up, he dons a black robe, a pointy hat, drops a bunch of stuff into a bubbling cauldron and just predicts? Yeah, we do too. What a life, right? His latest portent involves Respawn Entertainment, the new shop of former Infinity Ward-ers Jason West and Vince Zampella, and it goes a little something like this: the Call of Duty franchise will see lowered sales, thanks to more competition in what we like to call 'the near-superhuman military dudes blowing junk up' market. "I think that it is likely that future games will sell fewer units in the past, primarily due to increased competition from Respawn, DICE and EA games that will likely be in the same or similar genres," Pachter said. He also anticipates that many gamers will recognize that West and Zampella are off the franchise, but that "the majority of consumers will either not know or will not care enough to shun future games." The lack of Infinity Ward's branding certainly didn't stop World at War from moving a bajillion units.
New Grasshopper Manufacture project not called 'Closer'
After cyber spy Superannuation shed light on a U.S. copyright document, filed by Grasshopper Manufacture in August 2008, internet speculation concluded that the idiosyncratic developer's next game would be called "Closer." However, Grasshopper's international representative has told Joystiq that the name is no longer being used for any projects currently in development. "As for 'Closer,' we currently don't have any projects under that name in development. Closer was one of the names considered for a project, but that name has since been abandoned." Grasshopper's most mysterious project -- announced in August 2008 -- is an action horror game empowered by the mind-boggling collaboration of Suda 51, Shinji Mikami, Akira Yamaoka and EA Partners. And Unreal Engine 3. Sadly, the quelling of this rumor also brings the demise of hopes that "Closer" was to be the name of Suda 51's edgy re-imagining of Kyra Sedgwick's television drama, "The Closer." It would have all of the show's intense confrontation, but Kyra's face would be an 8-bit parody of commercialism and she'd save the game by clipping her nails over an empty wastebasket. Oh well.
Report: Three more leave Infinity Ward
IGN reports that three more staffers have left Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward. Programmer Jon Shiring and senior animator Bruce Ferriz independently confirmed that they were leaving IW, with Ferriz heading to Big Red Button Entertainment and Shiring not providing more information. "I'm not trying to create spectacle, I just wanted to avoid the LinkedIn nonsense," Shiring said of his move, referring to two former IW employees who were discovered via LinkedIn to have left the studio. Lead designer Mackey McCandlish has also confirmed (via Twitter) that he's leaving the studio after "a great 8+ year run." This news comes just one day after the ousted IW co-founders announced the creation of Respawn Entertainment and a partnership with ... ahem ... EA Partners. As of this writing, no ex-Infinity Ward employees have joined the new venture.
Interview: Vince Zampella and Jason West talk Respawn Entertainment
Today we spoke with recently laid off Infinity Ward cofounders Vince Zampella and Jason West about their new project, Respawn Entertainment, and their new partner, Electronic Arts. While there's no game to promote just yet, and no physical location determined for the new studio, and just two employees battling it out for Employee of the Month, there's still plenty to talk about -- including the best magician-themed analogy we've heard in awhile. Read on!
Respawn Entertainment announced by ex-IW heads, partnering with EA
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/12/respawn-entertainment/'; We learned on Friday that ousted Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella planned to have an announcement "very soon" concerning their "creative future" – and now, at 9am ET the following Monday, they've issued a press release announcing Respawn Entertainment, a new development studio that will give West and Zampella ownership of the games they create. "We have learned the hard way," Zampella told the LA Times, "that the best way to ensure the integrity and quality of your work and make sure the fans get what they deserve is to own the intellectual property." But West and Zampella aren't going it alone; the pair have teamed up with (who else?) Electronic Arts through its EA Partners business. EA Games Label prez Frank Gibeau said, "This is the start of a great publishing partnership -- one that I expect will develop blockbuster game franchises ... At EA, we're honored to be their partners and to give them the support they need to hire a team and return to making incredible games." In addition to handling future publishing duties, EA is funding the new developer "with several million dollars in seed capital," LA Times reports. That's unusual for a developer that's retaining the intellectual property rights to its games. "What makes Vince and Jason's deal so ground-breaking is that EA is investing in them as individuals, not as part of a larger, established company," the pair's agent (and former Xbox pitchman) Seamus Blackley told the Times. Of course, neither West nor Zampella would comment on what Respawn will be working on or what genre it might land in (military shooter, anyone?), but West did say it would be of the "huge, summer blockbuster" variety. Did you expect anything less? [Update: Activision issued the following statement following the announcement of Respawn Entertainment: "This agreement comes as no surprise to Activision given the myriad of improper activities detailed in the cross-complaint filed on Friday against Jason West and Vince Zampella. We look forward to continuing to work with Infinity Ward's deep bench of proven talent on exciting new projects."] [Update 2: We spoke with West and Zampella about Respawn – read our interview here.] Source: Jason West and Vincent Zampella's new call of duty [LA Times] Source: Jason West and Vince Zampella Form 'Respawn Entertainment' [press release]
CliffyB: 'Two upcoming games' on Monday's Late Night; Us: It's totally Bulletstorm and Gears of War 3
When Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski got bumped from last night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon because of a Justin Bieber-shaped "scheduling conflict," someone forgot to tell the Xbox Dashboard programming team who, inadvertently, spoiled Mr. B's big reveal: Gears of War 3. Re-booked for Monday's show with no big reveal has left Epic Games with only one alternative: reveal a second game! CliffyB took to Twitter with the following comment: "NEWSFLASH: Two announcements about two upcoming games on Monday. BOOM!" Lucky for them, Epic has a second game that's just about ready for its close-up, People Can Fly's Bulletstorm. Now, he didn't say specifically that Bulletstorm would be the second "upcoming" game, but the pieces are certainly in place. Take, for example, the cover of next month's Game Informer magazine, which can already be found floating around various corners of the internet. Of course, Epic could simply be following Nintendo's lucrative Pokemon strategy and releasing two editions of Gears of War 3. If so, might we suggest Gears of War 3 Brown and Gears of War 3 Gray? [Update: Not ones to let some internet scans steal their story, the Game Informer crew has come right out and said it, albeit a few days earlier than planned: "The latest issue of Game Informer Magazine [has a] world-exclusive look at People Can Fly's upcoming shooter, Bulletstorm." They've got some higher-res art too, if you're interested.]
DeathSpank creator Ron Gilbert has 'left Hothead' Games
Just over a month after announcing a high-profile publishing arrangement with EA Partners for the XBLA and PSN release of DeathSpank, the game's creator (and locker room pinup at Joystiq HQ) Ron Gilbert announced on his personal blog that he has "left Hothead," the development team behind the game. Gilbert takes his leave as "the creative and production phases" on DeathSpank are ending and the "long and winding road of certification and testing" for the console (and "REDACTED" ... maybe PC?) versions are beginning; however, he isn't leaving the game behind. "I will be working closely with EA and Hothead on the PR for DeathSpank as the release date of [REDACTED] draws closer," he writes, cheekily poking fun at, well, posts just like this one we imagine. Last month, Penny Arcade's Jerry Holkins told Joystiq that development on Penny Arcade Adventures was ending prematurely in large part so Hothead could focus on Deathspank. "Hothead has DeathSpank and they have a chance to do something really cool with it," Holkins said. "And they need to have an opportunity to make it incredible." With a perceived surfeit of free time, Gilbert promises to "blog more" and remember his Twitter password ... which it appears he hasn't done yet. We've asked Hothead Games to comment on Gilbert's posting. We'll let you know what we hear back. [Update: Hothead's Joel DeYoung sent us the following comment: "Ron has indeed moved on from Hothead. We've really enjoyed collaborating with him on DeathSpank -- a game we believe will be the best game yet on XBLA and PSN. We are really excited to share the result with Hothead and Ron Gilbert fans everywhere." So there you have it!] [Thanks, fco]
