guildford-studio
Latest
Codemasters shutting down Bodycount developer
Codemasters is preparing to close down its Guildford studio, which was responsible for Bodycount. The shuttering will affect the 66 employees, who were informed today about the 30-day consultation shut-down period (based on the studio's size), required by UK law. "As we look to take greater leadership in the racing category, Codemasters is proposing a studio structure that adds resource and strengthens our best-in-class racing teams," a company spokesperson said in a statement. Those being laid off are being "encouraged" to apply for positions at Codemasters' Warwickshire HQ (Dirt, Grid, F1 Online) and the Birmingham studio, which is working on a new racing IP. Bodycount's "poor design choices and lack of any compelling moments" didn't sit well with us, nor with critics in general, and earned it a Metacritic score in the low-50s. The game premiered in 36th place on the UK charts two weeks ago, then disappeared. It's a IP that's not likely to be heard from again.
Bodycount review: Mindless manslaughter
In some ways, I admire Bodycount -- it's a game that says, "OK, shoot guys. That's really all we want you to do. Shoot them with your gun, move on, and then shoot more dudes, because shooting dudes is fun." And you know what? It's right. In Bodycount, mowing people down is satisfying, thanks to your obscene amount of power and the sheer volume of dudes being tossed your way. However, nowadays, when other entries in the shooting-dudes genre offer us so much more than that, Bodycount wears pretty thin, pretty quickly.%Gallery-126207%
Interview: Bodycount creative director Stuart Black
Codemasters' upcoming Bodycount is a rather curious project, building upon the foundations of last generation's Criterion Games-developed FPS Black with inspirations as varied as Alias, Star Trek and Lady Gaga. The eccentricities of Bodycount appear to be a reflection of its creator, Stuart Black -- a man that shares his game's energetic, in-your-face attitude. Joystiq: First off, the title: Is there a deeper meaning behind the obvious implication of the name "Bodycount?" Stuart Black: You shoot a lot, a lot of people. You're going to kill a lot of people in this game, achieving that body count. We're not going to be apologetic about it. That's not what the game is about; it's about firing guns -- and what are guns for? Killing people. We want you to understand that everyone you kill in this game ... they deserve it! They're all nut-jobs. I didn't actually come up with the title Bodycount. It was actually one of my other designers in the studio, and soon as he said it, I was, "Of course, it totally fits." %Gallery-87733%
