seth-killian
Latest
More Sony departures: Justin Richmond now at Riot, Seth Killian left in December
Former Naughty Dog game director Justin Richmond announced he's decided to leave the company to join League of Legends studio Riot Games, while former Capcom marketing director Seth Killian revealed this week he left Sony Santa Monica back in December 2013. Richmond's departure from Naughty Dog follows that of Uncharted writer and creative director Amy Hennig, who parted ways with the company earlier this month. While Hennig has stayed silent on her departure and the circumstances surrounding it remain unclear, Richmond gave his best wishes to his former employer in a statement to IGN. "I have in fact made the decision to leave Naughty Dog," Richmond, who was working on Uncharted 4 as a game director, told IGN. "I love the company and the people and know that they will continue to create awesome games going forward. On a happier note, after careful consideration and exploration I have joined Riot Games. There is some really innovative stuff going on here that I can't wait to be a part of." Killian's departure from Sony Santa Monica appears to precede the layoffs that occurred at the Californian studio last month. God of War 3 creative director Stig Asmussen has since left the studio, and it's speculated he was overseeing a AAA sci-fi project that was canceled after several years of development. As for Killian, the Street Fighter guru said he left Sony on "great terms" to pursue his own project, having joined Sony Santa Monica back in 2012. "Hi guys, I chose to leave my Sony family back in [December] and on great terms. I was inspired by their amazing indies to do my own thing," Killian tweeted this week. "You'll see the games I had the privilege to work on at Sony soon - Santa Monica Studio has a stellar lineup coming. As for what I'm up to, stay tuned..." [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
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.
Overheard at Comic-Con: The battle for Seth Killian
During the "Titans of Fighting Games" panel on Friday afternoon at Comic-Con 2012, PlayStation All-Stars director Omar Kendall was introduced on stage just after Street Fighter creator Yoshinori Ono left it, and he cleverly joked as Ono departed that developer SuperBot was happy to have Seth Killian on board, who of course came from Ono's team at Capcom. "If anyone else is looking for a job," poked Kendall, "you can email us."Later in the panel, Kendall remarked to fellow panelist Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada that he was happy to have Tekken's Heihachi in PS All-Stars as a playable character, and he added that if Ono was in fact still in the room, he'd also be happy to have a character from Street Fighter included. The characteristically goofy Ono returned to appear at the Q&A mic later on, and his first question, in the middle of a laughing crowd, was to Kendall."Yes, can you give me back Seth Killian?" he asked in accented English, and the panel broke out laughing."If you give me Chun Li," Kendall joked back, "I'll give you back Seth Killian." Ono considered that a moment, and then replied, though he was barely heard by the cheering crowd: "Deal."But Harada, who was on the panel to also talk about Tekken Tag Tournament 2, was having none of it. "Ono, go home," he also said in English. "We don't have time for this."
Street Fighter's Seth Killian is now lead game designer at Sony Santa Monica
Seth Killian, former Capcom strategic marketing director of online and community, has taken the role at Sony Santa Monica as lead game designer, working on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and with other outside studios.Killian is best known for his work in the fighting game community – he co-founded the EVO championships and handled Capcom's fighting games during his six-year employment – and he says that experience will help him at Sony Santa Monica."Fighting games are very close to my heart, and as someone that's spent much of my life with traditional fighters, All-Stars has been a great opportunity to take a step back and rethink fighting fundamentals from the ground up," Killian writes on the PlayStation Blog. "All-Stars is also a total love-letter to Sony fans. From the characters, to their special moves, to the incredible level 3 supers, and the stages themselves, I'm not sure there's ever been such a giant dose of fan-service in Sony history."Did we mention Killian used to be in PR? He will be working with third-party studios such as Fun Bits Interactive, Queasy Games, thatgamecompany, Giant Sparrow, and of course All-Stars' SuperBot Entertainment. Killian will be bringing All-Stars to EVO this weekend, as part of PlayStation's first official presence at the tournament.
Crashing EVO: SpyParty's Chris Hecker on depth and fighting games
When we asked Chris Hecker how SpyParty snuck its way into EVO 2012, we didn't think he'd actually tell us – revealing sensitive information is opposed to an entire half of his game's title, after all. We assume it was the other half that allowed him to divulge the details behind how SpyParty, a one-on-one asymmetric Turing Test, snagged a featured spot at the year's largest fighting-game gathering:"It all started with Seth Killian," Hecker said. "Seth and I have talked about my goals for SpyParty to be a game that can eventually be counted among the most intensely competitive player-skill games we have, games like Counter-Strike, Starcraft, LoL, Dota and Street Fighter, and he's been really supportive of that goal."Seth emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in bringing SpyParty to EVO. I knew a bit about EVO and was kind of blown away by the offer."SpyParty is one of EVO 2012's Indie Showcase titles, and will be available for anyone to try out on the expo floor, which is completely free and open to the public July 6-7 at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace.The game itself is based on subtlety, precision and practice, much like many fighting games, but it doesn't involve any twitch movements, bright, flashing colors or hadoukens – and it comes with a four-page manual that must be read before anyone attempts to play it. In terms of pacing for the American audience: if Mortal Kombat is football, SpyParty is soccer.
Capcom's main Street Fighter Seth Killian exiting the company on June 22
Capcom USA's strategic marketing director of online and community Seth Killian announced today that he's vacating his six-year position. Killian's known for being the face of Capcom's fighting games as of late (aside from producer Yoshinori Ono), not to mention being a co-founder of the annual EVO fighting game championships where he goes by the name "S-Kill." His last day with Capcom is this Friday, June 22.Killian took to his blog on Capcom-Unity to announce his departure, where he said, "In no uncertain terms, Capcom has been a dream for me." He thanked a variety of folks at Capcom – from Ono to Christian Svensson, and dedicated quite a few words specifically to the fighting game community. "Both as individuals and as a group, you have taught me more than I could have ever thought possible," he wrote.Killian didn't tell where he's heading next, but he did note, "I have chosen a new path which will let me embrace a new dream." Here's hoping he doesn't dream about being a bathroom attendant on an oil rig! What a twist that'd be!
Revelation: Resident Evil 3DS was once set on a 'floating mansion' [update: nope!]
Resident Evil: Revelations was originally set to take place on "a floating mansion," Capcom community manager Seth Killian revealed in the new Capcom-Unity podcast. "That was the concept. It was just a mansion at sea," Killian said. "Capcom USA forced them to change it to a cruise ship."Of course, the "Queen Zenobia" cruise ship is appointed just like a mansion on the inside, so functionally the only difference is that it makes even the slightest bit of sense now. If you'd like to see the suspiciously palatial interior of the Queen Zenobia for yourself, a demo is available on the 3DS eShop.Update: Seth Killian confirmed that it was a joke. Context!
Killian: Marvel licensing responsible for UMvC3 timing
Capcom fighting ambassador Seth Killian offered an explanation we hadn't considered for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3's seemingly early release (just nine months after MvC3): Marvel licensing constraints. "We have the license for this specific game, but other companies outside of Capcom have licenses for other Marvel games that impinge," he told Eurogamer. "So we have to find specific times where we're able to release products. It's on the Capcom side and on the Marvel side." He added that "I don't ask anybody to feel sympathetic about that." As for why the game is a standalone product on a separate disc, rather than DLC, Killian cited the slow adoption of DLC in Japan. "Capcom obviously has strong roots in the disc based tradition," he said. "That's the way most games are sold in Japan, so this is the way to approach it naturally. Clearly they're active in a global market, but are putting their toes in the water of shifting tastes for consumers in other places. Having just an all DLC release would be considered a strange move in Japan. Having an all DLC release would be odd." Taking a game about a lawyer fighting a sentient space raccoon, and then letting you download it. That would be odd.
Seth Killian clarifies Street Fighter x Tekken's controversial Gem System
It may sound like a dull hum from all the way over there in Outworld, but the Street Fighter community has been a noisy, combative warzone lately, and not in a good way. See, ever since Capcom outlined Street Fighter X Tekken's Gem System, Street Fighter devotees (and competitive fighters in general) have been conducting heated debates over the system's merits, drawbacks and implications for serious tournament play, as well as the impact it will have on the casual fighting community. Seth Killian, Capcom Community Manager and face of all things Street Fighter in North America, chatted with Gamasutra to expound upon some of the Gem System's intricacies and the design philosophy behind it. First and foremost, Killian stressed that the system has been part of SFxT's design philosophy for years, and that it represents the proverbial "nerd feather" that intrigues analytical theorycraft-style gamers.
Galactus revealed as playable in 'his own little mode' for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
Our long-time hate for Capcom's fighting game bosses knows no bounds, but we're not above playing as one of the overpowered baddies ourselves to destroy friends. It looks like Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 will allow us to do just that, with Capcom strategy manager Seth Killian today revealing during New York Comic Con that Galactus will become playable in the upcoming Ultimate version of MvC3. Rather than becoming a player in the main roster, Galactus will apparently be getting "his own little mode" in UMvC3. We'll be sure to track down Killian for more details as soon as we can, but take that for what it's worth for now.
Watch Seth Killian demonstrate Street Fighter X Tekken's 'Gem System'
At this evening's Street Fighter X Tekken presentation at New York Comic Con, Capcom's Seth Killian took to an arcade stick to demonstrate the upcoming game's brand new "Gem System." Then game director Yoshinori Ono called it a mix of Street Fighter with Magic the Gathering. Seriously!
Street Fighter X Tekken's Pandora Mode: how to win by killing yourself
Capcom's Seth Killian was kind enough to introduce me to Street Fighter X Tekken's notably unkind new "Pandora Mode," a desperation move that can only be activated when a character has less than 25% health, kills that character, and gives that person's tag partner an infinite EX meter -- for about eight seconds, after which that character is also killed. "They basically sacrifice themselves to the pandora box, which loves fighting, and which has brought the Tekken and Street Fighter universes together," Killian explained, offering a narrative reasoning for this new element. He then distinguished this from Marvel vs. Capcom 3's "X Factor" and other desperation moves. "There's really no disadvantage to them," he noted. "You get them for being beaten up, but there's no disadvantage. This has a massive disadvantage." It might be good for a comeback -- but it's not going to turn the tide of a one-sided battle, because you have only eight seconds to make your desperate salvo.
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition 'Ver. 2012' patch fixes balance this fall/winter
Capcom fighting game ambassador Seth Killian brought news out of the EVO tournament that Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition will be rebalanced. A patch for the notoriously uneven game will be released in fall or winter, for free. That means that all the people who just competed in EVO are going to have to learn the game again! The official website is now updated to show the title: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver. 2012. During a panel at EVO, producer Yoshinoro Ono said that the new game would be location tested in Japan this summer. Later, in a tweet, he confirmed that "Version 2012" refers just to the updated game and not an entirely new one. So right now it doesn't seem like you'll have to buy SF4 again.
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition preview: Fight in the future
Before I get started detailing what Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition is, I should mention what it isn't: an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive. I was under that impression, and so I was a little surprised to notice that, as I spoke with Capcom's Seth Killian, we were totally playing on a PS3. According to Killian, it's definitely coming to PSN, simultaneous with the XBLA release, and always was. That non-exclusivity is a good thing, because I'd hate for anyone who likes Street Fighter 3 even a little to miss out on all the love poured into this collection. There might be too much love in here.%Gallery-125795%
Capcom spending plenty to make Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike Online great
Though it's been a while since we've heard anything about Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online, Capcom has apparently been hard at work on the downloadable fighter. During a streamed "Ask Capcom" event, Capcom's Christian Svensson revealed that we'll be "deluged with information in about four weeks," putting the timeline around E3. Svensson went on to classify 3rd Strike Online as "the highest budget digital title we've done" at Capcom USA, even exceeding the budget of Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, which had completely redrawn graphics by Udon Entertainment. That suggests that Capcom is putting a lot of effort into this game -- and also that Udon worked super, super cheap. Capcom fighting game guru Seth Killian said that this update was "one of those things you sorta have hopes for and you hope it's gonna turn out a certain way ... and then it did." Sounds like this will be the definitive version of the game about fighting super-powered underwear guys.
PSN's missing Super Street Fighter IV costume 'Catalog' add-ons explained
One difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Super Street Fighter IV can be hard to see: Opponents' DLC costumes are invisible to PlayStation Network players who haven't also purchased the outfits. On Xbox Live, there's a simple solution in free "Catalog" add-ons that install the DLC assets on a user's hard drive, in order to show them worn on online opponents who have purchased and dressed up in the alternate costumes. To date, the free updates have not been offered on PSN. They likely never will be -- and Capcom tells us why. "When you add new data to an existing product, there are significant costs to do so charged by the first parties," Capcom community shepherd Seth Killian explained in a forum post on the topic of the "invisible" PSN costumes. "On XBL, those costs were covered by Microsoft," and thus the Catalog DLC is free to download. "For Sony, those significant costs are not covered," Killian added. "The story is a bit more complicated because the costs of adding new data vary by region in some cases, and some additions are free, or free within a certain timeframe, etc., but the bottom line in this particular case is that Sony would [have] charged Capcom significant fees for distributing the new costume data to users that hadn't actually bought the DLC." The story is indeed more complicated: In a sense, the Catalog updates aren't free, since the only Xbox Live users that benefit from them are Gold members who play SSFIV online. And, of course, Gold subscribers pay a fee for that privilege, which in turn allows Microsoft to cover the costs of updates like the costume data. Do we sense a new Plus perk in the making?
Capcom wants to put Frank West into as many games as possible
It was a tough blow to hear that Frank West wouldn't star in Dead Rising 2. All was not lost, however: Frank not only cut his teeth fighting less undead opponents in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but there's some evidence he'll be in Marvel vs Capcom 3 -- and let's not forget his cameo in Lost Planet 2. According to Capcom's Seth Killian, Frank West is pretty damn popular in these parts, something of which Capcom of Japan is aware. He told Destructoid that not only is Capcom of Japan "convinced" that your everyday American loves the Dead Rising protagonist, but that he'll "be making appearances in as many games as they can get him into." Personally, we're all for it. Whatever he's in, we just hope it spawns more hilarious internet videos.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 in development since summer 2008
For those of you thinking that Capcom's recently revealed Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was born from the strong sales of last year's Marvel vs. Capcom 2 downloadable release, well, Capcom's Ryota Niitsuma has some learnin' for you. "We really started working in development in summer 2008. But all the contract and legal negotiations -- that came way before that, as well. So ... we started to produce this game before the success of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as a downloadable title," Niitsuma told GameTrailers, speaking through a translator during an interview at Captivate 2010 (found after the break). Notably, Niitsuma's timeline contradicts statements made by Capcom last May. At that time, Capcom's Seth Killian told us, "What we're hoping is that if people get really juiced about [the MvC2 downloadable release], and we can show Marvel that there's a lot of heat behind this, then they'll open up the door for us to do something with '3,' which is something we'd love to do." Boy, the things a company representative will say to guard an early-in-production title. [Via VG247]
Capcom takes its Fight Club to Las Vegas
If you weren't lucky enough to be in New York for the last Capcom Fight Club, you'll have another opportunity on January 7 to play Super Street Fighter IV, win prizes, and maybe -- just maybe -- see Seth Killian from a distance. Capcom is bringing its exclusive fighting celebration to Las Vegas for CES, filling its Planet Hollywood suite with as many hadoukenthusiasts as it can. Which, it turns out, is not many. If you want to try out Guy, Cody, or Adon in a tournament, the only way to get in is to follow the instructions in this post and hope you're one of the few chosen to attend. We feel bad for all those people in Las Vegas that day who won't be at the video game party. What are they going to do?
We get beaten up at Capcom's NYC Fight Club so you don't have to
So what if you weren't able to make it out to Capcom's second annual NYC Fight Club last night? Don't worry, we went -- and got trounced by the competition -- in your stead. Though Super Street Fighter IV was only there for Capcom to demo (and give a small handful of community members time with), we snapped pictures of everything. We also played a mess of Tatsunoko vs Capcom in a next to final build (yes, we put the two recently revealed characters through their paces), and even shot some video of legendary Street Fighter player turned Capcom employee Seth Killian demoing new SSFIV characters in front of a roaring crowd (550 or so people over the course of the night, a rep approximated for us -- more than double last year's attendance numbers). As we weren't able to get our hands on the three new fighters being showcased (Juri, Deejay, and T. Hawk), we talked to Jamal Brewster, a gentleman who exchanged kindness for some time with Deejay during one of the night's four live demos. "He doesn't feel cheap or overpowered .. he does feel good though, like he belongs in the game -- a lot of his moves have been retained from previous games," Brewster told us, echoing sentiments from Seth Killian earlier in the night. But how did you get chosen to play the game, you lucky dog? "One of the representatives here, she was almost passing out in the corner over there, and a friend of mine and I noticed this, so we did our best to try to help her out. We sat her down, gave her some water, and the people here were so grateful that they offered me a chance to play Super Street Fighter IV and they gave me an autographed hoodie of Tatsunoko vs Capcom." In case it wasn't already clear: Yes, Capcom Fight Club is most certainly for the fans. Hit the break for a video of the new characters in action (sorry about the quality -- it was really dark) and be sure to peep the gallery below -- it's just like you were there! We'll have a hands-on of Tatsunoko vs Capcom's final two characters later on. Promise.%Gallery-76410%
