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Santa Monica Studio shares trailers for upcoming projects
Santa Monica Studio shared glimpses of a few of its ongoing projects during the PlayStation Experience keynote; Fat Princess Adventures, a four-player quest with gameplay reminiscent of the Gauntlet series, Wattam, a whimsical project from Katamari and Noby Noby Boy's Keita Takahashi, and What Remains of Edith Finch, a collection of short stories involving a cursed family. You can get a glimpse of Fat Princess Adventures' cooperative brawls in the above trailer and also find trailers for Wattam and What Remains of Edith Finch after the break.
Game design course led by God of War vets taking applications
Whitney Wade, Sony Santa Monica production manager, and Marianne Krawczyk, a writer on the God of War series, will lead a game design class titled "Interactivity: A Course in Video Game Design and Development" at UCLA starting on September 30. The 10-week class is part of UCLA's Professional Programs - non-credit courses taught in the evening designed to give students a graduate-level education on such topics as screenwriting and producing for Hollywood. At the end of the course, students will have created a Steam Greenlight game proposal. Tuition is set at $1,500, with an application deadline of September 2. To apply, send in a resume and statement of purpose along with an official form via the UCLA website. There are only 14 open seats, and applicants will be notified of their acceptance by September 9. [Image: Sony Santa Monica]
Hohokum soars into art gallery, soundtrack preview available
So what if we have to wait until August 12 before we can ride a flying rainbow-snake-thing through the colorful skies of Honeyslug's Hohokum on PlayStation systems? We can listen to its enchanting soundtrack right now via music database site, Hype Machine. If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can also head to Echo Park on any day between August 9 and August 17 to see a gallery of art from the game, and thus delight two of your senses. Hosted by iam8bit, "The Hohokum Art Spectacular" will feature not only lovely illustrations, but a chance to play the game as well. Music for our ears, art for our eyes, gameplay for our hands ... now we just need to have Sony and Honeyslug release an official Hohokum-scented candle and Hohokum-flavored candies and we'll have all five primary senses covered! [Image: Sony]
Hohokum launch trailer is just the right amount of weird
The arrival of Honeyslug's cheerful Hohokum is mere weeks away, and it's still impossible to classify. The game received a new trailer to celebrate its August 12 launch date (August 13 in Europe), showing the meditating hermit-like star of the game in addition to the squiggly, flying worm that players control. Devised by artist Richard Hogg, Hohokum became a 2011 IGF finalist before Sony Santa Monica began working with the Hogg and Honeyslug in May 2013 to bring the game to PlayStation platforms. It will be Cross-Buy-enabled as well, so the $14.99 price will give players access to the PS4, PS3 and Vita versions. Hohokum is part of the PlayStation Store Play event Sony announced just yesterday, in which players that pick up four games in August will receive $10 of in-store credit. Additionally, pre-orders for the four games are 20 percent off each for PlayStation Plus members. Joining Hohokum in the deal are Rogue Legacy, The Swapper and CounterSpy. [Image: Sony]
Video preview: Strategic use of a flare gun in The Order: 1886
After delivering a set of solid God of War PSP titles, developer Ready At Dawn is poised to unleash its first new intellectual property on the world. Set in an alt-history Victorian London filled with half-breed humans and monsters, naturally, The Order: 1886 spins a new yarn featuring King Arthur's Knights of the Round. While the game features a standard arsenal, it was the strategic use of a weapon that fired a cloud of thermite that we found the most invigorating. Painting a target with the flammable cloud and firing a flare into the dust made for some satisfying explosions of fire, raining terror onto Sir Galahad's enemies. Originally scheduled to arrive this fall, The Order: 1886 is now expected to launch for the PlayStation 4 sometime in 2015.
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]
PSA: God of War: Ascension multiplayer DLC now free on PSN
Sony's Santa Monica Studio commemorates the one-year anniversary of God of War: Ascension's release by giving away its multiplayer DLC for free through next week. From now through next Tuesday, players can pick up God of War: Ascension's armor and weapon DLC packs free of charge via the PlayStation Network. Sony Santa Monica has also slashed the price of its XP Booster add-ons by 50 percent, in a bid to entice new players to join Ascension's multiplayer component. Dedicated fans can also earn a PSN voucher code for a unique in-game tattoo and a cape that boosts character health and attack power by posting in this community thread through April 8. [Image: Sony]
God of War 3 director, Infamous: Second Son lead designer leave Sony [Update]
God of War 3 creative director Stig Asmussen is no longer at Sony Santa Monica, following the recent round of layoffs at the studio and the purported cancellation of his new project. IGN confirmed Asmussen's departure with Sony this week, although it's not known if the 11-year veteran of the studio left of his own accord or not. Asmussen joined Sony Santa Monica from Midway in 2003, serving as a lead environment artist on the first God of War and art director on God of War 2. He stepped up to creative director on God of War 3, and it's speculated he then began work on a new, unannounced AAA project with a sci-fi theme. According to ex-lead level designer Jonathan Hawkins, who lost his job in the layoffs, that project is now canceled after several years of development. Asmussen isn't Sony's only high-profile departure of the week, after Infamous: Second Son lead designer Jaime Griesemer revealed he's no longer working for Sucker Punch. He joined the Seattle-based studio back in 2011, having previously worked at Bungie for twelve years where he was involved with all the Halo games, and served as a lead game designer on Destiny between 2008 and 2010. Griesemer didn't give any reasons for the move, simply tweeting he's "Not really talking about it yet, tho." Update: Griesemer provided Joystiq with a statement regarding his leaving Sucker Punch, assuring fans the timing is not a "cause for concern" about Infamous: Second Son. The full statement follows: "I appreciate all the well-wishes on the news that I am leaving Sucker Punch, but please don't take the timing as cause for concern about Second Son – it's a great game that I am proud to have on my resume and I can't wait for everyone to play it – or Sucker Punch – a studio on the rise with a bright future – or Sony – a great organization with some of the savviest, most pro-gamer executives in the business. And while I am honored to be mentioned in the same articles as legendary designers like Amy Hennig and Stig Asmussen, please don't look too hard for some sinister pattern. The truth is that any creative, vibrant industry is necessarily volatile; the only sure bet is that the next few years will not look the same as the last. Change is part of the job, but along with the upheaval and uncertainty, there's opportunity and new challenges. It's an exciting time to be a free agent and I'm going to go see what's out there. Simple as that..." [Image: Sony]
The Order: 1886 dev video shows knights of the revolving chamber
The Order: 1886 may take place in Victorian-era London, but as developer Ready at Dawn reveals in this behind-the-scenes video, its in-game history traces back to the age of King Arthur. The characters in The Order wield lightning-rifles instead of broadswords, but hey, times change. [Image: Sony]
Joystiq Weekly: Titanfall, Thief review, Twitch Plays Pokemon and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. This week's news of a new Tony Hawk game isn't exactly what we were hoping for, but it can't stop us from digging out our old cartridges and discs to revisit the series that made us mount real-life skateboards for the first time. Without the killer soundtracks and a focus on pulling off special moves that progressively got more insane with each entry, we might never have spent hours trying to learn how to ollie. Or earning fresh headaches from trying to drop into half pipes. Or building ramps out of scraps from the garage so we could grind our faces off on the pavement. Thankfully, a revitalization of childhood injury memories isn't the only thing the Joystiq Weekly has in store - news of a Titanfall bundle, reviews of Thief and Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare and a sociological exploration of Twitch Plays Pokemon are also available for your immediate consumption! Dive into this week's biggest moments in gaming right after the break. [Image: Robomodo]
Sony Santa Monica's unannounced IP canceled, says laid off dev
An unannounced new property at God of War studio Sony Santa Monica is canceled, according to ex-employee Jonathan Hawkins. The former lead level designer, who lost his job in yesterday's round of layoffs, took to Twitter to reveal the IP had been in development "since God of War 3," and indicated it was connected to that game's director, Stig Asmussen. It's speculated the project in question was a AAA sci-fi game, and that certainly matches with what Battlestar Galactica writer Michael Angeli said at last year's E3. Angeli revealed he was working with Sony Santa Monica on a new and unannounced project, telling Polygon he'd been writing for the game across the prior two and a half years, and that the studio's full team transitioned to work on it after God of War: Ascension. Sony has yet to confirm any details on the project, and for his part, Hawkins said he couldn't say too much about the situation. However, he did share his frustration over what had happened in a heartfelt series of tweets: "Yesterday, I was laid off. It was a good 10-year run and I got to make three 90+ games. I lived the dream and got to accomplish all of my goals. Except one... making something out of nothing and creating a new AAA IP. Secondly, the pain that I feel for my friends who have lost their jobs. The saddest and most important part is the game I was creating for the player that will never be played. I'm sorry that I've failed you." [Image: Sony Santa Monica]
God of War studio Sony Santa Monica hit with layoffs
Sony Santa Monica, the studio best known for its work on the God of War series, has suffered layoffs today. Sony representatives confirmed the dismissals with IGN, citing "resource re-alignment against priority growth areas" within Sony Worldwide Studios as the cause. The statement reads: "SCEA can confirm that we have completed a reduction in workforce at Santa Monica Studio. This is a result of a cycle of resource re-alignment against priority growth areas within SCE WWS. We do not take these decisions lightly. However, sometimes it is necessary to make changes to better serve the future projects of the studio. We have offered outplacement services and severance packages to ease transition for those impacted." Sony Santa Monica most recently shipped God of War: Ascension. Currently, the studios is working on three collaborations due to launch this year: Hohokum with Honeyslug; The Order: 1886 with Ready at Dawn; and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture with The Chinese Room. It's currently unclear how these layoffs will affect ongoing projects, so we've contacted Sony for clarification. We wish the best of luck to those affected. [Image: Wikimedia Commons]
Beat and shoot-em-up in former Titanfall, God of War devs' To The Death
Indie developers Scary Mostro and Section Studios launched their Kickstarter campaign for To The Death today. The game combines beat-em-up and arcade shooter elements together, as players control one of two warriors that are dashing towards one another, hacking away at everything in their path. As To The Death's story goes, the warriors killed each other and are now stuck in The Crawl, a purgatory-like world between life and death. The two studios are led by developers with a deep history in the industry, with To The Death's game design and engineering coming from Scary Mostro's Todd Alderman and Francesco Gigliotti. Both Alderman and Gigliotti are credited as lead designer and engineer respectively at Infinity Ward on the Call of Duty series, and later worked on Titanfall for Respawn Entertainment. Likewise, To The Death's art direction comes from Section Studios Creative Director Cecil Kim, visual development lead for God of War 3. To The Death is in development for PC, Mac and Linux with early access tentatively planned for August. Scary Mostro and Section Studios are seeking $400,000 by February 19 to fund its development.
Thatgamecompany's flOw swimming to PS4 next week
Thatgamecompany's flOw will launch next Tuesday, December 17 on PS4, Sony Santa Monica announced in a PlayStation Blog post today. The port of the artsy aquatic indie game will cost $5.99, with its lone DLC priced at $1.99. Developed by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark as a Flash game in 2006, the game was ported to PS3 in February 2007 by thatgamecompany as the developer's first release with music provided by Austin Wintory. Chen and his team went on to develop Flower and Journey, the former joining the likes of flOw, Sound Shapes and Escape Plan on PS4. All four games are Cross-Buy compatible, so owners of any one version of the respective PS3, PS4 or Vita games will have access to the other ones as well.
Pre-orders open for God of War Collection on Vita
The God of War Collection for PlayStation Vita is now available to pre-order through GameStop. The pack includes remastered versions of Sony's first two PS2 games in the series with full trophy support. The listing does not indicate when the bundle will arrive, but it is priced at $39.99. Sony previously launched the God of War Collection on PS3 in November 2009 before packing the original games in with God of War 3, God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta in the God of War Saga bundle for PS3 in August 2012. Those that own the former collection can already play the games on Vita thanks to a September 2012 update, which opened up remote play for the collection on the system.
God of War: Ascension game director leaves Sony Santa Monica
God of War: Ascension Game Director Todd Papy's last day at the Sony Santa Monica studios was November 1, the developer announced on Twitter. His tweet notes that he was "extremely honored to have been part of that team" and that he's bound for Germany. When asked if it meant he was finished with game development, Papy stated that he hasn't "quit games." Papy previously worked on God of War and God of War 2, as well as projects with publisher Atari Games such as Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA.
God of War: Ascension hits PSN Oct. 15, team ends DLC development
Sony Sana Monica has finished its DLC efforts for God of War: Ascension, but will continue to assess the need of balance patches "in the weeks or months ahead," a post to the PlayStation Blog has detailed. The post also announced that Ascension will descend on the PlayStation Network on October 15. The team's most immediate balance efforts will come in an update meant to "tune-up all the Allegiances," the bonds between a player's character and Greek gods that grant them specific powers. The post notes that team will be "monitoring online 24/7" in search of future exploits that need to be addressed. In honor of the game's digital release, Ascension's DLC will be marked down to "special pricing" and the Ascension soundtrack will be free for all PSN users to download for a limited time. A Double XP Weekend is also planned worldwide from October 18 - 21.
Cory Barlog back at Sony Santa Monica, creating something 'huge'
Cory Barlog, who you may know as the BAFTA-winning writer and game director on God of War 2, has returned to Sony Santa Monica after leaving the studio in late 2007. In his half-announcement, half-industry travel diatribe on the PlayStation Blog, Barlog reveals he's already working on a secret project he can't talk about yet - something "freaking huge." "We're putting together a team as I type this, an Ocean's 11 kind of thing," he wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "We are searching the world high and low for the best of the BEST to come and be on the ground floor of this endeavor." Balrog joined Sony's Santa Monica Studios in 2003 as animation director on the original God of War. His most recent work involved directing cinematics on Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider reboot.
Battlestar Galactica producer/writer working with God of War dev
Michael Angeli, who co-executive produced 40 episodes of SciFi's Battlestar Galactica (in addition to having written seven of those episodes) is working on a new something-or-other with Sony Santa Monica, Polygon reports. The announcement was made by Angeli during yesterday's Battlestar Galactica panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Angeli told Polygon that he has been writing on the project for over two years, and that the game is a new property unrelated to Sony Santa Monica's God of War series. He also said that Battestar Galactica's presence on his resume was a factor in his being hired for the project. Whether that is indicative of the game having a sci-fi slant remains to be seen; we'd hire a Battlestar Galactica writer to helm pretty much anything.
The Order: 1886 announced as PS4 exclusive [Update: Now with trailer!]
Sony just unveiled The Order: 1886 as a PS4 exclusive. The game was showcased in a brief debut trailer which was set in a Victorian yet futuristic-seeming London, complete with zeppelins, monorail, and an array of advanced-looking steampunk weaponry. The Order: 1886 is being developed by God of War: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta developer Ready at Dawn.
