Visceral-Melbourne
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Visceral Melbourne vets form mobile dev 'Playside'
PlaySide is a new mobile-focused Australian studio, founded from the remains of EA's Visceral Melbourne. Former Visceral game designer Gerry Sakkas founded PlaySide with other former staffers of the shuttered studio. PlaySide is looking to begin development of its first game next month. "We are all about making a completely tailored experience for the mobile platform, with the added quality and polish of a console game," Sakkas told Kotaku AU. "Our biggest goals are to create unique and loveable characters and to make a real impact on the mobile games industry." Australia's development scene has definitely taken a turn for the small and scrappy, following the closure or severe downsizing of the mega studios. Even massive publishers like EA are focusing on quality mobile development with Australian developers.
Video reveals 'Blood Dust,' a canned multiplayer shooter from Visceral Melbourne
The use of historical or chronologically irregular locales in multiplayer games still feels novel, even if your activities tend to fall predictably between stabbing or shooting strangers. Visceral's Melbourne studio, which was shuttered by EA earlier this year, was reportedly working on "Blood Dust," an eccentric multiplayer shooter set in the 1930s. According to a report on Kotaku AU -- which we're pairing with leaked game footage above -- Blood Dust was to be a class-based "run and gun experience" for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Visceral and other EA studios had been working on the game for three years, furnishing it with upgradeable weapons and special abilities spread amongst three factions (including gentlemen and gangly monsters). And we just love Ye Olde Hulke Hogan at 0:17 in the video! Another rumor suggests that Blood Dust was initially envisioned as a multiplayer add-on to "The Ripper," Visceral's rumored reinterpretation of England's infamous yet unidentified serial killer, Jack the Ripper. That project supposedly remains alive as a single-player game, left behind in the 19th century (when Jack did his nasty business). Kotaku AU writes that the project's cancellation was handled with enough consideration for its creators -- a source claims departing staff were "well taken care of and treated respectfully," and offered positions at other EA locations. [Thanks, Anon.]
EA confirms closure of Visceral Melbourne, reaffirms support for Melbourne-based mobile studios
Following reports last Friday that EA shuttered its Visceral Melbourne studio, the International Game Developer's Association Melbourne tweeted on Sunday, "Confirmation of EA closing Visceral has been received :( our best wishes to the 21 devs now out of a job #EAVisceral." Electronic Arts has finally weighed in on the matter, telling MCV, "With no active project in development at that location, we've decided to close the Visceral Melbourne office. They are talented individuals and may find other roles elsewhere in EA, if they choose." The EA rep added, "EA continues to maintain its mobile studios in Melbourne which are both thriving and hiring." Those studios include the recently acquired Firemint, makers of Flight Control and Real Racing, and Iron Monkey Studios, the team behind the excellent Dead Space for iOS and Xperia Play. Of course, this follows just weeks after LA Noire developers Team Bondi entered administration, a month after THQ shuttered two Australian studios, and less than a year after Krome severely downsized. We'll pour a Foster's out for you, Australian game devs.
Report: EA closing Visceral Melbourne on Monday
Electronic Arts' Visceral Studios in Melbourne will reportedly shut down this Monday. Kotaku reports that it has a source claiming as much, and the IGDA chapter in Melbourne is "happy to help all affected" in any way it can. The Age's Screen Play Blog is hearing the same rumors. Kotaku's source states Patrick Soderland of DICE, now a VP at EA's Games Label, decided the console game the team had been working on for the past few years wouldn't be profitable and pulled the plug on the project and studio. EA Visceral Melbourne assisted on Dead Space, Godfather 2 and Dante's Inferno. We've contacted the publisher for comment.
