It is interesting that their best work has been stuff that they've done on behalf of Sony.
PlayStation Has Acquired Firewalk Studios
- Thread starter Unchained
- Start date
In the past I wanted Capcom to make multiple games, but with the SFV+MvCi releases I prefer them to focus their entire fighting team on a single game -SF6 right now- and make sure it's stunning.
Regarding their current top IPs, I'd add DMC and -specially soon- Dragon's Dogma. Remember they also have coming Pragmata and Exoprimal. And after them we should also get Onimusha back.
I couldn't care less about Exoprimal TBH because it seems like a crude tease for a proper Dino Crisis, but if it does well and leads to an actual DC game, then that's cool.
Regarding fighting games, I do agree to an extent that focusing their resources to one game at a time seems to be the winning strategy; early SFV development was probably impacted by ongoing MvC: Infinite development and no coincidence that when Infinite was laid out to die, SFV saw a big spike in improvements. However, I think Capcom could expand their fighting game division, maybe with more teams, and do something like focus on one fighter at the start of a cycle (SF6 in this case), then around the mid-life point bring out a complimentary fighter that's more casual-oriented and hyper-like.
The reason I still want that is because there may be certain game mechanics or story/thematic elements which would be more appropriate for a different type of fighting game that isn't Street Fighter. So instead of trying to cram those ideas, designs etc. into a Street Fighter universe, just make them work in a more laid-back mascot fighter or something to that effect.
Because Sony has amazing upper management that compliments the strong high-level studio management and overall talent of Insomniac.
We know Microsoft lack that type of upper management, which is why even if they have great studios like The Coalition, you end up with a stagnating Gears 5. The studios can only do what corporate approves and funds.
I didn’t know Josh hamrick and Joe Wiez were part of Firewalk.
Josh has done weapon and sandbox design and led the course correction after the disastrous Curse of Osiris for D2’s sandbox.
He has a history of leaving Bungie going to Bethesda and coming back. He also worked on Fallout 4. When Bethesda didn’t know how to make a shooter they would just contract out to guys like Josh to work on the game and dip back to their actual studios. Figured the cycle was continuing but it’s Firewalk instead.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re also a support studio. Especially at the size they’re at now.
Josh has done weapon and sandbox design and led the course correction after the disastrous Curse of Osiris for D2’s sandbox.
He has a history of leaving Bungie going to Bethesda and coming back. He also worked on Fallout 4. When Bethesda didn’t know how to make a shooter they would just contract out to guys like Josh to work on the game and dip back to their actual studios. Figured the cycle was continuing but it’s Firewalk instead.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re also a support studio. Especially at the size they’re at now.
I could imagine that Firewalk, Deviation Games and maybe Firesprite becoming an own little Activision. Deviation Games already opened another branch studio. I could imagine that this three grow to a 1000 employee workforce.
They are leading their own AAA game and have a normal size to do so. Btw Haven, Firewalk and Deviation apparently have almost exactly the same size.
Add Bungie there. They had 826 workers a year ago when bought by Sony, they have been growing and according to LinkedIn they have over 1500 workers now. They are working on minimum Destiny 2 and at least 2 new IPs.
Firewalk and Deviation according to Linkedin have slightly above 130 employees. Firesprite 237 according to LinkedIn (but should be more because they were 265 just after acquiring Fabrik).
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Firewalk Narrative Director already left Sony to work for…..*check notes*
Sony(Bungie).
That must mean the project is close to done if the narrative director leaves after 5 years?
Killer resume!
Emily has been the Narrative Director on an upcoming Sony-produced AAA game since 2018, directing the cinematics and overseeing all narrative elements in the game. In this role, with dev studio Firewalk, she has co-written scripts, cast actors, directed mocap, directed animatics, and seen sequences through from initial edit to animation to final lighting.
Prior to her current role, Emily was the Creative Development Associate at Pixar Animation Studios, supporting projects in their earliest stages, including Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Cars 2, Toy Story 3, and others. The small Creative Dev group provided guidance, encouragement, resources and story support to new projects, allowing them to build a solid foundation before entering full production. She then transitioned to working full time on Inside Out as the Script Supervisor, managing the writers and running recording sessions.
Imagine three diverse shooters being really released regularly by them, rather than the standard CD formula being spat out by the three development teams.
I suppose this means there happy with the progress they've seen, so one could deduce we'll likely see this game soon?
I'd be surprised if this game isn't a great fps...
I worry about Hermen in this regard, since he was over Killzone and although it was a great showpiece I felt they were pretty stiff in terms of gameplay (don't hate me KZ fans)
But given the talent at those studios and the connections to Bungie and the COD and Respawn studios.... it's pretty likely to be a great shooter technically. The main question is if it will be a hit with the COD crowd. It probably needs to be set in modern times or just beyond. Have all that authentic military feel.
I do wonder how COD players would choose to run the series better in their opinions. I don't play the games much myself, I just run around like a headless chicken as my brothers compete at Killing Kenny, but it's not a discussion I've run across in the wild tbh.
Perhaps a "franchise reboot/forward direction" thread unless there already is one lol.
Perhaps a "franchise reboot/forward direction" thread unless there already is one lol.
I don't necessarily think that you should entirely take player opinion into account when deciding what to do with a series. I remember people being sceptical of Warzone before it came out and now I feel like its bigger than regular CoD.
The one thing I'd recommend, and I think they've already gigured this out for themselves, is to stick to warfare. Every time they've tried to go away from it (sci-fi, cops and robbers) they've failed. Sadly they (MS but even just Activision alone) are too invested in China to do it but they could make headlines again like they did with MW1 and Blops 1 by having a ripped from the headlines campaign about China and Taiwwn. Well... there's always Ukraine. Unlike most modern conflicts I think they'd like (and not find it disrespectful) a big release where the campaign is shooting evil Russians.
Is that a case of different gameplay styles all subsumed to the COD branding? Like, were they good enough to standalone had they been a new series IP?
Maybe we should have a thread on what we expect from a new 1st party shooter?
If it should have single player, setting, graphics, story etc etc.
Anyone want such a thread?
If it should have single player, setting, graphics, story etc etc.
Anyone want such a thread?
I didn't play them but I know CoD fans weren't happy. The cops one at least was also a new-to-CoD studio's first attempt at being the lead team, IIRC.
Was the cops one not Battlefield hardline or something like that?
I can't remember a cops version of COD...