GSC Game World reveals true sequel to esteemed 2007 postapocalyptic survival shooter will feature all-new game engine.
After numerous delays, GSC Game World released the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl in 2007 and has since put out two follow-ups to capitalize on that game’s critical success. The first, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, arrived in 2008 and operated as a prequel to the events in the original game, while this year’s Call of Pripyat served as an extension to the end of Shadow of Chernobyl.
Now, GSC Game World is gearing up to deliver a sequel proper to Shadow of Chernobyl, announcing today that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will arrive in 2012. In announcing the game’s development, GSC Game World also noted that the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise has now sold more than 4 million units worldwide.
The studio did not provide much by way of gameplay details for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. However, GSC Game World did say that the game would benefit from an all-new multiplatform game engine that’s being built in house. CEO Sergiy Grygorovych also characterized the game as “the next chapter” in the series.
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe takes place in an alternate reality set in the infamous city of Chernobyl, which suffered a nuclear reactor meltdown in 1986. In the game, the town is subjected to a second dose of nuclear fallout, spawning a rash of hideously mutated monsters that now occupy the postapocalyptic town.
For more on the series, check out GameSpot’s review on the latest installment, Call of Pripyat.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
APB developer Realtime Worlds may be laying off the entire Project: MyWorld team, according to reports from VG247 and Develop, with sources also alleging the dissolution of RTW entirely. One source apparently told VG247 that “The MyWorld team has been completely laid off. As many as 60 may have gone, but there’s a rumor they may be trying to sell the team as a smaller entity.” VG247 also alleges that “the Scottish developer is seeking to sell on APB entirely.”
In early July, RTW announced forthcoming “redundancies” at its Dundee studio, specifically referencing a “second, unannounced project” — now known to be Project: MyWorld. In a statement offered to Joystiq this morning, RTW echoed that earlier announcement: “Further to the press release issued on the 7th July announcing the post-launch restructure for APB and expected redundancies, the 30-day consultation period with the affected staff has ended. The supporting infrastructure for a game inevitably changes once released, and those staff that couldn’t be redeployed to new projects in the Art, Audio, Coding, Design, Production, and QA departments have regrettably been made redundant. APB continues to be our primary development focus, and we remain fully committed to the game and its players.” No specific numbers were given.
Realtime Worlds refused to comment on rumors of a full-studio closure or the possibility of APB being sold off. If you’re an employee of RTW with more information, we’d love to hear from you.
Rumor: Realtime Worlds lays off MyWorld team, reduces APB team size originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Star Wars studio confirms former Ubisoft Montreal creative director has joined its staff to work on an unannounced project.
Earlier this summer, word surfaced that Ubisoft Montreal creative director Clint Hocking had left the employ of the French publisher. Within the development community, speculation ran rife about where one of the primary architects of Far Cry 2 and the Splinter Cell series would wind up.
Today, that question was answered. Following Twitter posts by a Ubisoft community developer, LucasArts has confirmed to GameSpot that Hocking is now in its employ. “We are pleased to announce that Clint Hocking has joined LucasArts as creative director on an unannounced project,” a LucasArts rep said.
What exactly that unannounced project is remains a mystery. One possibility is the unnamed Star Wars game Microsoft showed off at the Electronic Entertainment Expo to promote its Kinect motion-sensing system. The San Francisco-based game arm of the LucasArts empire is also currently hard at work on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, the sequel to the septuple-platinum 2008 action game that launches October 26. The publisher is also collaborating with BioWare on the massively multiplayer online-role playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic, due out early next year.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
We hope you’ve got space for Lara Croft and one guardian of light on your couch, because that’s where the heroic pair will find themselves on August 18th. Developer Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that when Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light launches on Xbox Live Arcade, concluding Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion, it will only support offline co-op.
Online co-op, as well as Xbox Live standards like full leaderboard support and voice chat functionality, will be introduced via a free update on September 28. On the same day, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be launched on PlayStation Network and Steam.
The baffling omission of the online component appears to have been made at the last minute, with Crystal Dynamics general manager Darrell Gallagher telling Joystiq, “We made a decision recently because we were focusing on how we can deliver the best possible experience to the players. If we had launched with online co-op, we wouldn’t feel comfortable that it was the best possible experience for the player.” Though online co-op had been promoted and promised since the game’s announcement, Gallagher claims that “nothing underhanded” influenced the decision. “This is our first digital title and we want to make sure we deliver the best possible experience to players.”
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will not have online co-op until Sept. 28 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Monday Night Combat, out next Wednesday, will be the penultimate game in the XBLA Summer of Arcade promotion. The video after the break features a pretty good overview of the gameplay and, well, BACON! Who doesn’t like bacon? Even vegetarians love bacon. It’s true.
Continue reading Monday Night Combat gameplay walkthrough is full of bacon
Monday Night Combat gameplay walkthrough is full of bacon originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
In the latest Insomniac Games newsletter, the company hints that it will be releasing news about a brand new title in the coming weeks, specifically for the PlayStation 3, ruling out its multi-platform project with EA. “Sometime between now and the Penny-Arcade Expo over Labor Day weekend,” says the newsletter, the Burbank-based studio will pull the curtain off of the project. And during PAX 2010 there will be a panel in the Serpent Theater on September 4 at 6:30pm, moderated by G4’s Adam Sessler, that will see Insomniac “discuss (and demo!) our upcoming PlayStation 3 project.”
So we can all agree that it’s Resistance 3, right? I mean, sure, it’d be nice to have a brand new Spyro or even some new IP, but we’re all going with Resistance 3 for this one, right? We’ll find out sometime in the next few weeks exactly what they’re talking about.
Insomniac to announce new game before PAX, demo it there originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
We can easily wrap our minds around the hobby of coin collection — after all, coins are pretty awesome, and at the end of the day, you’re really just spending money on money, making it a relatively low-cost endeavor. However, DC Direct’s recently pressed World of Warcraft-themed currency — which comes in a set of one bronze, silver and gold coin, each featuring a faction leader and major city from the MMO on both sides — is a bit beyond our understanding.
According to G4, these three coins were on sale at Comic-Con for $69.99, though their real-life spendability is negligible at best. Heck, even if you wanted to use them to purchase your Artisan Riding skill and mount, you’d have to shell out well over $350,000 in order to do so. Then again, those things … aren’t real. But these coins are! And, as we’ve said, coins are awesome. We’re so conflicted!
World of Warcraft currency becomes real-world coins originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Our MMO-centric sister site Massively received a whole mess of gameplay details and screenshots from Bigpoint’s promising browser-based MMO, Battlestar Galactica Online. Players will be able to choose between the Human and Cylon factions, will be able to create their own out-of-ship avatars, and will progress through individual quests and story-based missions exclusive to their own factions. For instance, Cylons might be tasked with preparing a fresh slice of toast. (Because Cylons look like toasters. Obviously.)
For more details, check out the info Massively managed to glean from Bigpoint. For visual images you can see with your eyes, check out the gallery below.
Browse these new details and screens from Battlestar Galactica Online originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
If you feel like dedicating around 10 minutes of your day to media from NetDevil’s upcoming MMO Lego Universe, you’ll find everything you need here. Check out a ton of screens in the following gallery, or watch videos featuring in-game pets, factions and the “partners” who helped create the game.
Continue reading Lego Universe trailers rebuild our capacity to love
Lego Universe trailers rebuild our capacity to love originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Massively multiplayer online game gets major update in early September; free content ups level cap to 55, adds new zones, instances, skills, weapons, and streamlined flight mechanic.
Get the full article at GameSpot
Recent Comments