Bionic Commando Devs Fear The Japanese
Swedish developer GRIN, working on Capcom's new Bionic Commando title as well as the PSN/XBLA update of the original one, were entertainingly forthcoming during an industry conference in the Netherlands where they talked about the tough path for an independent developer.
Managing director Bo had some blunt language for the harsh reality of game development as a business, something the audience may occasionally lose track of when levying certain accusations at development studios:
"Really, to get started, you're not making a game for a gamer, you're making a game for a publisher", he said. "And that's how it is. They know the product, they are paying for the product, and they want you to pull through... on time."
Also, apparently working with the Japanese is scary:
On working with the Japanese: "If you don't deliver exactly what you specified, they kill you."
Whoa. By the way, McWhertor checked out Bionic Commando over here.
GRIN Co-Founders On The Hard Road For Independent Developers [Gamasutra]
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Judo chop you in the family jewels: "BJHAH!!!!"
GeorgeSears
They should fear the Japanese... Look at that horrible character design in the new Bionic Commando... Seriously.. C'mon... The character design is so sub-par... They purposely went for a look that would never come out of Capcom Japan... Thus they fail royally. Excited for a new Bionic Commando.. Yes... but not one that takes it's design cues from a stubborn crew of artists... Remember what happened with Squaresoft allowed their American office to release the Secret of Evermore on the SNES?... I rest my case.
aupton
@okenny :): You're only just noticing that?
Rebochan
@beril: lol
Netnavi
And they wonder why a lot of fans of Ghost Recon had issues with GRAW 1 and GRAW 2. Even a lot (not all, but a lot) of old Rainbow Six fans hate Vegas for dumbing down so much. From they're attitude, it would appear they might screw up Bionic Commando too.
Like FunkyJ said though, at least they were honest. And with this mentality they'll probably stay in business for quite some time.
Nutlink
@Netnavi: Obviously the japanese killed all the developers for not delivering on time and now it's taking some time to get new people to finnish it
beril
I wish more devs were forthcoming and honest like this.
When you hear a publisher say they want to remove a fundamental aspect of a game or the world that game belongs in, simply to make it rated E for everyone, no matter how hard you want to punch them in the face, you have to face facts that they're paying the money for you to make the game.
On the plus side, when it turns out shit like you've said all along, you can be happy that you were right, at least...
FunkyJ
@Netnavi: rad= read
Netnavi
I don't care what they say about anything and I haven't rad the article. I don't care. Why because I still don't have Bionic Commando on my PS3/XBLA to purchase and enjoy!
Did I miss something? It's been delayed for about 2 months with nary a word on it's release date! What happened?
Netnavi
@Intellectualdiot: Pretty much what they did to Gunpei was gave him a window seat.
relic1980
He's right you know. Just ask Gunpei.
Intellectualdiot
@wild homes is being recast!:
I've been saying that forever. I can't really say much about the rest of the world, but it seems like here in the grand ole West, we are so socially trained to find controversy in everything and I think there's a perverted sense of disappointment if we don't find anything. Our first instinct is simply to attack before we reason.
In the case of racism, I don't think that's ever ever going to stop. It's in our nature to recognize and openly acknowledge differences in each other. It is another thing entirely to hate someone based on those differences. I've always taken the approach that people are going to say or do some pretty offensive things at any given point in time, but if we stop and try to recognize their intent, sometimes... well, sometimes it's just funny as hell.
dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased
The future for humanity, if indicative of what I'm reading in here, is very very bleak.
okenny :)
I didn't think the Japanese killed you if you didn't deliever what you said you would. I thought they made you do ritualistic suicide with a very painful short sword. See, that's totally not murder.
Salen
That's a great article, and the whole publisher breathing down some developers back or lazy developers are true. The idea is what is your target audience? And your games works for that demographic.
zerokoolpsx
@wild homes is being recast!: Better than well said.
Holy crap, my UTIII just got here, despite seriously incongruent shipping information - splooge time.
sir_carrot
@SS Ymer: I work in a game studio and I must admit that you are kinda right. If you work for a big coorporation, they prefer to release a "secure" game (90% old stock - 10% new) that takes 8-12 months of full production than create a risky game where dev cost can explode.
The idea is to let small independants broke their teeth on something new, publish their game (and take a % of profits), buy them if and/or their IP if they are successful and repeat.
As a game dev, my biggest client is my garbage bin.
slimky
@wild homes is a tentpole release!:
I'll give you love and cookies as long as you don't go overboard like this guy !!!!
+ Watch video
look-up-in-the-sky-its-baby-jesus
@balls187 upside yo head: I never questioned their love for their work. I would just think though how many great ideas that would probably pop up during development when that creative part of the brain of any of the development-team starts grinding that might just make it the best game ever (or at least revolutionize the industry a little) only to have it shot down by the big guys because it's "too much of a risk".
SS Ymer
@pylon_trooper: I was gonna reply to that. I had researched, I had plotted, I had even cackled manically at how I would crush your arguments. Then I reread your comment carefully, and loled.
SS Ymer
@everybest: Yeah, you're totally right. The simple truth is that as long as you keep an open mind, and treat your fellows like you'd prefer to be treated, all the small problems with other people that you encounter just kind of melt away. We go looking for racism, instead of just dealing with it where it truly exists. And in the act of looking it for it, we perpuate a lot of racist mythology.
I say, what we need is love. Love, and some freaking cookies.
wild homes is being recast!
@pylon_trooper: That was kick ass.
Thanks for the laugh.
udiie
@pylon_trooper: lol, I see what you did there ;)
DigiMish
@tralfaz23: no no, your entire right hand
karmakid
@wild homes gets retconned!: It's annoying. People on the internet (and in the States) are always oversensitive to racism to the point that everyone else is afraid to speak their legitimate thoughts.
everybest
The article is really insightful, though. Definitely worth making the jump for. It's really a lot more detailed the Leigh's article necessarily indicates-- a lot of cool insight into being an independent, the attrition of will and the endurance it takes to survive in the industry. I'm not excited about the proper Bionic Commando game they're making, but I'm very much looking forward to Rearmed. Wish these guys the very best of luck.
wild homes is being recast!
Hmn... I believe it. They're a serious bunch.
dArk_stAr
This is the kind of stuff that Atari might want to take a look at if they survive long enough. I don't know why most people don't just tell it like it is, but it's pretty cool that Bo said the things he did without a PR spin on it.
dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased
@SS Ymer: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. had a lack of Polish?! I do believe there was one man from Warsaw on the development team. Admittedly, 99% Russian, though.
Good Lord. You can tell it's only the first cup of coffee for the day.
pylon_trooper
@PATSCRU: What? How is this racial stereotyping? They just said working for the Japanese... which I assume means the Japanese people they're working for. That's like if I said, my black roommate. I'm not talking about all black people just because I don't choose to share his name. You're looking for something that's just not here.
wild homes is being recast!
No wonder some games take a long time to finish and are constantly delayed. The Japanese developers are constantly having to replace people. Makes sense now. Game designing is risky business.
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Hehe, that was great.
Quilt
@SS Ymer: That's not true.
Games like Madden 2008++ are just made to develop money, but other games are made by people that have a passion to make games.
Thats how they justify working 80+ hours. Its what they love, so it's not work.
balls187 upside yo head
It's sad really that I ever thought otherwise but games are in the end just developed to make money. I can't imagine how cramped you must feel when you have the publishers breathing down your neck preventing you from creating some awesome, brand new ideas when you're half-way through. And always living in fear of an expert Japanese ninja-assassin arriving at your door probably only adds to that.
It's not all bad though. Publishers can some times come down on developers who are simply too ambitious and would probably never get everything done. Look at S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Oh wait, the main critique (I might be misusing words as I please here) for the game was a lack of polish. Hmmm, must be hard to hit that magic number.
SS Ymer
Nah, working for the Japanese isn't scary. Swedes are just pussies.
balls187 upside yo head
more hilarious dev vs. pub racial stereotyping please.
PATSCRU
Gives new meaning to a body under the Sakura Tree.
ittekimasu
I listened to an Insomniac podcast a while ago when they had the Bionic Commando dev team as guests, and man, those guys are hilarious.
The interview touched up on everything from Japanese people getting motion sickness when watching Cloverfield to the small size of the Japanese.
DigiMish
how did such a cool character get turned into a white guy with dreads?!
cephun
@tralfaz23: thats what sega would make you do if you fuck up. thats why team sonic can't make any good games, because they are all missing fingers, Capcom on the other hand will make you do the whole belly slicing thing.
Gypse-scum
Might as well as commit Hari Kari when breaking promises of epic proportions in the land of the Rising Sun.
PsycheE
@tralfaz23: Which then is used to kill you.
Datheron
I thought they just made you cut a finger
tralfaz23