Grasshopper is not a studio known for its mainstream smash hit success. The cult developer, responsible for such demented games as No More Heroes and Killer 7, is working on a brand new PS3 title and, true to form, it's a financial risk. So much so that publisher Marvelous is a tiny bit worried.
"If we do that [game] we might go bankrupt," laughs Marvelous president Yasuhiro Wada. "We are making it, but if we make everything then it's a little too risky. Because it's secret we can't really go into details."
A new game from Suda 51's studio is always fine by me, and no matter how risky it is, Marvelous can at least count on my custom. Nobody knows what this risky new PS3 game will be, but if it's anything like Grasshopper's previous efforts, it'll be the worst and best experience we've had in a long while. Can't wait to find out more!
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
10:00 AM on 06.17.2009
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For Creativity!!!
Grasshopper's games didn't get the sales on Wii unfortunately. I'd hate to see Suda and co go under though. I pray things pan out for them.
@Count Grishnack
Judging from your avatar that was fairly obvious =)
But still Marvelous is one of the best publishers for Nintendo systems for now
I'm not attempting to start a flame war; I'm just pointing what never seems to get mentioned when fans scream that Dev teams are "lazy" regarding PS3 dev. First party houses (sucker punch, naughty dog) don't incur the same cost for developing and marketing games in house and other than Little Big Planet....I cannot recall a small team making the PS3 sing.
Sony will need to work on making their next system dev friendly if they want to return to prominence. I am all for pushing the envelope, but I am wondering whether we will ever see what the PS3 can really do. When I see something that "truly" cannot be done on a 360, I will buy one....
There's more to it than that, sony (nor any company) predicted the massive suck that would be our economy, a lot of people are forgetting that these things aren't built over night and the decision of what twch goes into a system is made long before the thing is actually made
The dev costs that were expensive now weren't back. In the past environment the cost were minimal compared to the advantages of blu ray and the cell, it was a logical choice at the moment.
@ Mentok The Mindtaker
It's not that Valve doesn't have the balls, they just don't like developing for the PS3. We've been over this this.
still haven't played mgs4.
there goes this month's rent.
Can't say I'm a fan of Suda 51 studio, the games come off like some 14 year old Japanese boy on a bad acid trip.
Of course they should care. The projected cost of developing a game has been estimated to be 60 million (currently around 7-10 million) for the next generation of consoles. Sony was unquestionably the “leader” in the last generation of consoles (PS2/Xbox,Gamecube). As a result, developers were much more inclined to work with difficult (but nowhere near as difficult as the cell processor) hardware specs due to Sony’s install base and the probability of recouping development costs.
In this generation, the lead has changed. Developers are far less inclined to “apply” themselves to tech that may vanish in the next round. This especially the case when a console’s install base is in “last place” and its game attach rate is significantly lower than its competition. It only behooves Sony (and fans like you) to make the production process of developers easier. Games will come out quickly and you won’t have the hiccups with inferior translations (Ghostbusters is the latest example of this problem…a very sad situation considering Sony owns the movie on which the game is licensed)
I disagree with your citing development cost as being less of a spec. determining factor in the past. I am a huge SEGA fan who has owned and played SEGA games and systems since the Master System. When Sony burst onto the scene with the PS they touted the ease in which games could be made on their systems using their development tools and kits. The Saturn (2d BEAST and inexpensive Neo-Geo-killer) had more difficult specs and SEGA was often lambasted for not simplifying the process. Ultimately, the non-developer-friendly tech ushered in the abandonment of SEGA by the development community and their newer Dreamcast had trouble winning suitors.
Sony was guilty of hubris after their crowning success in the last generation (PS2). With most of the industry in their back pocket, Sony ignored the techniques that provided them with success in their initial outing (PS) which punctuated easily made games and direct Sony support. While Blu-ray did seem to readily offer info storage advantages, the Cell Processor was/is/will be a much riskier gamble given it’s entirely “new” approach.
While I agree that many did not predict the severity of the financial meltdown (I worked at a financial mag at the time and trust me…the financial community was aware of the warning signs despite how the media has portrayed their knowledge), making development on the side of creators and publishers easier is a no-brainer. After all, MS approached the creation of the 360 with this mindset. MS polled game developers as to what they wanted and needed in a console to make development easier, less costly, and ultimately faster. Why wouldn’t they do this? After all, they learned this strategy from Sony success. I’ll quote what a Sony fan said to me when I poo-pooed Sony’s trouncing of SEGA, “Don’t you want the console company you support to make the most forward thinking decisions and the wise business moves?” I wanted to slap to slap the shit out of him, but he was right.
Should the failure of this game be Grasshopper's downfall, I will personally hold every self-professed "hardcore gamer" who did not purchase this game responsible, and hunt them down with extreme prejudice.