Sony Online Entertainment’s upcoming massively multiplayer online spy game The Agency will be playable on both the PC and the PS3, and both versions are being developed at the same time. They’re building the title to permit interaction between PC and PS3 gamers, but they do have some obstacles to overcome to make this work properly.
PC titles are open to hacking. These exploits could put console gamers at a disadvantage, spoiling the whole concept of console and PC play.
There’s also the issue of balance when it comes to control methods. PC gamers prefer a mouse-and-keyboard configuration, while console gamers usually don’t have a choice. Executive producer Wilson is taking this into consideration.
“We can do things to equalize them, whether that’s aim assist on the console or other things on the PC, but when we’ve actually done focus group testing and so forth, you’re always going to have the console players versus the PC players,” Wilson says.
Finally, Wilson says the biggest challenge will be the updates that PC MMOs live by. Since the PS3 has a certification process, maintaining a synchronization of update releases will be difficult.
In the end, accounts will be cross-compatible. PS3 gamers can pick up their game on a PC and vice-versa. And the games should be pretty similar content-wise, according to Wilson.
“The nice part about the PS3 is that it’s a powerhouse console, and if we’re designing it with the PS3 in mind, we’re still going to have a high fidelity game on the PC. And so, from a content perspective, we’re really not doing anything differently, whether it’s the PC or the PS3.”
[Via Gamasutra]
