With
Activision gobbling up
Project Gotham Racing developer Bizarre Creations, the future of the Microsoft's racing series seems to have a lot of question marks attached. Interestingly, lead designer Ged Talbert has already been talking about what they could do to improve on the series,
telling CVG, "Obviously
Gotham 4's about to come out and we're really happy with it, but behind the scenes we've already started ripping our game to pieces. We know where we failed in certain areas."
Bizarre's going to be popping out a new racing IP for Activision now, so we'll have to wait and see if the improvements Talbert wants will be implemented in
PGR 5, or in some new series. That said, are we the only ones who are a bit more worried about the future of Bizarre's other property,
Geometry Wars? Traditionally, it's been a part of
PGR, so will it be in someone else's hands too?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
phattie @ Sep 28th 2007 1:37PM
M$ will just pay for PG5.. %50 million seems to be the going rate nowadays.
Poisoned Al @ Sep 28th 2007 1:42PM
%50 million? Let me guess, you didn't do too well at maths.
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Sep 28th 2007 1:44PM
Well, he does spell Microsoft with a $...
Shadowcast @ Sep 28th 2007 2:36PM
money hats for all! oh and by the way Microsoft already owns the PGR ip.
Spartacus @ Sep 28th 2007 1:50PM
phattie,
You seem to be under the delusional impression that buying exclusives is a tactic that only MS imploys. You also seem to be lazily referencing the 50 million MS "FRONTED", not "paid" or "bribed", Rockstar for the GTA IV content. But your innacuracies are expected.
ON TOPIC: I'm looking forward to PGR4, that screenshot alone would've sold me (as I already am a fan of the series' gameplay). I hope the series continues to be offered on the 360 either as an exclusive or even as a multi-platform release.
Mr. P @ Sep 28th 2007 2:12PM
Actually I'm pretty sure only MS does this kinda thing. They're not just tossing around money, they're funding development just so the game can be on their console only.
They've already paid off Mistwalker (Lost Odyssey), Square (Infinite Undiscovery), Remedy (Alan Wake), Tecmo (Ninja Gaiden 2), and god knows who else in the future.
Honestly, I'd rather the developers deside for themselves what kind of games to make and what console to make them for. Just look at Blue Dragon. Do you honestly think the game would've sucked so much if it wasn't funded by greed? If it was developed for something like the Wii? I doubt it.
And now MS has paid off Team Ninja, a team once dedicated to only developing for the most powerful console, which I'm sorry to say the 360 is far from.
I think I'm done ranting now :)
Spartacus @ Sep 28th 2007 2:34PM
Mr P,
Did you hear that Sony just bought the dev that created MotorStorm?
Paying a dev to create content and buying the dev to create content are the same thing.
Tecmo was the PUBLISHER, not DEVELOPER of the Ninja Gaiden series, that was Team Ninja, which has been partial to the Xbox for the past 6 years. MS is now the publisher, either by securing rights or by Team Ninja approaching them. How games get publishers is not a scandalous secret.
Blue Dragon? That had to be the lamest arguement I've ever heard. A game sucked because it was funded by greed?! News flash: EVERY CONSUMER ITEM IS FUNDED BY GREED. Do you think Nintendo invented and marketed the Wii out of the kindness af their hearts? That must be why they sell the console with the least features with the largest profit margin... Give me a break. Blue Dragon was the game that is was (for better or for worse) for the same reason any other game.
Get off the "MS is Satan Incarnate" kool-aid. As evil as greed is, it's rather hard to pin it on the corporation who gives the most to charity each year. Am I a delusional Bill Gates fanboy? No, but neither am I a delusional Sony or Nintendo fanboy. I do however favor the Xbox 360 console for a variety of valid reasons and opinions.
FrankTheCrank @ Sep 28th 2007 1:52PM
God...that new 360 Core pack can't come any sooner.
Bring it on!!
Philonious @ Sep 28th 2007 2:01PM
Geometry Wars is owned by Bizarre (unlike PGR which is owned by Microsoft) so Geometry will now be published by Activision.
SYN @ Sep 28th 2007 2:30PM
and Project gotham 5 will now be made by bungie!
DBX00 @ Sep 28th 2007 2:17PM
Where is the sky in that picture? Something about the top half of that screenshot looks incomplete or missing. I've never looked up and had my vision completely blinded by the sun, so what's with all these games using this blur the sky technique.
SYN @ Sep 28th 2007 2:29PM
HDR
Spartacus @ Sep 28th 2007 4:07PM
It's an overcast sky, which being from Tornado Alley, I can say from experience that it is an accurace representation.
In fact, I thought it looked photorealistic.
maylon @ Sep 28th 2007 3:06PM
Spartacus, I couldnt agree more with what you are saying. Finally, someone that sees what I see. Every time I see M$ spelled as such, I cringe. Microsoft is by no means benevolent, but it is no worse and at times much better in their practices than other corporations.
Mr Khan @ Sep 28th 2007 4:46PM
They get more flak because of their monopoly (90% +) over the Operating System market
Windows makes it virtually impossible for otherwise objective people to like Microsoft, but they certainly aren't the evilest corporation in the world (Blackwater USA, or maybe Rosneft), or even in the tech sector (that position being soundly filled by FortiNet Realtime Network Protection)
SoulBlade @ Sep 28th 2007 6:02PM
I've called them m$ for years.. mainly stemming from their monopoly days and the fact that they are loaded. It's not a bad thing. It just means they have bank.
Now... it's also possible that some call them m$ because they're one of the only companies that can make a billion dollar mistake and still survive.
Spartacus @ Sep 28th 2007 4:17PM
Oops, that should say "accurate"...
But anyhoo, I do quite a bit of photography (scenic, not portrait) with my Canon DSLR camera and this screenshot pretty much captures reality. Most of the time light from the sun washes the frame and totally eliminates detail in the clouds and sky. Often I take pictures that look totally "meh" due to a solid white or grey sky. That's why photographers often take those stunning pictures at dawn or dusk, when the sun's light is more easily controlled due to a more linear or directional beam of light (as the horizon blocks all but the horizontal light beams). Dawn and dusk also produce more spectacular lighting effects and colors in the clouds. Unfortunately, a lot of pictures are taken during the day and if the lens is pointed into the sun on an overcast day, the frame will turn out like this.
saycheese @ Sep 28th 2007 4:18PM
Your comments: Bizarre have made it clear on their web site that PGR4 will be their
last PGR game, and they would not make the 5th installment in the
series if Microsoft wants to continue the franchise. PGR franchise is
a Microsoft IP, so Bizarre cannot and will not take the game to
another publisher or console.Bizarre also promised to support PGR4 as
planned prior to the Activision acquisition. But I won't expect them
to release much if any DLC for the game past the first year.I hope
Geometry Wars would continue to be developed and published by Bizarre
(they haven't made any announcement of that game's future). It might
continue to be developed and distributed via XBL as usual.
VampireHunter Z @ Sep 28th 2007 5:20PM
I love the series been playing since MSR. Geometry Wars is pure bliss too. This is the worst thing that could possibly happen to Bizarre Creations.
horngreen @ Sep 28th 2007 5:47PM
Here is what PGR could use to freshen itself up. Make it cross platform PS3 and 360 (NO Wii) and make it playable online between LIVE users and PS3 online users. Not sure if that is even possible what with Sonys "amazing architecture in it's cell processor" LOL but it would be cool. Then the discussion between fanboys could be over the headsets instead of cowardly posting stuff on message boards. Does Sonys online even have voice for all games?
SoulBlade @ Sep 28th 2007 6:04PM
I believe Sony leaves network related things to the devs and such. That way they don't have to maintain it and charge people money to play online.
Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 28th 2007 7:34PM
I don't know what to say, as long as PGR4 is good well thumps up as for acitvision well I must say that they aren't that bad,most of the activision games I have played are good and now with PGR team working with them well is not like the x360 will lose a game more like every other system is gaining 1 game since activision likes multiplatform
I’m looking forward to a PSP racing game developed by the PGR team.
refinedsugar @ Sep 28th 2007 10:17PM
I don't know if I'd refer to the PGR series as "Microsoft's racing series" since Forza came along. With or without PGR, the 360 still has a boatload of racing titles.
gregory mitchell @ Sep 28th 2007 10:54PM
wow those 1up posters are dumbasses like 5 people still dont understand that MS owns PGR...yea halo on PS3 too.
MS needs forza and PGR to coexist drifting is not everyones thing just like sim racing and tweaking isnt everyones thing. and until someone makes a game that can at least handle like NFSMW. street racings should all lay low for awhile....atari needs to tweak the driving in test drive for the new one. NFS seems to be the only game where you add parts and can see the difference. Nothing worse than putting 20k into suspension and tires, just to have your car not skidding out of a 45 degree turn doing 50. Its funny that juiced2 sucked but its the 1st game to have the BOV sound...even if it is on a stock car lol
kingrottenboy @ Oct 1st 2007 9:26AM
Bizzare creations has a real strange relationship with thier publishing partners.
it is strange becuase Bizzare creations has no previous work done with activision.
they are proven race developers with MSR and PGR but other games? fur fighters was okay, and awaiting the club being published by sega. I wonder what activisions angle on this is?
James @ Oct 1st 2007 2:10PM
Spartacus: Your right. That does happen with a DSLR. It doesn't happen in real life though. I guess it depends on whether they are trying to create the effect of looking through a camera or actually being there. I'm pretty sure they will be using the same effect for in car driving shots as well though.