Joystiq

Devs helped shape PS4, console wasn't designed 'in an ivory tower somewhere in Tokyo'

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:15:00 EST

Pssst, here's an open secret: Sony's PlayStation 3 was a machine built on ego that had harsh executive-level repercussions following launch. For the recently revealed PlayStation 4, which Sony has been developing for several years, the company took a more democratic approach, consulting with developers and publishers on what it should do.

"We've been very closely involved in the development of the machine," said Hermen Hulst, co-founder of Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, to The Guardian. "It's no longer designed in an ivory tower somewhere in Tokyo, it's shared with us, with [Uncharted developer] Naughty Dog, with Sony San Diego - and together we've built the machine."

The Guardian posits developer consultation and discussions with publishers like Ubisoft led to the PS4 being designed in line with modern PCs, so devs could easily comprehend the hardware. Other design elements noted were greater social integration and controller elements, like concave triggers and the headphone jack.

The Guardian has far more on the roundtable design.

Devs helped shape PS4, console wasn't designed 'in an ivory tower somewhere in Tokyo' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What Killzone looked like before it was Killzone

Kyle Orland — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST

The E3 2005 trailer for Killzone 2 quickly became well-known (infamous, even) for its supposedly unatainable levels of in-game graphical prowess. But the initial trailer for the game that would become the original Killzone has been much less well known ... until this past week at GDC Europe.

Guerilla Games Managing Director Hermen Hulst showed off the circa-1999 concept video in a keynote speech in Cologne earlier this week, calling it a "showcase of technical competence" prepared for their first meeting with Sony. Even though Hulst admits there's "nothing really 'Killzone' about it" at this early stage (for instance, the Helghast and their glowing eyes don't even make a cameo appearance) we thought it was an interesting look at the pre-history of one of Sony's biggest exclusive franchises. To see the video in full, follow us past the break.

Continue reading What Killzone looked like before it was Killzone

What Killzone looked like before it was Killzone originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guerrilla Games managing director keynoting GDC Europe

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Organizers for the Cologne-based gaming industry get-together, GDC Europe, have announced who will deliver this year's keynote address: Guerrilla Games managing director Hermen Hulst. According to the press release announcing Hulst's keynoting duties, his speech will focus on "how the studio has matured, which obstacles had to be overcome and what some of the ingredients behind the success of the Killzone series are."

The presser also mentions Hulst's speech "will be located somewhere in the field of tension between hardware and software." We thought we were familiar with the Cologne Congress Center, but we have no idea where that is. Is it close to the cafeteria? Maybe?

Guerrilla Games managing director keynoting GDC Europe originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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