It was revealed this week that former Uncharted series boss Amy Hennig own studio to create experimental projects. Soon about similar plans another gaming industry veteran is Raphaël Colantonio, co-founder of the Arkane studio that created Dishonored, which he led for eighteen years. The first project of his new studio WolfEye, which he will co-manage with former Arkane executive producer Julien Roby, will be unveiled on December 13 at The Game Awards 2019.
Colantonio became creative director and president, and Roby became CEO and executive producer of the new studio. In development of the first project Chris Avellone, co-creator of Fallout and Planescape: Torment. Unlike Hennig, who plans to make games with advanced graphics that are almost indistinguishable from movies, WolfEye is going to focus on gameplay and art decisions, pushing technology into the background.
“While creating WolfEye, we thought that we wanted to return to ideas that we both like - both as designers and as gamers,” Roby said in an interview. . — We love games that respond to user actions, in which the user creates his own gaming experience. Technically advanced projects are difficult to make: the attention of developers switches from gameplay to technical aspects that ultimately mean not so much. We need to avoid that scenario."
“I caught myself thinking that the last two or three generations seem to be playing the same game,” Colantonio said. - The only difference is more impressive graphics, higher resolution, more shaders. The games themselves don't change much."
WolfEye consists of a small (less than 20 people) team working remotely. Managers believe that employees do not need to be in the office to effectively cope with the tasks. “People work better when they are happy with their lives,” Roby said. “If you can provide them with an environment in which they feel comfortable working, they can do more work in less time.” There are no plans to expand the state - a small team, emphasize Colantonio and Roby, allows you to avoid the problems of large companies.
“[In a small team] everyone is involved,” says Roby. “When there are two hundred people in a team, people often don’t understand what they are doing and why, they don’t have a sense of belonging to the project.” "Just because a studio is small doesn't mean it will make small games," Colantonio added. “We can make great games by focusing on certain aspects.”
The executives noted that they should not expect a new Dishonored from their studio, but Arkane fans will most likely enjoy their first project. “I want new games to impress a new generation of gamers in the same way that games once impressed me,” said Colantonio. “I meet people who speak of Arx Fatalis in the same way that I speak of Ultima. This is how the world works: every two or three generations, art is repeated. That's why what was popular in the eighties is now popular again. The kids from that time have grown up and are now making films reminiscent of that era. I do the same. I want my game to be fair and able to touch someone. It doesn't matter how much money it brings in."
Colantonio founded Arkane in 1999. He led the action RPGs Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, the original Dishonored (he co-led it with Harvey Smith, lead designer of the original Deus Ex), and . He previously worked at Electronic Arts and Infogrames. Game designer Arkane in 2017 the reason for leaving is the desire to spend more time with her son and decide on plans for the future.
Arkane now over the Deathloop action. Dishonored Series .
Source: 3dnews.ru