IgeL said:
Grin did Bandits I guess.. Didn't they do Ballistics too (or was the engine confusingly named to Grin3D or something like that)?
What's Bad Robot done?
Damn Swedes... pretty good stuff coming from you, gotta admit. Oh well, Finland will rise one day... just wait!
Grin did Ballistic too!
Trust me Grin is doing some UBER-AMAZING stuff, you would not believe it, even in present state. SouthEnd just plain rocks and their stuff will be equally impressive at the least. These companies have some of the most talented and creative people in the games industry.
The sad thing is, like the Amuze story, publishers wouldnt know talent if it bit them in the gonads and danced a jig in front of them. They consider you a 'talent' if you are a part of a multimillion selling franchise, like Activision's NeverSoft. They create OK games, granted, but they look like ass, are never polished and lack originality on many levels. Not their fault, Activision wants them to make those kinds of games and thats what they do.
But at the companies where credit is due, SouthEnd, Grin, many others, people are working SO hard, maing NEW, ORIGINAL and exciting products, but publishers just walk all over them without respect and flip them the finger.
I've been paying attention lately, to company statements, and I can throuroughly say that Activision and Electronic Arts are absolutely paving the way for destruction of creative games. All they care about is 'predictable franchises'. Something that you just KNOW will make money. Something that has proven itself before. Thus automatically not giving (many) new things a chance. Cutting production costs down to bare minimum, resulting in less time to flesh out creative idea's or visuals on multiplatform, it's a shame.
Plus, they want to raise game pricing in the future, and they talk about online, and micro management money transactions, as if it's future music. While all of it is implemented today in the Xbox Live service. Yet they ignore that cutting edge piece of online revolution. When did these companies turn into any other company wanting to compete and get more money instead of focussing on keeping your feet up and everyone in the company happy while producing quality content? it's that the more gratifying thing to fight for instead of inmediate material statisfaction?
Crazyness, this industry is so demotivating from the inside. SouthEnd and Grin, as well as the other independant companies who just don't get any recognition for their amazing work; you guys rule, and will always be the moral winner. Fight the Man!
Alrighty then...sorry 'bout the rant.
Regardless, their stuff is (and will be) amazing.