Before the dawn of the final hour, I'd like to record my one big prediction (if only for later humiliation):
I think Retro Studios and Silicon Knights are collaborating on Eternal Darkness.
Or, at the least, there seems to be evidence.
Silicon, reportedly, have been working on one of their own IPs. It can't be Legacy of Kain (Square has Crystal D. and others for that), and I think it's safe to say—it ain't another Too Human. Next, there's no accounting for Silicon's freak ability to have stayed afloat these past few years without a source of funding. They're obviously getting their money from
someone who has faith in them, and the only funder whose faith would be valid is Nintendo, as they've produced two quality titles for them. This is all without saying that Nintendo is the owner of Silicon's only sterling property, and that they've renewed its trademark.
But while Nintendo knows that Silicon is the best choice for Eternal Darkness, they should also know that they can't be trusted with it alone.
In comes Retro Studios.
Nintendo has already gauged Retro's ability as collaborative developer—not only with Mario Kart 7 (as the lesser agency) but also with DKC Returns (as the lead agency, with NOJ obervers). And using Retro as Silicon's babysitter accomplishes thus:
1. It ensures that Silicon turns out a quality title.
2. It allows Retro to work with a studio experienced in HD.
3. It allows two—presently—smallish developers to easily produce a large, next-gen title.
Furthermore, a second prediction! I think that Retro's primary function this gen will not be as a developer their own games, but as a collaborator with other teams. This accounts for why they've been hiring people experienced across many different genres. It also accounts for why Miyamoto, when asked if Retro might develop a Zelda title, responded that they might make a "good collaborator." If this theory proves true, I think we'd be lucky to get more than a single Retro-led game this generation. But maybe in that absence, we'd get a number of Retro-
quality games.
Anyways, cheers to all for lasting the year! It's been a bitch. I'll share the GIF I made just one last time:
