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Game Developer Looks at 20 Companies That Currently Make Better Bosses Or Have the Potential to Set the Course for the Industry's Future

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Game Developer Looks at 20 Companies That Currently Make Better Bosses Or Have the Potential to Set the Course for the Industry's Future THE LEADING GAME INDUSTRY MAGAZINE voL 17 N o9 o CTo BER 2010 INSIDE: 20 C o M p ANIES T o w ATCH po STM o RTEM: FINAL FANTASY XIII RTEM: FINAL FANTASY RED FACTION ARMAGEDDON. CONTENTS.1010 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 9 POSTMORTEM DEPARTMENTS 24 SQUARE ENIX'S FINAL FANTASY XIII 2 GAME PLAN By Brandon Sheffield [EDITORIAL] When development started on FINAL FANTASY XIII its gameplay, Wal-Mart Versus the Mom and Pops scenario, and technical specs were only vaguely defined. But this didn't stop the team from motoring ahead anyway, creating assets at 4 HEADS UP DISPLAY [NEWS] an ever increasing pace with no clear sense as to whether they would Man on a Mission film review, Assembly 2010, and more. even be usable in the game. It wasn't until the team was obligated to create a playable demo for the Japanese market that the title's 32 TOOL BOX By Ali Tezel [REVIEW] ultimate design came into focus. In this postmortem we get a unique Autodesk Softimage 2011 look at the creation of a game whose epic scope almost got the better of the studio. By Motomu Toriyama and Akihiko Maeda 35 THE INNER PRODUCT By Rulon Raymond [PROGRAMMING] Skin Retargeting FEATURES 38 PIXEL PUSHER By Steve Theodore [ART] 7 COMPANIES TO WATCH Mid Life Crisis The game industry is a constantly shifting landscape. What companies should you be watching to see which way the wind is 41 DESIGN OF THE TIMES By Damion Schubert [DESIGN] blowing? Here Game Developer looks at 20 companies that currently Make Better Bosses or have the potential to set the course for the industry's future. By Jeffrey Fleming and Brandon Sheffield 43 AURAL FIXATION By Vincent Diamante [SOUND] Big Tunes, Small Scale 14 TOP 20 PUBLISHERS In this companion piece to Game Developer's "Companies To Watch," 44 EYE ON GDC By Staff [GDC] we look at the publishers that are having the biggest influence over GDC Europe and GDC Online award finalists. the direction of the game industry. By Brandon Sheffield 47 GOOD JOB! By Staff [CAREER] 17 SHATTERED Brenda Brathwaite Q&A, who went where, and new studios. Volition are the masters of destruction. Here we get a detailed examina- tion of the shader techniques used by the studio to create shattered 51 EDUCATED PLAY By Jeffrey Fleming [EDUCATION] glass effects in its upcoming RED FACTION ARMAGEDDON. By JT Hooker Broken Mind Games' FIG. 30 INTERVIEW: ERIK JOHNSON 56 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT By Matthew Wasteland [HUMOR] PORTAL was one of those rare, perfectly encapsulated experiences Stack Trace Returns where gameplay and aesthetics were in complete harmony. So how does one go about creating a sequel without disrupting the elegant balance of the original? According to PORTAL 2 project manager Erik Johnson, keeping players surprised is the key. By Brandon Sheffield WWW.GDMAG.COM 1 GAME PLAN // BRANDON SHEFFIELD www.gdmag.com Think Services, 600 Harrison St., 6th Fl., San Francisco, CA 94107 t: 415.947.6000 f: 415.947.6090 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES FOR INFORMATION, ORDER QUESTIONS, AND WAL-MART VERSUS THE MOM AND POPS ADDRESS CHANGES HEADLINE t: 800.250.2429 f: 847.763.9606 DO WHAT YOU DO BEST e: [email protected] DEK FOR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION AS I WRITE THIS, I’M IN JAPAN FOR the principle of supporting local above all other things. Just keep in www.gdmag.com/digital the Tokyo Game Show, and as business. People will always do mind, if you go into the generalist such I’ve had the opportunity to what’s easier for them. camp, simply trying to make a good EDITORIAL speak with a number of Japanese But then, there are the niches. game with common themes, you’re PUBLISHER developers in the last few days. If you want to get the right kind of competing with a huge number of Simon Carless l [email protected] One question on everyone’s lips is bait or tackle or fishing rod, you’re companies, many of which will have EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brandon Sheffield l [email protected] “how do we appeal to the Western not going to go to Wal-Mart, you’re been toiling in your particular genre, PRODUCTION EDITOR market?” It’s understandable—the going to go to a specialty bait with your particular brand of space Jeffrey Fleming l [email protected] Western market is huge, and the shop. If you’re into model trains, marine for many a year. ART DIRECTOR hardcore HD gamer in Japan is you’re going to go to a shop that On the other hand, if you spend Joseph Mitch l [email protected] PRODUCTION INTERN becoming less and less common. specializes in that. If you like comic more time working to differentiate Tom Curtis Though this is anecdotal books, you’re definitely not going your game, to give it a unique visual, CONTRIBUTING EDITORS rather than empirical, I would to be sifting through the romance aural, or game play style (and I Jesse Harlin Steve Theodore submit that part of the reason novels at Wal-Mart to try to find the mean significantly different, not just Daniel Nelson Japanese hardcore gamers are on latest James Kochalka zine. nicer explosions, or better ponytail Soren Johnson the decline is that while Western What Wal-Mart can’t do is physics), then you’ve got a talking Damion Schubert ADVISORY BOARD gamers grew up loving games, cater to specific tastes. If what point right away. The press will Hal Barwood Designer-at-Large and have continued to find them you’re doing is very generalized, want to pay attention to your title, Mick West Independent Brad Bulkley Neversoft a viable means of entertainment, someone will always be able to do because maybe it’s doing something Clinton Keith Independent Japanese gamers that grew up it better. But if you’re a specialist, interesting. Fans will notice the Brenda Brathwaite Lolapps with the NES/Famicom now find by definition you’re equipped to press and follow the title. Non-core Bijan Forutanpour Sony Online Entertainment Mark DeLoura Google those old games to be “nostalgic,” understand that niche better than gamers may even catch wind of this Carey Chico Independent but have moved on to other leisure Wal-Mart could ever hope to, or buzz, if it gets loud enough. activities. However, on this side of even desire to. Wal-Mart doesn’t Could a Japanese-developed ADVERTISING SALES the pond we’ve stuck with games want to be the best seller of model third-person shooter about a GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR well into our adulthood. trains. Wal-Mart wants to make the bald, no-nonsense space marine Aaron Murawski e: [email protected] most money with the least effort. If work? Certainly it could. But does t: 415.947.6227 MEDIA ACCOUNT MANAGER WAL-MART: THE GREAT EVIL you love trains, you’ve got a niche simply emulating that idea show John Malik Watson e: [email protected] » In one particular discussion, you can fill, with the right amount the strength of a company or an t: 415.947.6224 I mentioned that Japanese of skill and exposure. understanding of a genre? Not GLOBAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, RECRUITMENT Gina Gross e: [email protected] game companies needn’t hide really. On the other hand, with an t: 415.947.6241 their cultural background and GET IN THE NICHE interesting visual theme and an GLOBAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, EDUCATION different nature when making » There are two types of irreverent sense of humor, you Rafael Vallin e: [email protected] games for the West, as they Japanese games that have done immediately wind up closer to t: 415.947.6223 often try to. It’s similar to the well in recent years. There are distinctive games like NO MORE debate about Wal-Mart killing all those games that are simply very HEROES or METAL GEAR SOLID. ADVERTISING PRODUCTION the local businesses. The fact is, solid, but don’t necessarily appear It’s not necessary to hide PRODUCTION MANAGER Pete C. Scibilia e: [email protected] yes, Wal-Mart kills local grocers, to be from any particular country. where you come from—an t: 516-562-5134 clothiers, and appliance shops Games like STREET FIGHTER IV or American game developer making when it moves into an area. It NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII are RED DEAD REDEMPTION is a perfect REPRINTS does this by providing a greater good examples. But you’ve also fit. A British game developer like WRIGHT'S MEDIA variety of products at a cheaper got the games with interesting TT Games making an irreverent Ryan Pratt e: [email protected] or comparable price, all in one ideas that attempt to differentiate well-animated action platformer t: 877.652.5295 location. The trouble is, if your themselves in order to get noticed, like the LEGO franchise is a perfect market is general, like many such as NO MORE HEROES or DEMON'S fit. For Japan, making a rather AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT of these mom and pop stores, SOULS. The games from Japan heady, visually stylish game such TYSON ASSOCIATES Elaine Tyson e: [email protected] someone will always be able to do that have failed have often been as MAD WORLD or BAYONETTA makes LIST RENTAL Merit Direct LLC the most sense. Why should we try that better than you, faster than those that attempted to emulate t: 914.368.1000 you, and more efficiently than you, Western games just for the sake of to be something we’re not? If we provided they have the backing it, without actually understanding all just take what we know, apply MARKETING to do it.
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