A Lesson for All Platforms as FROM Halts Work on PS3 Games

The game developer FROM Software (Otogi: Myth of Demons for the Xbox) was rumored to have announced its plan to stop production of the PS3 titles Dark RPG and Black Blade. No reasons for the decision have been given.

And this got us thinking.

Have you ever made something you were really proud of (a drawing, a lightsaber, a wedding cake), only to have a bunch of jerks tell you how crappy it was? My favorite answer is, “If you think you can do it better, then you do it! Otherwise, shut up!” Then they usually shut up. Or beat me up.

So, when FROM Software finally announces the reasons why they halted production on Dark RPG and Black Blade, we will be watching. But no matter what they say, I’ll always wonder if what they really want to say is “If you think you can do it better, then you do it! Otherwise, shut up!”

Because it’s really hard to make a game for a new platform, because a lot of times, fans will just point out how crappy a game is. And that’s because of all the hype. Look at this:

• When a new platform is announced, there’s so much hype:
• The PS3 will wash your car!
• The Nintendo Wii will clean your room!
• The Xbox 360 will make you taller!
• But when the first games come out we’re disappointed:
• The game didn’t live up to the hype.
• The game didn’t push the platform’s technology to its limits.
• The game looks like an old-generation game.
• We feel cheated:
• We bought a bazooka, but the only bullets available are bananas.

But imagine if you were a game developer for an upcoming platform. You invest a lot of money and time until you have a playable version. You start beta testing it. Then suddenly Sony or Nintendo or Microsoft calls you and says, “We’ve added a new feature to the platform” or “We’ve decided to change the hardware.” So the game you made might no longer work correctly. You have to postpone the release date! You might have to tear your hair out! LucasArts VP Peter Hirschmann said something similar in an interview about developing their new game with Day 1 Studios.

How can you make a game that completely pushes the technology to its limit when the technology changes all the time? It’s really hard to make a cutting-edge game when they keep changing the “cutting edge.”

So it looks easier to wait for the platform to be released before developing your game. By then the industry has hit its stride. Of course, the fans suffer because they have to wait longer. But then again, the fans deserve their fate; a game developer could say, “If you want it to be so perfect, then you better learn to wait.”

The game developer FROM Software (Otogi: Myth of Demons for the Xbox) was rumored to have announced its plan to stop production of the PS3 titles Dark RPG and Black Blade. No reasons for the decision have been given.

And this got us thinking.

Have you ever made something you were really proud of (a drawing, a lightsaber, a wedding cake), only to have a bunch of jerks tell you how crappy it was? My favorite answer is, “If you think you can do it better, then you do it! Otherwise, shut up!” Then they usually shut up. Or beat me up.

So, when FROM Software finally announces the reasons why they halted production on Dark RPG and Black Blade, we will be watching. But no matter what they say, I’ll always wonder if what they really want to say is “If you think you can do it better, then you do it! Otherwise, shut up!”

Because it’s really hard to make a game for a new platform, because a lot of times, fans will just point out how crappy a game is. And that’s because of all the hype. Look at this:

• When a new platform is announced, there’s so much hype:
• The PS3 will wash your car!
• The Nintendo Wii will clean your room!
• The Xbox 360 will make you taller!
• But when the first games come out we’re disappointed:
• The game didn’t live up to the hype.
• The game didn’t push the platform’s technology to its limits.
• The game looks like an old-generation game.
• We feel cheated:
• We bought a bazooka, but the only bullets available are bananas.

But imagine if you were a game developer for an upcoming platform. You invest a lot of money and time until you have a playable version. You start beta testing it. Then suddenly Sony or Nintendo or Microsoft calls you and says, “We’ve added a new feature to the platform” or “We’ve decided to change the hardware.” So the game you made might no longer work correctly. You have to postpone the release date! You might have to tear your hair out! LucasArts VP Peter Hirschmann said something similar in an interview about developing their new game with Day 1 Studios.

How can you make a game that completely pushes the technology to its limit when the technology changes all the time? It’s really hard to make a cutting-edge game when they keep changing the “cutting edge.”

So it looks easier to wait for the platform to be released before developing your game. By then the industry has hit its stride. Of course, the fans suffer because they have to wait longer. But then again, the fans deserve their fate; a game developer could say, “If you want it to be so perfect, then you better learn to wait.”