Midway’s Mike Bilder on PS3 version delays of multiplatform games

Midway Games - Image 1The frequent delays multiplatform titles experience before reaching the Sony PlayStation 3 can be credited to “hardware differences in memory and processor,” said Midway Games‘ studio head Mike Bilder who worked on Stranglehold (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PS3, PC). It took six weeks before the Sony console got served with Tequila (Inspector Tequila, that is), and Bilder blames technical difficulties.

According to Bilder, development of Stranglehold for the Sony PS3 took more time not because they wanted to change anything. He commented, “…part of the reason why we’re delaying it, is that we want to ensure that the quality is the same on all platforms.”

For Bilder, the case with the Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 is “certainly more of a level playing field.” Unlike the previous generation of consoles when “the Xbox was considerably more powerful than the PS2” and developers could just look at the PS2 as main SKU to make a game for before porting to the more capable Xbox, Bilder believes the industry is facing a challenge right now. He explained:

…When we tried to get [Stranglehold builds] game-ready and fitting on the [PS3] disc and fitting in memory, in the end it was an easier endeavor on two of the SKUs and it was a more difficult endeavor on one of them. Just, to be honest, the hardware differences in memory and processor on the PS3 vs. traditional PC and 360, it makes it a challenge, and it’s representative.

However, Bilder seems to have a viable solution ready. He went on to say that:

A lot of people and a lot of focus as far as games that we have internally that are going to be multi-SKU are trying to put the PS3 out in front now… I don’t think it’s necessarily a negative to put the PS3 first. But it does help mitigate some of that risk in framerate, memory, technology, just the hardware differences.

Midway Games - Image 1The frequent delays multiplatform titles experience before reaching the Sony PlayStation 3 can be credited to “hardware differences in memory and processor,” said Midway Games‘ studio head Mike Bilder who worked on Stranglehold (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PS3, PC). It took six weeks before the Sony console got served with Tequila (Inspector Tequila, that is), and Bilder blames technical difficulties.

According to Bilder, development of Stranglehold for the Sony PS3 took more time not because they wanted to change anything. He commented, “…part of the reason why we’re delaying it, is that we want to ensure that the quality is the same on all platforms.”

For Bilder, the case with the Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 is “certainly more of a level playing field.” Unlike the previous generation of consoles when “the Xbox was considerably more powerful than the PS2” and developers could just look at the PS2 as main SKU to make a game for before porting to the more capable Xbox, Bilder believes the industry is facing a challenge right now. He explained:

…When we tried to get [Stranglehold builds] game-ready and fitting on the [PS3] disc and fitting in memory, in the end it was an easier endeavor on two of the SKUs and it was a more difficult endeavor on one of them. Just, to be honest, the hardware differences in memory and processor on the PS3 vs. traditional PC and 360, it makes it a challenge, and it’s representative.

However, Bilder seems to have a viable solution ready. He went on to say that:

A lot of people and a lot of focus as far as games that we have internally that are going to be multi-SKU are trying to put the PS3 out in front now… I don’t think it’s necessarily a negative to put the PS3 first. But it does help mitigate some of that risk in framerate, memory, technology, just the hardware differences.

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