E3 2012 is now just 2 weeks away and Sony appears to already be showing its E3 hand before the big show. Titles like PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, God of War IV, The Last of Us and LittleBigPlanet Kart Racing have already been announced and has many left wondering what Sony will show at this years conference.
The story in part 3 of Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog's The Last of Us series may explore a "congregation of immune people."
Former Naughty Dog artist Gabriel Betancourt explains why the "sweet spot" for game teams is under 200 people and how AAA "factories" kill creativity.
There’s definitely some truth to this. When teams get too large, coordination starts to outweigh creativity—layers of approval, risk aversion, and tight deadlines can turn bold ideas into “safe” ones. Keeping a team under ~200 people sounds ideal for maintaining clear communication and a shared vision. That said, massive AAA projects also come with huge technical demands and expectations, so scaling up isn’t always avoidable. The real challenge is figuring out how to keep that small-team creativity alive inside big studio structures.
More than that, it's logistically untenable. Inevitably, when teams get too large, how do you keep tabs on accountability? I suspect this massive team size is a consequence of the perfectionism streak Naughty Dog has.
I wish we could have so many people working on something and it turns out great because I'm all for collaboration in spirit - the problem is too many people as part of the larger team and smaller units. Suppose for example that you have too many people in the art department; you will very often come up against fiercely competing visions for how things should look. That competitive vision will cause friction between team members, team doesn't work as a unit, the back and forth can further delay parts that the other departments are waiting for, etc etc.
A 200-person team says, to me, that we need to scale back game development. Even if it means we go back to PS2 era costs and scale, why not? Those games are still great fun, the budgets were in check, and you could literally break the 200-man team into like 10 20-man teams working on different projects.
The Last of Us Part I PS5 review covering visuals, combat feel, accessibility, performance modes, and whether it is really worth the asking price of $69.99.
Here's what i'd do regarding PS3.
Start with in game Last Guardian footage and release date.
Announce more Battle Royale characters.
Show God of War Ascension single player gameplay.
Announce Syphon Filter 4, The Getaway 3 and Guerillas rumored fantasy game.
Show whatever QD is making.
Announce an exclusive RPG.
Show a theatrical trailer for Agent.
End with Last of Us gameplay.
Encore, an exclusive 2D scrolling beat-em-up starring Kevin Butler and Jack Tretton called Executive Justice.
God of War IV? I wish
Keeping it simple-
PS3 Games
Vita Games
PS4 - release date announced
PS3 price cut
*WALKS OUT* "SOCOM HD Collection" *WALKS OFF* E3 Won
Really liked the xbox version of "If I ran" but you really wouldn't announce the PS4? I think it's almost essential for both Sony and Microsoft to talk next gen and what new things we can expect.