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Factor 5 ALIVE

H

Hero of Legend

Member
Here's the original file of the logo:

logo.gif
 
S

Shiggy

Member
On factor5.de they finally acknowledge these new developments.

Meanwhile, the company's technical expertise led to the development of two Factor 5 exclusives: MusyX and DivX. MusyX, in close collaboration with Dolby Labs, brought high-quality 7.1 surround sound to a variety of Nintendo gaming platforms, while with the introduction of DivX Factor 5 brought the ultimate video-playback solution to the Nintendo GameCube. These were a direct result of a more than decade-long close collaboration between Factor 5's founders and Nintendo in hardware, OS, and tool development, starting with the Nintendo 64 and continuing with the GameCube, Wii, and 3DS.

In 2005, Factor 5 started an exclusive partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment which lasted for 3 years. They were part of Sony's PlayStation 3 hardware and OS technology team and held up their reputation of stretching the limits of any new system with the release of a key title for the PlayStation 3: LAIR (2007), the controversial first title on the Sony platform to anticipate and embrace the sweeping wave of change that motion control and other new input methods would bring to video games with the arrival of the Nintendo Wii and Apple's iOS devices.

In 2008, due to massive changes in the game industry and the unexpected closure of several publishers, Factor 5's studio in Marin County had to stop production on multiple major titles, resulting in a closure in early 2009. Factor 5's spirit of excellence though lives on in several new ventures by its team members, both in cutting-edge technology and design that have reached and entertained many millions of living rooms.
Click to expand...

Achim Moller & Rene Henke - Factor Y Media Productions (other names: Factor V Media Productions, Factor 5 GmbH)

Julian Eggebrecht, Thomas Engel and Holger Schmidt founded the "Eggebrecht, Engel, Schmidt GbR", who apparently have the rights to Factor 5 owned names/trademarks. That might be the reason why the job posting was quickly changed to "FactorY Media Productions".

Chris Huelsbeck recently did the music for Kubrik, an iPhone title by QWRKii (former Factor 5 employees).
 
O

Orayn

Member
Darklord said:
Fuck the 3DS I want one in full HD but I'll take what I can get.
Click to expand...
XBLA/PSN/Steam re-releases of Rogue Squadron II and III would also make me a happy camper, especially if they added multiplayer.
 
D

Deadstar

Member
Lair 2 could be awesome with God of War graphics and 100 different types of dragons to play as. Breathe fire, ice, etc.
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Celine said:
and SNES.
Click to expand...
The Turrican games were alright, but they weren't a league above all else on the SNES.
On the other hand, few other games on the N64/Cube could approach Factor 5's on a technical level. Rogue Squadron? Battle for Naboo? Indy and the Infernal Machine?
Let's not bring up their work on PS1
 
W

Warm Machine

Member
Rogue Squadron proved they don't know how to do a flight model worth anything. I'm happy to give them a thousand chances until they get it right but the last time they made it, it was terrible. Strange how X-Wing nailed it out the gate.
 
C

Celine

Member
DonMigs85 said:
The Turrican games were alright, but they weren't a league above all else on the SNES.
On the other hand, few other games on the N64/Cube could approach Factor 5's on a technical level. Rogue Squadron? Battle for Naboo? Indy and the Infernal Machine?
Let's not bring up their work on PS1
Click to expand...
IMO Super Turrican 2 is a graphical showcase for SNES.
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
Warm Machine said:
Rogue Squadron proved they don't know how to do a flight model worth anything. I'm happy to give them a thousand chances until they get it right but the last time they made it, it was terrible. Strange how X-Wing nailed it out the gate.
Click to expand...
This is the minority opinion of course. Most people loved Rogue Squadron!
 
E

evangd007

Member
Warm Machine said:
Rogue Squadron proved they don't know how to do a flight model worth anything. I'm happy to give them a thousand chances until they get it right but the last time they made it, it was terrible. Strange how X-Wing nailed it out the gate.
Click to expand...

Rogue Squadron was arcadey, X-Wing was a sim. It was a style thing. I found both approaches to be fun.

So, what does this mean for the company? That "hardware, OS, and tool development" part makes me think that they could be doing dedicated middleware for Nintendo hardware, which would be great since Nintendo is often criticized for poor tools and middleware on their platforms. Am I reading too much into it?
 
S

Shiggy

Member
Just some clarifaction:
These were a direct result of a more than decade-long close collaboration between Factor 5's founders and Nintendo in hardware, OS, and tool development, starting with the Nintendo 64 and continuing with the GameCube, Wii, and 3DS.
Click to expand...

That does not necessarily mean that they actively work(ed) on 3DS tools. It may just mean that the old GCN tools can be used with 3DS, just like they can with Wii.

Would be great if that GAFfer, who played Pilotwings Wii back in the day, could leak some things :D
 
W

WillyFive

Member
Warm Machine said:
Rogue Squadron proved they don't know how to do a flight model worth anything. I'm happy to give them a thousand chances until they get it right but the last time they made it, it was terrible. Strange how X-Wing nailed it out the gate.
Click to expand...

As someone who proudly claims that he thinks the X-Wing and Rogue Squadron series are the best Star Wars games ever made, I disagree with you.
 
O

Orayn

Member
StevieP said:
Oh FFS.
Click to expand...
Online multiplayer was the implication. Sorry about the ambiguity.

But enough port-daydreaming, let's talk about the studio. Was Lair really such a big, expensive flop that it almost killed them? If so, it's a sad sign of the times, at least regarding how much a modern game costs to develop.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
Orayn said:
Online multiplayer was the implication. Sorry about the ambiguity.

But enough port-daydreaming, let's talk about the studio. Was Lair really such a big, expensive flop that it almost killed them? If so, it's a sad sign of the times, at least regarding how much a modern game costs to develop.
Click to expand...

That's just a myth. While their titles for Sony were canned, they still got contracts with LucasArts, Nintendo and Brash. It was Brash that killed them because Factor 5 did not lay off the Superman staff right when no more payments from Brash came (who would've thought Brash could vanish like that?). Nintendo and LucasArts were afraid that Factor 5 could take the money from their projects for paying off Brash debts instead of finishing their titles. That's why they canned their projects too.
In the end, Factor 5 made it look like the real Factor 5 was located in Germany and that the two-man studio in Cologne owned all trademarks and licenses. Hence some of Factor 5 founded WhiteHarvest which further worked on Rogue Squadron Trilogy and Pilotwings Wii. They also worked on the Wii port of Brutal Legend, which was shelved when a lawsuit from former Factor 5 employees came. All other projects were canned too and WhiteHarvest was closed down too. That was in July 2009.
 
E

ElFly

Member
Didn't these guys stiff their developers at one point?

I remember some shady selling of their IPs to a shell company a couple years ago.

edit: ha, excellent post above mine while I was making this one.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
ElFly said:
Didn't these guys stiff their developers at one point?

I remember some shady selling of their IPs to a shell company a couple years ago.

edit: ha, excellent post above mine while I was making this one.
Click to expand...

Originally, those IPs were owned by Factor 5 LLC (the US studio), but then suddenly they were owned by Factor 5 GmbH. With this website update, they are owned by "Factor 5 - Eggebrecht, Engel, Schmidt GbR", whatever that is.
 
A

AceBandage

Banned
Shiggy said:
That's just a myth. While their titles for Sony were canned, they still got contracts with LucasArts, Nintendo and Brash. It was Brash that killed them because Factor 5 did not lay off the Superman staff right when no more payments from Brash came (who would've thought Brash could vanish like that?). Nintendo and LucasArts were afraid that Factor 5 could take the money from their projects for paying off Brash debts instead of finishing their titles. That's why they canned their projects too.
In the end, Factor 5 made it look like the real Factor 5 was located in Germany and that the two-man studio in Cologne owned all trademarks and licenses. Hence some of Factor 5 founded WhiteHarvest which further worked on Rogue Squadron Trilogy and Pilotwings Wii. They also worked on the Wii port of Brutal Legend, which was shelved when a lawsuit from former Factor 5 employees came. All other projects were canned too and WhiteHarvest was closed down too. That was in July 2009.
Click to expand...


It's really a damn shame, too.
We could have gotten a lot of great Wii games if they hadn't gotten into so much money trouble.
 
S

StevieP

Banned
Can't somebody pick up where they left off or something? I'll miss PWWii less than Rogue Squadron trilogy. That shit needs to be released immediately, if only for the sake that they'd still look much better than most 3rd party efforts.
 
A

AceBandage

Banned
Hero of Legend said:
I wonder how BL Wii would've been, wasn't it on a massively tight schedule though?
Click to expand...


There were some leaked dev screens and such a while ago for it.
Seemed to be much more action focused, I believe.
I would have loved to double dip on that game, because I loved the HD BL game.
 
V

V_Ben

Banned
AceBandage said:
There were some leaked dev screens and such a while ago for it.
Seemed to be much more action focused, I believe.
I would have loved to double dip on that game, because I loved the HD BL game.
Click to expand...

Never saw those... intriguing.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
AceBandage said:
There were some leaked dev screens and such a while ago for it.
Seemed to be much more action focused, I believe.
Click to expand...

I can't remember such screens. I don't even think that it was very far along after only four months of work. In fact, none of the WhiteHarvest staff acknowledged that they worked on this port. It was just assumed since first rumours appeared in early February 2009 and reports of the project's cancellation came in July 2009 - exactly the dates when WhiteHarvest worked on such a "port of an open-world game".
 
A

AceBandage

Banned
Actually, doing a search, there may have not been screens for it.
Could have sworn we got them with the Pilotwings and Man Icarus leaks.
 
D

donny2112

Member
Orayn said:
XBLA/PSN/Steam re-releases of Rogue Squadron II and III would also make me a happy camper, especially if they added multiplayer.
Click to expand...

I ... might actually use my 1-month code for Xbox Live Gold to play multiplayer Rogue Squadron II through Rogue Squadron III. :lol Wii or 3DS (i.e. free online) would be preferrable, though.
My PC can barely run Half-Life 1 in software (i.e. my graphics card stinks) mode.
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Rogue Squadron would be a glorious fit for the 3DS.
 
S

Snakeyes

Member
Fast forward to E3 2011...

Iwata has just announced the Nextendo, a sleek, DX11 compliant box.

Iwata: You said Wii was not hardcore. Are we going to bring that hardcore image back? That is for you to answer. Nevertheless, I'm quite sure that the game we're about to show will make each and every one of you rock hard. (laughs)

*lights dim*

The screen shows a beautiful asteroid field. Suddenly, something flies by quickly.

It's an Arwing. A gloriously rendered 1080p Arwing.

.

... NINTENDO X FACTORY X TREASURE

.

.

... STAR FOX 4


I can always dream right :(
 
A

AceBandage

Banned
Snakeyes said:
Fast forward to E3 2011...

Iwata has just announced the Nextendo, a sleek, DX11 compliant box.

Iwata: You said Wii was not hardcore. Are we going to bring that hardcore image back? That is for you to answer. Nevertheless, I'm quite sure that the game we're about to show will make each and every one of you rock hard. (laughs)

*lights dim*

The screen shows a beautiful asteroid field. Suddenly, something flies by quickly.

It's an Arwing. A gloriously rendered 1080p Arwing.

.

... NINTENDO X FACTORY X TREASURE

.

.

... STAR FOX 4


I can always dream right :(
Click to expand...


Why would you need Factory if you have Treasure?
 
S

Snakeyes

Member
AceBandage said:
Why would you need Factory if you have Treasure?
Click to expand...

For one, they're graphical wizards.

Second, their mission design in RS could make the all-range mode segments much more enjoyable.
 
W

Warm Machine

Member
Willy105 said:
As someone who proudly claims that he thinks the X-Wing and Rogue Squadron series are the best Star Wars games ever made, I disagree with you.
Click to expand...

RS3 was a broken pile of autoplaying crap. Looked great, played like junk.
 
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