• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Julien Merceron, worldwide technology director overseeing Fox Engine at Konami, quits

Julien Merceron, the man responsible for overseeing Konami's Fox Engine, has reportedly parted ways with the studio.

The news was first announced by Gameblog, though independent sources have since confirmed it to IGN.

For those unaware of who Merceron is, he joined Konami back in 2013 as the company's worldwide technology director, and it was during his tenure that the company's bespoke game engine was put into use on both Metal Gear Solid V and the most recent Pro Evolution Soccer titles. Before that, he spent seven years working in and around Square Enix, including as CTO at IO Interactive, Eidos and Crystal Dynamics before ascending to the rank of global technology director at Square Enix itself.

Link

And here's the GameBlog link.

According to my Editor in Chief's sources in Japan, Julien Merceron is on the verge of leaving Konami. He wants to leave because Konami doesn't have any more "ambitious projects" on home consoles for him to work on: http://www.gameblog.fr/news/53481-julien-merceron-quitte-konami-vers-la-fin-des-jeux-aaa-conso

I didn't get to talk to my EIC about it since he's currently in Japan for TGS but he's usually pretty well informed when it comes to stuff happening at Konami.
 

Backflip

Junior Member
That's why I should be able to create new threads: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=179111027&postcount=13461

According to my Editor in Chief's sources in Japan, Julien Merceron is on the verge of leaving Konami. He wants to leave because Konami doesn't have any more "ambitious projects" on home consoles for him to work on: http://www.gameblog.fr/news/53481-julien-merceron-quitte-konami-vers-la-fin-des-jeux-aaa-conso

I didn't get to talk to my EIC about it since he's currently in Japan for TGS but he's usually pretty well informed when it comes to stuff happening at Konami.
 

Ridley327

Member
I can't even imagine how shitty he must feel to work so hard on the FOX Engine, only for the restructuring to make it all seem for naught.
 

ZhugeEX

Banned
This guy was really awesome and talented. Wish him the best of luck in the future.

Here is some info about him for those who don't know-

Julien started his video game career in the early 90s at Shen Technology, then joined Ubisoft Entertainment. In 1999, he became World Wide Technical Director at Ubisoft. In this role he played a major part in studio creation and organization, technology, production pipeline design, multi-platform strategy, and AAA features integration for franchises such as Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, Rainbow Six, Far Cry and Assassin's Creed. He also took responsibility for middleware and development strategy, communication and cooperation strategy, and hardware manufacturer and middleware relations. In 2006, after having worked extensively on Next Generation strategy, Julien joined Eidos as Worldwide CTO, working on the technologies behind franchises such as Hitman, Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, as well as opening Eidos Montreal and Eidos Shanghai. In 2010, Julien became Worldwide Technology Director for Square Enix Group. Addition to the Eidos teams, he also collaborated with the teams working on franchises such as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Quest. In 2013, he joined Konami Digital Entertainment as Worldwide Technology Director, taking on the lead on the Fox Engine. He is working with Kojima-san and Konami’s game teams, and driving technology strategy aspects for the Group.

Also he recently delivered this presentation last month on the vision of gaming and Konami in the future. If what the user posted above is true (that he quit because no more console projects) then that really is telling because the presentation below is very foretelling.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1107626
 
Doesn't matter how 'regular' this seems now, it still feels like a gut-punch every time I think about the once great KONAMI being pretty much dead in the console video game market realm.

Shame on whoever allowed this to happen.
 
This is wierd,

FOX Engine was in development before SE bought Eidos (and hence IO), so he can't have been that instrumental in the development of the technology at all surely...?
 

Fisty

Member
Welp maybe hes following Kojima...?

Goddammit Konami why have you done this. It was all right there in front of you, but you just shit all over everything.
 

ZhugeEX

Banned
This is wierd,

FOX Engine was in development before SE bought Eidos (and hence IO), so he can't have been that instrumental in the development of the technology at all surely...?

He was responsible for overseeing and directing the future of FOX ENGINE.

Never said he created it/built it.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
He was responsible for overseeing and directing the future of FOX ENGINE.

Never said he created it/built it.

Right, and if you compare Ground Zeroes to The Phantom Pain, there was a lot of good work done there that he would have been involved in.

Obviously there were lots of other talented people on the project as well.
 
This is wierd,

FOX Engine was in development before SE bought Eidos (and hence IO), so he can't have been that instrumental in the development of the technology at all surely...?

No he took over from another guy when it was pretty well established. The most interesting stuff I've heard him talk about is how they were interested in porting it to mobile, not sure if that got anywhere.
 

Klossen

Banned
Please take Fox Engine with you Julien ):

But yeah, guy seems super-talented seeing his work experience. A bright future no doubt.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Well now that MGSV is out guess we will start seeing quite a few console people leave.

A lot of their traditional staff already left before the worst of the MGS stuff went down.

I wonder where he'll go next. I think MGSV may be the most intelligently targeted 60fps game I've played.
I would guess to Epic or Unity and serve as a consultant for Japanese licensees.
 
Hopefully never. I don't want exclusives.

And yet, it'll be most likely the one place to give carte blanche, creatively and financially, to work on whatever he wants.

So if Kojima goes to Sony, I massively welcome it. Matter of fact, I massively want that to happen, although wherever he goes, platform won't be an issue for me.
 

Alebrije

Member
Doesn't matter how 'regular' this seems now, it still feels like a gut-punch every time I think about the once great KONAMI being pretty much dead in the console video game market realm.

Shame on whoever allowed this to happen.


I really hope Konami sell its IP to developers that still want to make games.
 

ZhugeEX

Banned
Right, and if you compare Ground Zeroes to The Phantom Pain, there was a lot of good work done there that he would have been involved in.

Obviously there were lots of other talented people on the project as well.

Yup. Can agree with that. His history certainly shows his capabilities.

It's a shame that Konami are moving in a new direction and burning the bridges behind them. It's pretty clear at this point that their console portfolio is going to be cut down to a few key IP's and they're going to be focusing on more game as a service content on mobile, PC and other online platforms.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
It must be brutal to spend so many years on an engine and then leaving everything behind.

Best of luck to him on his future endeavours.
 

Akronis

Member
We have no idea what the engine is capable of looking a single game. It's not even a contiguous landmass like GTA and there's hardly any density at all.

Considering we probably won't be getting any other games on the Fox engine, this may be the only game to compare.

My point still stands that it's the only open world game on consoles that's 1080/60.
 
Top Bottom