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Next Battlefront game may be PS2/PSP/Wii only

EXGN

Member
Originally saw the article posted on PS3Center, but the original source is here. I wrote it off at first, but based on the other posts, it definitely looks like the blogger is either a Free Radical or LucasArts insider...

First of all, let us talk about StarWars Battlefront III. Originally, the game was intended for a 2008 release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and also on the PC platform. Just like it was the case with TimeSplitters 4, FRD was also working on a "downport" for the Wii platform. Still, some delays and quality issues made LucasArts decide to make FRD redundant. Really? There was more to it.

PS2 and PSP versions were and are in development at Rebellion - the studio which made Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron for PSP. These versions are going to be released later this year if everything works out as planned. Rebellion did know that Free Radical Design had been working on the next-gen versions of the game since 2006. Nevertheless, they tried to get their own deal for SW Battlefront III on Xbox 360 and PS3, promising lower costs and a faster development. They pitched different PS3/Xbox 360 prototypes using their PS2 version as a foundation while using FRD's assets which were provided by LucasArts.

It is not a nice way - but so did Rebellion. In late 2008, they struck the deal. Free Radical Design was not informed by any party about these negotiations right until Rebellion and LucasArts had signed everything.

Still, we might not even get Star Wars Battlefront 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3 from Rebellion. Although they promised low production costs and a tight deadline, the targets set by Rebellion's management were impossible to fulfil. It was intended that the developers who were already working on the (not that great) PSP and PS2 versions would also start development on next-gen versions. Problem was that there were not enough "human resources" and not even Rebellion's developers are able to work 24 hours a day in order to meet agreements made with LucasArts.

So what will happen now? You will get a PS2 and PSP version later this year developed by Rebellion. Next-gen versions are in limbo. Will Rebellion be able to deliver them or will LucasArts look out for a new developer? Or might they even take the Indiana Jones route? It would not make me wonder if they asked for a cheap Wii port of Rebellion's PSP version.

With regard to Free Radical Design, it is interesting to note that they were already working on pre-production tasks for StarWars Battlefront IV - also intended for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. In future, we may provide some artwork on that.

It sucks, Free Radical's engine looked great, being able to go from ground to air to outer space all in one map. Unfortunate news.

EDIT: Sorry for the misleading title, meant to clarify STAR WARS Battlefront.
 
If Free Radical is working on Battlefront 4, then I'll simply skip Battlefront 3. Now that Free Radical is owned by Crytek, perhaps we'll see Battlefront 4 accomplished with CryEngine 3. Do want.
 

DihcarEM

Member
EXGN said:
It sucks, Free Radical's engine looked great, being able to go from ground to air to outer space all in one map. Unfortunate news.

It certainly did. And wow going trough all the trouble of stealing the deal away from FR, fake promises of cheaper and faster development. And then not even being able to deliver.
Screw Lucasarts, they should have realised what a good product they had in the making from FR instead of following false promises of a 2rate developer.
 
I can't think of better places to put an online multiplayer shooter than PS2, PSP, and Wii.

(Yeah, i'm aware of what platforms the other Battlefronts were on, but it's 2009 now).
 

Darklord

Banned
Mamesj said:
why would they do that? Force Unleashed sold embarrassing amounts for such a bad game.

Plus the Battlefront is the highest selling star wars games of all time. It makes no sense.
 

Haunted

Member
Holy shit that write-up makes Rebellion look like total assholes.

First of all, let us talk about StarWars Battlefront III. Originally, the game was intended for a 2008 release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and also on the PC platform. Just like it was the case with TimeSplitters 4, FRD was also working on a "downport" for the Wii platform. Still, some delays and quality issues made LucasArts decide to make FRD redundant. Really? There was more to it.

PS2 and PSP versions were and are in development at Rebellion - the studio which made Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron for PSP. These versions are going to be released later this year if everything works out as planned. Rebellion did know that Free Radical Design had been working on the next-gen versions of the game since 2006. Nevertheless, they tried to get their own deal for SW Battlefront III on Xbox 360 and PS3, promising lower costs and a faster development. They pitched different PS3/Xbox 360 prototypes using their PS2 version as a foundation while using FRD's assets which were provided by LucasArts.

It is not a nice way - but so did Rebellion. In late 2008, they struck the deal. Free Radical Design was not informed by any party about these negotiations right until Rebellion and LucasArts had signed everything.

Still, we might not even get Star Wars Battlefront 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3 from Rebellion. Although they promised low production costs and a tight deadline, the targets set by Rebellion's management were impossible to fulfil. It was intended that the developers who were already working on the (not that great) PSP and PS2 versions would also start development on next-gen versions. Problem was that there were not enough "human resources" and not even Rebellion's developers are able to work 24 hours a day in order to meet agreements made with LucasArts.

So what will happen now? You will get a PS2 and PSP version later this year developed by Rebellion. Next-gen versions are in limbo. Will Rebellion be able to deliver them or will LucasArts look out for a new developer? Or might they even take the Indiana Jones route? It would not make me wonder if they asked for a cheap Wii port of Rebellion's PSP version.

With regard to Free Radical Design, it is interesting to note that they were already working on pre-production tasks for StarWars Battlefront IV - also intended for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. In future, we may provide some artwork on that.
They knew someone else was working on HD versions of Battlefront III, but proceeded to negotiate behind FRD's backs with Lucasarts anyway, undercutting FDR with promises of lower development time and costs (using FDR's own assets for the pitch!) which they then couldn't deliver upon.

Total asshole move making them pretty much solely responsible for the current situation, if true. (Well, partial responsibility goes to Lucasarts for believing them and taking the offer even though they had a previous deal with FRD.)
 

FoneBone

Member
Rated-Rsuperstar said:
Well they did it with Indiana Jones. And going by this rumor, Battlefront as well.
Indy wasn't out of some intent to "abandon" HD platforms so much as it was development of the game on those platforms turning into an utter clusterfuck.
 
Haunted said:
Holy shit that write-up makes Rebellion look like total assholes.

Despite that, you've got to wonder what the hell LucasArts is thinking. The Battlefront games are hugely successful, so even if it is costing a decent amount of money, it'd obviously make it up (then you've got all the DLC you could sell). But instead they're basically taking a cheaper route which could damage the brand.
 

Haunted

Member
SolidSnakex said:
Despite that, you've got to wonder what the hell LucasArts is thinking. The Battlefront games are hugely successful, so even if it is costing a decent amount of money, it'd obviously make it up (then you've got all the DLC you could sell). But instead they're basically taking a cheaper route which could damage the brand.
They made a bad choice believing Rebellion's lies plan.

Faced with plans for two products of similar quality, of course Lucasarts took the option of the cheaper and quicker one (which then turned out to be bogus).
 
FoneBone said:
Indy wasn't out of some intent to "abandon" HD platforms so much as it was development of the game on those platforms turning into an utter clusterfuck.

It's still ridiculous. Considering Lucasarts, part of the Lucas Empire has unlimited funds and a ton of man power.
 

DuckRacer

Member
So basically, Rebellion going behind FRD's backs was one of the biggest reasons why they were essentially killed off. Good job, assholes! Thanks for killing a decent developer and a highly anticipated game.
 

Boerseun

Banned
Let's face it, Battlefront 3 on Wii/Ps2/Psp means more people will get to play it. And knowing Rebellion, it'll play well and we'll all be satisfied in the end.

Clearly this article is skewed against just such a positive outcome. Rebellion is made to look bad on purpose, and I doubt much of the story is objectively factual. No doubt the game wasn't anywhere near as far done at Free Radical as some have been lead to believe. And with the money coming from LucasArts, and considering what had already been invested, it was within their rights to shop around for a cheaper, more efficient developer, which they got in Rebellion.

The original source is a blog, for crying out loud! :lol
 

Owzers

Member
DuckRacer said:
So basically, Rebellion going behind FRD's backs was one of the biggest reasons why they were essentially killed off. Good job, assholes! Thanks for killing a decent developer and a highly anticipated game.

*pictures Free Radical knocking on Rebellion's door*

if true....wow.
 
Speaking of Free Radical

There are usually two ways people look at the Free Radical purchase. The first is that over sixty jobs were saved. The second is that another UK studio is owned by a foreign company, which will further wane the strength and sustainability of the UK development sector. How would you respond to the latter?

The latter statement is nonsense. There is no way we are going to do anything negative to the UK development community.

If someone has that concern they should ask the people that are actually there. We have provided the team at Crytek UK a structure and a future that clearly shows improvement.

We are working with Free Radical on things that they always dreamed to do. We are providing the team a roadmap and the chance to grow, which is why we were picked as a partner, and not anyone else.

Frankly, when Free Radical was up for sale, we heard that our offer on the table wasn’t the biggest in the short-term. But we offered the most value in what we planned and how we were going to treat the studio, and that’s why we were chosen.

By the time we acquired the group, it had a bit more than forty people, but today it’s already at over sixty with the developers that had left looking to come back. These developers coming back are based on what the people inside Crytek UK had said about us, and some people had already signed up with other studios before dropping plans and re-signing back with us.

So, I really don’t understand that concern.

http://www.developmag.com/interviews/456/Interview-Cryteks-Cevat-Yerli
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
DuckRacer said:
So basically, Rebellion going behind FRD's backs was one of the biggest reasons why they were essentially killed off. Good job, assholes! Thanks for killing a decent developer and a highly anticipated game.

... but they're not killed off? They're in a better financial position than they've been for a long time, really.
 
DuckRacer said:
So basically, Rebellion going behind FRD's backs was one of the biggest reasons why they were essentially killed off. Good job, assholes! Thanks for killing a decent developer and a highly anticipated game.
As mentioned in one of my posts above, Free Radical isn't dead. They were bought by Crytek and are now known as Crytek UK. The OP's article even says they are doing pre-production work on Battlefront 4.

Edit: Beat.
 
Boerseun said:
Let's face it, Battlefront 3 on Wii/Ps2/Psp means more people will get to play it. And knowing Rebellion, it'll play well and we'll all be satisfied in the end.

Clearly this article is skewed against just such a positive outcome. Rebellion is made to look bad on purpose, and I doubt much of the story is objectively factual. No doubt the game wasn't anywhere near as far done at Free Radical as some have been lead to believe. And with the money coming from LucasArts, and considering what had already been invested, it was within their rights to shop around for a cheaper, more efficient developer, which they got in Rebellion.

The original source is a blog, for crying out loud! :lol


Isn't everything a blog? If you read the previous posts, he/she knows his shit.
 

DuckRacer

Member
Stumpokapow said:
... but they're not killed off? They're in a better financial position than they've been for a long time, really.
I was under the impression that the studio was practically gutted with most of its key members joining/creating other studios, and what left of FRD was sold to Crytek (and then was rebranded as Crytek UK). Am I wrong?
 

tidus9000

Member
DuckRacer said:
I was under the impression that the studio was practically gutted with most of its key members joining/creating other studios, and what left of FRD was sold to Crytek (and then was rebranded as Crytek UK). Am I wrong?

Not quite like that. Yes, they are now Crytek UK but, pretty much everyone kept their jobs after Crytek saved them (in fact i'm not sure if anyone left at all).

On the subject of SW:B3 I can imagine that the technology FR created for it will be used in Time Splitters 4 so maybe we will end up seeing planet to space battles in that.
 

laserbeam

Banned
They speculate on a possible Wii port but they only confirm PS2/PSP versions will actually exist.

Talk about a clusterfuck mess. I do see why Lucasarts did it though. They have no faith in 360/PS3 as the only platforms for these games and Free radical wanted to focus on them.

Lucasarts quite honestly has for the most part abandoned the HD consoles this Generation but Skipping the Wii would be an odd decision considering how well they have been doing with it unless the game just sucks that bad they dont even want to wa.
 

Ephemeris

Member
Meh. Would have loved to see it on 360/PS3, but I'll take whatever I can get. I enjoyed Renegade Squadron for the most part.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
How in the world does Crytek have so much money? Are the 3Drealms-in-it after selling the Far Cry IP?
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
I've read it a few times and it's likely I'm missing something but where does this say Wii? FRD was working on the downport. And Rebellion is making the PS2 and PSP versions. I don't see Wii...
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Y2Kev said:
I've read it a few times and it's likely I'm missing something but where does this say Wii? FRD was working on the downport. And Rebellion is making the PS2 and PSP versions. I don't see Wii...
I went and checked the original source. Apparently they were speculating that the PSP version would be ported to Wii based on the Indiana Jones game, but there was no confirmation of anything there.
 
Y2Kev said:
I've read it a few times and it's likely I'm missing something but where does this say Wii? FRD was working on the downport. And Rebellion is making the PS2 and PSP versions. I don't see Wii...

I think the OP misread the article. FR was planning on releasing a version for the Wii. Rebellion's version appears to only be for the PS2/PSP. So Lucasarts somehow managed to go from having versions for the PS3/360/PC/Wii to only having versions for the PS2 and PSP.
 
SolidSnakex said:
I think the OP misread the article. FR was planning on releasing a version for the Wii. Rebellion's version appears to only be for the PS2/PSP. So Lucasarts somehow managed to go from having versions for the PS3/360/PC/Wii to only having versions for the PS2 and PSP.
lucasarts would be nuts not to up port the psp/ps2 version to the wii, it would be complete sales suicide not to, unfortunately it'll probably be nowhere near as good as the version down ported from ps360 would've been
 

EXGN

Member
SolidSnakex said:
I think the OP misread the article. FR was planning on releasing a version for the Wii. Rebellion's version appears to only be for the PS2/PSP. So Lucasarts somehow managed to go from having versions for the PS3/360/PC/Wii to only having versions for the PS2 and PSP.

I didn't misread the article, I said it MAY be PS2/PSP/Wii, because that's what the insider blog speculates. And seeing as how s/hes posted previously unrevealed assets in the past from several Lucas Arts games(including the canceled 360/PS3 Indy games), I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
 
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