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The Lead Designer/Art Director of XCOM leave 2K Marin to make Iphone games (Trailer)

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Two members of the team developing 2K's forthcoming XCOM reboot have left to form a new studio.

Art director Andrew James and lead designer Ed Orman today announced their departure from 2K Marin/Australia to establish Uppercut Games - the second time in a week that former AAA developers have left a major studio to focus on smaller projects.

James and Orman have 28 years of shared experience, including Fallout: Tactics, Freedom Force, Tribes: Vengeance and the Bioshock franchise. They will focus on bringing "AAA quality to mobile and downloadable games."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-07-11-key-xcom-devs-leave-to-form-new-studio

the trailer is here, looks like the kind of game I will buy


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfNIpeckato&feature=channel_video_title


http://www.uppercut-games.com/


and the exodus continues...
 

DTKT

Member
Were any of the smaller studio that were formed by former AAA developpers succesfull? Or is it too early to tell?
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
subversus said:
and the exodus continues...
This is great news.

Perhaps we can get something besides cinematic linear shooters.

Edit:

Though that statement is a bit ironic watching the video. :p

DTKT said:
Were any of the smaller studio that were formed by former AAA developpers succesfull? Or is it too early to tell?
Runic (Torchlight) was formed by the senior staff of Diablo 1/Diablo 2.

If we include studios that started out smaller and grew larger, I can list a lot more off the top of my head as well, but I'm not sure if that's what you're asking.
 
Did they leave because they had moral scruples about what they were doing?
Also that gameplay looks like gameloft tried to copy vanquish.
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Nirolak said:
This is great news.

Perhaps we can get something besides cinematic linear shooters.

well, their first game looks like a cinematic linear shooter except it is fun. The most funny part is that 90% of current AAA shooters could be reduced to Iphone games and they wouldnt lose anything in their gameplay.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
subversus said:
well, their first game looks like a cinematic linear shooter except it is fun. The most funny part is that 90% of current AAA shooters could be reduced to Iphone games and they wouldnt lose anything in their gameplay.
Yes, you just beat my edit. :p
 

Emitan

Member
subversus said:
well, their first game looks like a cinematic linear shooter except it is fun. The most funny part is that 90% of current AAA shooters could be reduced to Iphone games and they wouldnt lose anything in their gameplay.
Gears of War only uses one button, so yeah.

No seriously, GeoW could easily work as an iOS game
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
subversus said:
well, their first game looks like a cinematic linear shooter except it is fun. The most funny part is that 90% of current AAA shooters could be reduced to Iphone games and they wouldnt lose anything in their gameplay.
The second half of your statement reminded me of something actually.

Industry Gamers said:
"It’s unquestionable that within a very short time, we’re going to have portable cell phones that are more powerful than the current-gen consoles," [John Carmack] told us. "People have exaggerated the relative powers - the iPad2 is not more powerful than the 360. It’s still a factor of a couple weaker. But the fact that it’s gotten that close that fast - that means that almost certainly, 2 years from now, there will be mobile devices more powerful than what we’re doing all these fabulous games on right now."
Source: http://www.industrygamers.com/news/...le-that-mobile-will-surpass-current-consoles/
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
subversus said:
well, I think the stuff will be streamed into TV anyway, so nothing really changes. They can also sell controllers for the device.
Yeah, GameStop is actually quite interested in doing that.

Gamasutra said:
GameStop is preparing a big push in the tablet computer space – one that's already starting to trickle out. Five Dallas stores are letting people trade in their tablet devices as part of a pilot program. (It will go nationwide later this year.) And company president Tony Bartel says the company is even considering making its own tablet.

"If we can work with our partners and the OEMs and they come up with a great tablet that is enabled with a great gaming experience and coupled with a bluetooth controller, then there's no need to go out and develop our own," he says.

"But if we can't find one that's great for gaming, then we will create our own."

Tablets, he says, are "the next explosion in the gaming space." And GameStop is hoping to position both Impulse and Spawn to cater to that audience segment, making previous purchases of PowerUp Rewards members available to them at no additional cost.

Similarly, fencesitters will be able to play a limited segment of virtually any game to help them decide whether they want to purchase it.

"Our customers are beginning to consume games in a hybrid manner, both physical and digital, so we are becoming a hybrid company to meet their needs," says Bartel. "Both of these programs are designed to sell more of the games we sell today."
 

FoneBone

Member
I'm not saying it can't turn out decently, but I'd rather see more games designed from the ground up for touch controls than existing console genres shoehorned into a virtual-stick-and-buttons setup.
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Arnie said:
No it doesn't. Gears of War would be horrible on iOS.

nah, just fine. The core of the game is shooting from cover and moving around it. Everything else is icing on the cake. That's all about reflexes really, not even precise shooting. Arma II would be impossible on Iphone, that's for sure. Stalker games too probably.
 

Tobor

Member
FoneBone said:
I'm not saying it can't turn out decently, but I'd rather see more games designed from the ground up for touch controls than existing console genres shoehorned into a virtual-stick-and-buttons setup.
Watch the video, I don't think it's twin stick. Looks like you swipe to move left and right, tap the cover to hide, and tap the enemy to shoot. I could be wrong, but this looks like an Infinity Blade style experience to me.
 

Radogol

Member
Tobor said:
Watch the video, I don't think it's twin stick. Looks like you swipe to move left and right, tap the cover to hide, and tap the enemy to shoot. I could be wrong, but this looks like an Infinity Blade style experience to me.
Good eye, I've been thinking the same thing.
 

Special J

Banned
looks kinda crappy imo seems like it would get dull quickly. i guess this is good for iphones games cause you guys have a completely different opinion.
 

Massa

Member
Really weird how this project is being handled between Australian and Marin. What is Jordan Thomas doing, this, or a new game?
 
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