Thursday, July 16, 2009
Prototype #1 for June
U.S. consumers liked what they saw in Activision's Prototype making the open world action game June's bestselling title by an impressive margin. Last month, its single-console sales doubled those of the game it was often compared to, Infamous.
Labels: prototype
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Penny Arcade on Prototype
(click for full comic)Prototype was featured on Penny Arcade last week!
When musicians and actors enter pop culture they get spoofed on The Simpsons; for games there is Penny Arcade. This is a pretty huge moment for me!
Labels: prototype
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Don't Hate the Playah
It's been a bit of a rollercoaster with reviews today. I made the mistake of checking IGN right before bed and found what has to be one of the most scathing reviews I've ever read (Seriously, 5.5/10 for graphics!?). That really soured what had been an amazing day for me.
Anyway, I want to wait until the dust settles before talking about the reviews in depth, but as a whole I'm pretty blown away by how much of an effect these reviews have had on me, both good and bad. This is the first retail game I've really felt a significant part of. I received a lot of game credits while working on core tech at EA Canada (we made the online lobby systems used in almost all of their sports titles), but never really had a real emotional investment in any of the products. Developing Prototype has been a very different experience.
I definitely feel the sting now when people bash the game, and get a bit of an ego boost when it gets a good review. It all feels very personal this time.
It's really made me realize how kind of ridiculous it all is; to put this amount of time into a single product, just to have it reduced to a score out of ten with just a few hours of playtime. I've spent 2 years working on Prototype, others on the team have been even longer, and most people will basically decide if this game if worth their time and money with a 30 second trip to metacritic.
And really, that's the point of it all, obviously. We send our games to get reviewed with the hopes that the score is high enough to convince someone to invest in it. In the case of Prototype, sitting at a metacritic.com rating in the high eighties, that's all working in our favor for the moment. None of this is really new to anyone; like most, I've had these thoughts long before working on games myself. And I don't think that has to change or anything; that's not my point.
My point is I've spent all my time over the past two years focusing on Prototype, and haven't really don't anything in the way of personal game projects. I have a lot of ideas that have been sitting on the back burner for a while now, and I the last few days have really re-energized me. I don't want to wait another few years before my work sees the light of day.
So starting tonight I'm going to (re)start some personal projects, and use this blog as a development diary. Having a place to post my progress and get feedback should keep my motivation to do these personal projects long after this initial energy surge has passed.
Labels: prototype
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Rooster Teeth Comic - On The Fritz
(click for full comic)Probably won't make any sense if you haven't played the Prototype yet...
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Tuesday, June 9, 2009
So Far, So Good
Reviews for Prototype are starting to pop up, and so far things are looking really great! It's sitting at 93% average right now, so we are super excited (anything above an 80% is considered to be doing really well). It's bound to drop from that, but it's a great place to start.
Tomorrow the embargo on reviews is lifted and we should start seeing reviews from all the big websites start showing up. Looking forward to what they have to say!
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Prototype Released in North America!
Prototype should be on store shelves in North America this morning, and with that it has now been released in all target territories!
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Friday, June 5, 2009
Prototype Released in Europe
Prototype came out in Europe today! Only 4 more days until the North American release on June 9th!Labels: prototype
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Gaming Front Prototype Review
Another review for Prototype has come in, and Game Front has also scored the game at 90%! (The "85%" at the top of the article is aparently a user determined, hype rating or something).Unfortunately, I'm 90% sure these guys have not actually played the full game yet, but I'll take what I can get at this point.
http://www.gamingfront.net/news/711/prototype-review/
Labels: prototype
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Friday, May 22, 2009
Gamestop Pre-Order Commercial
I was watching TV last night and saw a Prototype commercial! I didn't even know they were out there, so it was a pretty awesome surprise. It's actually done by GameStop to promote their pre-order campaign. Check it out below.Labels: prototype
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Thursday, May 21, 2009
Final Prototype Preview Event
Last week, Activision hosted what will probably be the last big preview event for Prototype before launch. From what I understand, we won't be at E3, so this is it!
The resulting preview articles have started to hit the web and so far have been extremely positive!
Here are some of my favorites so far:
EuroGamer
Powers dictate pace, just as clearly as kills used to mean skills, as you set about doling out violence in Jackson Pollock tangles of blood and brain: most enemies are mere flies, so Radical sends swarms after you, and soon the shattered streets of New York are filled with huddled groups of soldiers, and rampaging mobs of raw-skinned mutants.
Destructoid
If you asked me to think back to the last game I had so much fun playing that I actually let loose with a sound generally reserved for the moment you go flying down a rollercoaster while playing it, I would have been hard-pressed to come up with one. After all, many games are fun, but there's a difference between the kind of fun you have in a silent-but-enjoying-oneself kind of way and a loud, excited, unable-to-keep-it-to-yourself kind of way.
Edge
We spent much of Bionic Commando (our review, from E202, will be posted here tomorrow) pining for Treyarch's Spider-Man 2 and querying the dearth of worthwhile successors. There's Crackdown, of course, but the presence of its own imitators makes the lack of particularly good ones even more frustrating. But then, in a dark corner of Activision’s recent London games presentation, our champion appeared. Prototype was basically finished, and it took a Radical employee to yank us off the controls before we played 'too much'.
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First Prototype Review
The very first review for Prototype has just been released. It's from the UK magazine, PSW. And they gave it a 9/10!!We actually got a digital copy of magazine last week, and it looks amazing! They've given us a multi-page review with a ton of thought and effort put into the look and layout. Not to mention our review is the Cover Story for that issue!
It came in at just the right time too. That morning, the reviews for inFAMOUS started popping up online, and it was getting really stellar reviews.
Regardless of whether they should or not, people seem intent on comparing our games. So seeing that it was being so well received by the press, really kind of put some of us on edge.
I don't think we need to beat them or anything like that, but I really think because of the perception that we're competing, it is really important that we are at least in the same ballpark of review scores.
This first review goes a long way in releasing some of that pressure!
Playstation World Blog
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Friday, May 15, 2009
Prototype is Done!
A ton has happened in the month and a half since my last post, the most significant for me: Prototype has gone Gold! We sent our first attempts at certification (builds of the game which need to be tested for bugs and compliance to certain rules) to Sony and Microsoft late last month, and managed to pass all of them on the first pass! That's pretty impressive from my experience, and it really shows how solid the game has become. I guess an extra year of development might have helped a little...Tons a press has gone out as well. Too much for me to remember actually, but here are my favorites:
First off we have released the opening cinematic of the game. It obviously all prerendered but does an amazing job of capturing what the game is all about.
This trailer, Breed Something New, is probably my favorite trailer yet. I didn't actually like it the first time I saw it, but it's grown on me.
The box art for the game has been released, I really love what they did. This actually came out of Activision (although it used pieces of art done at our studio) and I think that's maybe what we needed to get something a little outside the box; at least as far as it's concerned compared to everything else released so far for the game. It's really nice to see something that isn't black, brown, or 'grungy'.
And to finish it off, some fluff from IGN: The Ten Commandments of Prototype
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Friday, April 3, 2009
The Story Of Prototype
Aparently there is one! Who knew!?Posted by Goose at
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Friday, March 27, 2009
10 Reasons to Buy Prototype
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Saturday, February 7, 2009
NYC Comic-Con 2009: Even More Prototype Coverage
Couple additional articles came out from the convention.
Crispy Gamer has an interview with one of the lead designers on Prototype. They talk about a lot of the inspiration for the game, as well as a lot of the design philosophy behind the project.
1up and Kotaku both have posted impressions articles. Nothing really new there if you've read the IGN and Joystiq articles from yesterday.
Labels: NYC Comic-Con 2009, prototype, radical
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Friday, February 6, 2009
NYC Comic-Con 2009: More Prototype Coverage
The New-York City Comic-Con is starting today, and Prototype is set the have a pretty huge presence. From what I have heard another game was not able to make it, so Prototype has become the focus for Activision this year. That starts with a 40 foot by 50 foot banner inside the convention center.
We been working really hard the last few weeks on putting together a demo for the show floor, which will be the first time the public will have a chance to go hands on with the game.
A lot of coverage has already hit the web, starting with IGN and Joystiq both putting up some really positive previews.
There are also a couple new videos out as well.
A new trailer showing a ton if gameplay footage.
Next is a 2 part series of some hand-held footage of the actual demo we made. It is being demoed by one of our producers, Max.
And finally, here is a video DC release to promote the Prototype comicbook they are working on.
Labels: comic, dc, NYC Comic-Con 2009, prototype, radical, trailer, work
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Prototype Comic Details Released
Some new details on the Prototype Comic have been released, including a new cover inked by Jim Lee.
Sounds like they are taking a look at the story from a different perspective from the game:
Follow New York homicide detectives as they track a serial killer unlike any they've ever faced, and enter a new era where human extinction and monstrous evolution collide!
Hopefully with comic-con coming up, we should have some more info released soon.
Labels: comic, dc, prototype, radical, wildstorm, work
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Friday, January 9, 2009
CES 2009: Prototype Preview on Kotaku
Kotaku put up a nice write up on what they saw at CES. Check it out here.Labels: 2009, ces, Kotaku.com, prototype, work
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Thursday, January 8, 2009
CES 2009: Prototype Preview on IGN
IGN put up a new preview for Prototype. If you can take IGN's writing and what appears to be a complete lack of proof reading, check it out here.Along with it they've posted some new game-play videos (that actually show the front-end!). I've embedded those below.
Labels: 2009, ces, IGN.com, prototype, trailer, video, work
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CES 2009: New Prototype Trailer
Didn't even know this one was coming. Looks pretty sick though!Labels: 2009, ces, prototype, trailer, video, work
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Prototype CES Videos ..."Leaked"
Read the full story here.
Labels: leak, prototype, radical, video, work
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Prototype makes 1up.com's list of Games to Watch in 2009
1up is running a month long reveal of The Games to Watch in 2009, and today Prototype was featured. It has a short interview with our marketing lead, and a couple new screen shots.
Labels: 1up.com, 2009, prototype, radical, work
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
Push for Alpha
Things have pretty much returned to normal at work following all the layoffs last month. Prototype is really coming together as we are about 4 weeks from our internal Alpha milestone. Again....
For us that basically means the game is feature complete: lots of bugs, and some placeholder art, but no more features will be added to the game after that point. To make that date a lot of features have been cut from the game; a nice change of pace from the usual barrage of requests from the design teams :)
Labels: alpha, prototype, radical, work
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Sunday, August 3, 2008
Radical Changes
Looks like some more bad news coming of Radical. As you might have read over the last few months, Radical's parent company, Vivendi Universal and Activision have been working on a merger. That process came to a close last month and we are now known as Activision Blizzard.As part of that process Activision has been reviewing all the current projects under development by the Vivendi studios. After reviewing the games we are working on at Radical, they have decided to cancel two of the projects; half of the total project of the company. Two of the game teams now have nothing to work on, and that means some major layoffs coming; close to 100 is my best guess.
Thankfully for myself Prototype was not one of the canceled projects (the projects that did get canceled had not yet been announced). Although, that definitely doesn't mean I am safe by any means. However, I do feel confident that I will make it through the transition, as my roll on the team has become somewhat critical.
And even if I don't, Vancouver has a massive game development community. If you happen to walk passed the Radical offices last Thursday afternoon you might have seen some subtle hints left from our competitors reminding us of this very fact.
Labels: activision, blizzard, layoffs, pressure wash, prototype, radical, rockstar, scarface, treadstone, vivendi, work
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Prototype On GameTrailers TV
This past Friday Prototype was features on GT TV. If you missed the orginal airing, you can see the full episode here:Labels: game tailers tv, gt tv, prototype, radical, work
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Monday, May 5, 2008
Prototype Pushed to 2009
More bad news for Prototype: the game has been pushed from it's tentative October 2008 release to sometime in 2009. Or maybe it's good news, depending on how you look at it.There is a lot riding on this game for us at Radical. More than just the reputation of the studio, as with most games, but a brand new IP. With the amount of hype the game is receiving, I've no doubt it would sell well no matter what state it ships in (within reason). But as a studio we are really trying to show that we can handle an original IP, something we're not really known for. Whether or not Prototype becomes a series, this game will probably determine what kind of games we work on in the future. It's not just about making a quick buck and getting out. We want to create a AAA game that people beg for a sequel to.
And that's not to say the game wasn't on course to ship at high quality level. I honestly think if we shipped this year, the came would end up with above 80% reviews; a really good game. However, our goal is to ship an amazing game, and this extra time will give us a chance to polish that 80 into a 90... or higher!
Labels: 2009, delay, prototype, radical
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
DC Announces Prototype Comic
DC Comics today announced a partnership with Sierra Entertainment – a division of Vivendi Games – to bring the world of the up and coming Prototype videogame to the pages of an all-new comic series. The Prototype comic is set to debut this August on DC's Wildstorm imprint.- IGN
Labels: comic, dc, prototype, radical, wildstorm, work
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Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Prototype on Daily Planet
Couple new developments in the marketing for Prototype. First the new website has launched. It's got a bunch of hidden content on there, like a lot of the Nintendo websites do, if you're willing to take the time to figure it out.On a slightly cooler level, tonight Prototype was featured on
Labels: daily planet, prototype, radical, work
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Thursday, April 3, 2008
Prototype in Times Square
Not sure if this would be exciting to anyone else, but the Prototype trailer that premiered on the Spike TV Videogame Awards is now being played on one of the jumbo screens in Times Square, New York. The connection to the game being that Prototype takes place in Manhattan.
Just ignore the one that says, "Experience the entire game with a friend through online co-op play!"...
Labels: prototype, radical, times square, work
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Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Prototype Online Cut
Prototype just released news that the Co-op portion of the game has been cut. I'm pretty bummed; it's something I've put a lot of time into, and really felt was a key feature for the game. In the end, it'll probably turn out to be the right call. We need to make sure we have a AAA game and, although the idea is starting to change, online really is still considered an extra feature. The Single Player game is what most purchase decisions will be based on. Still, it sucks.Labels: online, prototype, radical, work
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