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 :)

Employed

Today, after 3 weeks of waiting, the layoffs at Radical finally happened. I didn't loose my job, but a lot of my friends did including the rest of my team entirely (online/front end). From what I hear the severance packages were quite nice, ranging from 14-20 weeks paid salary plus an additional bonus. I'm sure that will give everyone tons of time to find another job in this city where recruitment is extremely competitive.

Local newspapers and online sources are reporting that about 100 people are being let go, but from what I've seen and heard, it's actually close to 160; about half of the entire company.

I have no idea what the new structure is going to be, but we find out tomorrow.

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.

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:

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!

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

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 the largest publication in Metropolis Canada's daily science news TV show, The Daily Planet. It was focused on the sound design of the game, more than the game itself, but it's pretty awesome seeing our work on such a mainstream level. You can check out the segment here.

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!"...

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.