Ben-DutkaIt was a PlayStation 3 exclusive that simply didn't live up to expectations, and the consequences for developer Free Radical were dire. But now, after being rescued by Crytek, the Haze developer talks about why the game failed.
In speaking to Develop , Free Radical's Karl Hilton said the complicated PS3 tossed many obstacles in the path of the designers, and those development issues meant Haze "wasn't the game it should have been." Remember, it took some time for game makers to really get a good handle on the PS3's architecture and it seems Free Radical simply wasn't read for it. Said Hilton:
"A lot of them were technical issues. The PS3 is a powerful machine but a difficult one to get the best out of. We spent more time trying get the game running properly and less time to design the game properly."
As a result, the game didn't sell well and Free Radical was forced into administration last December. Thankfully, Crytek – now re-branded as Crytek UK – saved them with a buyout bid and now, Hilton and the rest of the team have access to things like the awesome new CryEngine 3. Furthermore, Hilton believes we most certainly haven't seen the best of what the PS3 can offer:
"I don’t think we’ve seen the best out of the PS3 at all, and I definitely think one of the best things about Crytek and the CryEngine is that we’re now in the best position to get the most out of the hardware."
In the end, Hilton believes that "no one" has pushed the PS3 to its maximum limitations, but the CryEngine 3 will give the team a "great head start." We at PSXE still hope for TimeSplitters 4 , but we have no idea if that project came with Free Radical or not… But at least they've learned their lesson.
Related Game(s): Haze
