'Xbox Activision' And 'PS Crytek' The Next Generation?
September 16th 2008 00:49
The role of the killer AAA title has for some time been recognised as one of the most important features of a new console. And according to the likes of Activision CEO Robert Kotick, Epic Games president Mike Capps and Crytek CEO and President Cevat Yerli, the influence of the developer will go beyond mere software to shape the next generation of consoles.
The most vocal of the developers, Activision's Robert Kotick, has firmly set the the scene for his company to play a major part in the next generation.
"Now that we have the weight of being the largest payer of royalties to the first-parties of any third-party company, I definitely see us as starting to influence hardware design, and they're thinking about the evolution of the next generation of hardware," said Kotick, speaking at the Activision Blizzard Analyst Day in Los Angeles.
And with the proliferation of peripheral based games such as Guitar Hero, you can see the influence of developer based hardware already.
From Epic, Mike Capps speaks of his companies development of the next generation of game engines. His vision leaves no doubt that the Unreal Engine, the basis for a huge number of titles, is being developed specifically for a new generation. "We've got Unreal [Engine] 4 in production right now... it's going to be in the next console generation - our rough guess is 2012 [to] 2018," says Capps.
Epic have definite start dates for the next generation in mind. And in developing the new Unreal Engine for these systems there can be little doubt that they are a part of the discussion as to the specifications of these systems.
Crytek are also planning a new engine by 2012. With the beating Crysis took over its perceived PC hardware requirements, they have responded by building their own Crysis Warhead-friendly system. Some have lept to a sensational conclusion that this would lead to their own console, but if the current speculation is confirmed we will see the new engine ready for the next generation of the Xbox console.
From the developers, one thing is clear. That with the lineup of new engines hitting in 2012, this will be the next leap ahead in gaming. This is also the date that most are expecting the Xbox 360, and if this is the case then the claims made by Kotick look to be more than just posturing. The coincidence is compelling. If I were a rumour monger, I would even say that Microsoft is currently discussing the hardware setup for the next Xbox with these developers, and that each is putting forward their requested specifications. And if I were to take it one step further, and this pure speculation were indeed fact, then it would be a masterstroke, ensuring that the next generation of titles is optimised for an Xbox that is shaping to be released years ahead of a new playstation.
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