Why not assign Guerilla Games' 270 Sony employees to PS2?

[Edfishy]

Guerilla Games is fully owned by Sony, meaning Sony wouldn't be risking much by giving GG's 270 or so industry veterans full access to PS2's Forgelight engine.

The last Killzone was kind of meh, and Killzone as a franchise really doesn't have a great chance to defeat COD or BF at the moment. The guys at Guerrilla Games have basically made Killzone sequels nonstop for the past decade and PS2 could be a welcome change of pace. Killzone and PS2 share some similar styles and traits (modern warfare + scifi), and so it wouldn't be too much a departure from what they're used to. Guerrilla's experience with consoles would also benefit the launch of Planetside 2 on the PS4 as well.

Planetside 2 presently leads the MMOFPS market (such as it is), and can hold onto that position as leader if it gets more than its current skeleton crew. The current development pace by the small PS2 team suggests the Playstation 4 launch with all the goodies (continental lattice, new continents, ANTs, resource revamp, missions/directives) between November 2014 and March 2015.

Planetside 2's client/server hybrid isn't overwhelmingly difficult to replicate, and so I imagine a competitor will arrive on the scene probably by early 2015 (Could be Titanfall MMO, a Halo MMO, COD MMO, new IP, who knows).

So... make it so?

[Dougnifico]

The problem with that is Sony uses Killzone as a major exclusive franchise to move the Playstation. Sure they can use Planetside, but its a new and strange concept for console gamers. Killzone is a formula that they know will move copies on console. Also, GG has no experience with en-mass gameplay. Killzone also, IMHO, also had very clunky mechanics. Other than bodies (which SOE needs), I don't see any major skills that GG would bring that couldn't be gotten from scalping a few people from companies like DICE, Respawn, 343, or Bungie.

Another problem, if I remember correctly, is that GG is a european company (German?) and the PS2 devs are located in San Diego. Most would not move and would simply find work nearby. Then there are the problems with language barriers and immigration forms.

[Edfishy]

Originally Posted by Dougnifico

I don't see any major skills that GG would bring that couldn't be gotten from scalping a few people from companies like DICE, Respawn, 343, or Bungie.

It comes down to the mulahs. Sony HQ is already paying for Guerrilla Games, meanwhile Sony's Planetside IP is in trouble (a potential FPS juggernaut). Exclusive performance benefits (60fps 1080p) for COD 9 and Battlefield 5 are more likely to move consoles then the cost of another lukewarm Killzone that is measured up to the other two's success.

Originally Posted by Dougnifico

Another problem, if I remember correctly, is that GG is a european company (German?) and the PS2 devs are located in San Diego. Most would not move and would simply find work nearby. Then there are the problems with language barriers and immigration forms.

San Diego team would stay in San Diego and devote their efforts to H1Z1 and Everquest:Landmark (except maybe Higby if he cared to continue work on PS2 as an executive producer). The PlanetSide IP would be handed lock-stock and barrel to the Netherlands (?) team at Guerrilla Games, a transition that would probably take atleast several months.

Originally Posted by Dougnifico

Sure they can use Planetside, but its a new and strange concept for console gamers.

Eh... but Sony's already committed to a PS4 launch for Planetside 2 anyways. GG's decade's worth of experience in consoles would make their acquisition of Planetside 2 a no-brainer, and the existing PS4 conversion team would be moved to H1Z1.

I don't see yet another iteration of Killzone bringing over new converts to the PS4 (It's a worn series with little surprises left... at the very least it needs a break), but a 270-staffed PlanetSide 2 with all the trimmings could. Planetside's epic scale is something console players have never seen before, and finding the consumer's needs and filling it is the name of the game (Do the peoples need another Killzone? What does it bring to the table?).

Originally Posted by Dougnifico

Also, GG has no experience with en-mass gameplay. Killzone also, IMHO, also had very clunky mechanics.

... Seems like Planetside 2 to me?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLREWu-M4o8

GG wouldn't be starting from scratch, they'd be working off of the existing controls and mechanics from PS2. Again it, would probably be a good change of pace for their team!

[Dougnifico]

You see, I agree that Planetside should be rampped up to be a juggernaut. It can be a game changer. But I don't think that involves Guerrilla Games at all. I would be much better, and much easier to simply hire onto the current dev team. I would try to scalp talent from DICE, Bungie, and Respawn, maybe move some willing from GG, and get even more fresh, untapped talent out of college. What they need to do is go from a studio of 90 people, and hire on to get a 250 - 300 person dev team. I mean Bungie has 500+ people on that team and its all on a gamble. Planetside can be a better bet, especially if they also open it up to Xbox later in the generation (when moving games outweighs moving consoles).

Also, I've just never been impressed with GG. DICE and Bungie are imho the top FPS dev teams. They need to try to assemble an all-star team, not give it to a B- team. The current devs actually seem very good considering the limitations of what they are working with. I'd take SOE-PS2 over GG on a one to one basis any day.

[Edfishy]

We're back to PS2 likely being in the hole for several millions. SOE apparently can't get SonyHQ to move on the budget for Planetside 2 (they've probably stretched their limits), and so again I point to the fact that SonyHQ is already willingly funding GG so there'd be no loss, only the potential recovery of an IP by a proven studio that's known to deliver.

[bjorntju1]

GG is working on a new IP so I think most of the studio is working on that, and probably a few working on DLC for Killzone Shadow Fall. I don't really see it happening, would be cool though, since I really enjoyed the Killzone games. (even SF, really liked the campaign actually even though a lot of people don't. I liked the slower pace of it.)

[AThreatToYou]

This is not happening for a bajillion and one reasons. Mostly that PS2 is an already released game, living its meager, relatively low-priority days out like all F2P games that aren't WoT or LoL do. Hell, like all MMO's do...