[00:12] The summer of 2003 abounded with talk of Ford’s supposed “Ferrari Killer,” the 2004 GT40. A faster, quicker-to-brake counterpart to the Ferrari 360 Modena, the Ford’s high-performance
[00:24] But a Ford was still a Ford matched against Ferrari. At the same time, another killer of a premiere brand lurked in the shadows, awaiting its Sony’s Killzone played terminator in this scenario, its prey the game-changing Halo:
[00:43] Combat Evolved from Bungie and Microsoft. Months of rumors about the so-called Halo killer generated enough hype to reach a fever pitch before Sony even formally unveiled its new first-person shooter.
[00:55] Premature reports described the game as the perfect cross between Halo and SOCOM; claims of advanced technology, spectacular graphics, and destructible environments heightened the More importantly, PlayStation faithful were thrilled with the prospect of its purported
[01:11] Killzone’s official announcement amplified the anticipation, yet its eventual deployment This would ostensibly become the status quo for Killzone going forward—marketing cycles
[01:27] that promised generation-defining experiences but arguably amounted to shooters of the slightly In this way, Sony’s flagship FPS series never competed with that of Microsoft’s
[01:39] It carved out its own niche, with six adventures launching across a nine-year period. But in the end, Killzone was still Killzone matched against Halo. And it hardly helped that the former battled false advertising claims on more than one
[01:53] This is the rise and fall of Killzone.
[02:26] Guerrilla Games hit the ground running as the Amsterdam-based Lost Boys Games at the A handful of Game Boy titles were churned out first, however the crew had its heart set on showcasing their “coding and art skills” to the industry at-large.
[02:39] 3D Artist Arjen Bokhoven wrote in a developer diary that building a stylized tech demo marked The demo, titled Marines, depicted soldiers maneuvering through a battlefield, explosions
[02:51] and sound effects texturing the scene that constituted the earliest version of Killzone. Upon its completion, the team shopped the build to various decision-makers within the One person demoing the project for Sony resulted in the Japanese tech giant gauging Lost Boys’s
[03:07] interest in expanding the impressive showpiece into a fully-fledged PlayStation 2 game. According to Bokhoven, the challenge was accepted without hesitation. By the end of 2001, then, work had begun on a new shooter for PlayStation hardware, specifically
[03:23] Such ambitious ends manifested as a sci-fi project that placed special emphasis on a premier story campaign and quality local and online multiplayer modes.
[03:36] But these high level goals proved only as good as the technology used to bring them Thus, instead of shopping for a licensed game engine, the developers at Lost Boys built proprietary tech equipped with features that promoted realistic ragdoll physics and directional
[03:51] Though anonymous sources cited in early reports alleged the Killzone creators relied on the commonly used NURBS model to render in-game surfaces, Lost Boys went with the “Multi-layered This internally developed tech altered the number of textured layers shown on objects,
[04:08] instances contingent on the user’s distance from the model to dynamically raise and lower A pursuit of realism carried over into AI development, as well. Chiefly, the studio targeted advanced artificial intelligence that behaved believably during
[04:23] So while scripted scenarios often dictated ally and enemy actions, all NPCs needed to appear reactionary when contending with unscripted happenings. Properly balancing the AI especially proved integral since users could choose from one
[04:37] of four playable characters, with the remaining three serving as computer-controlled teammates. Finely-tuned balancing acts were similarly necessary for the creation of Killzone’s Bokhoven noted that visual designers conceptualized each character, object, and location, then
[04:56] passed them along to the production department for “almost blueprint-like” designs that Each effort combined to formulate an adventure centered on a near-future, galaxy-spanning However, “classical military engagements” throughout human history influenced many facets
[05:14] of the experience, from the trench combat of World War I to the guerrilla warfare employed Unfortunately for Sony and its partners in Amsterdam, the lead up to sharing such information
[05:26] ran rampant with rumors that prematurely set the stage for Killzone’s arrival.
[05:39] The Killzone universe played host to a mankind in the not-too-distant future that successfully Humanity’s special skill for waging war followed it beyond the stars, though, setting off an interplanetary war between an Earth-loyal collective, the ISA, and a militant splinter
[05:56] The first installment opened with a band of ISA soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, navigating a kill zone as it were, hence the franchise’s namesake.
[06:08] Notably, before the Killzone designation became official, Lost Boys tentatively referred to It was this name that generated an unprecedented level of anticipation within the PlayStation
[06:20] Around June of that year, Official PlayStation Magazine UK teased Kin, going so far as to deem it the best game the publication had ever laid eyes on.
[06:34] Nearly two months later, insider sources claimed Kin had evolved into Killzone and would constitute an advanced first-person shooter packed with online multiplayer options. A brand-new engine powered the game, sources confirmed to IGN, telling the outlet the production
[06:48] team had pushed the limits of PS2 to deliver incredible visuals and destructible environments. The notion of this project serving as Sony’s so-called “Halo-killer” picked up steam around this time, too, effectively making Killzone what IGN termed the “most talked
[07:04] Sony originally showcased the game to European outlets in April 2002, keeping the specifics under wraps for over a year thanks to non-disclosure agreements.
[07:16] Upon publicly lifting the veil in August 2003, Sony and the then-newly named Guerrilla Games had plenty to share, though some details were strategically withheld. Gameplay footage and multiplayer-related information wouldn’t see the light of day for several
[07:30] Yet, the ISA versus Helghast premise, along with screenshots, maintained the hype train’s Guerrilla and its publishing partner kept up the pressure for months on end, releasing
[07:42] news piecemeal that continuously stoked interest in the new sci-fi IP. The single-player campaign promised dozens of levels spread across eleven environments, which users would feel encouraged to replay in three additional playthroughs since all
[07:55] Sony additionally heralded Killzone as a “variation” on traditional squad-based shooters, selling hopeful customers on the idea that the three AI companions followed their own objectives
[08:08] without the need for players to issue orders mid-fight. Multiplayer offered a different experience entirely, coming in the form of offline split-screen All things considered, Killzone seemed equipped to run in the same race as its competition
[08:24] on Xbox; ultimately, many concluded it couldn’t compete on Halo’s level. Sony shipped Killzone on November 2, 2004, one week ahead of Halo 2’s eagerly-anticipated
[08:42] More than anything, critics were astounded by Killzone’s visuals, the little details here and there, layered textures capable of tricking the eye into perceiving finer touches Shooting mechanics won over players as well, as did the relatively novel premise of humanity
[08:59] However, minuses hampered each of these pluses, shortcomings that kept Killzone from reaching Technical issues riddled the experience, ranging from distracting framerate drops to graphical
[09:15] Some reviewers remarked that the game’s sophisticated texture system too often failed to appropriately swap in low-quality models for their higher-quality counterparts, culminating The otherwise appealing gameplay mechanics buckled under the weight of its own deficiencies,
[09:31] due to lacking enemy variety, ineffective AI companions, and weapons that hardly set And though the core conceit behind the story campaign received applause across the board,
[09:45] Unfulfilled expectations aside, Sony had faith in the burgeoning property. The Japanese publisher believed so wholeheartedly in Killzone that it reportedly gave the green
[09:57] light for pre-production on a sequel a few months before the first installment launched. Sony evidently had no intention of letting the Dutch studio get away, either. March 2004 saw the two companies ink an exclusive development deal; at the end of 2005, Guerrilla
[10:12] Games officially became a member of PlayStation’s first-party family. Phil Harrison, President of SCE Worldwide Studios at the time, insisted the buyout would "strengthen Sony's development portfolio” on the eve of PS3's release and beyond.
[10:27] The hardware manufacture’s expansion into the world of first-person shooters had only just begun.
[10:58] Lukewarm reception aside, Killzone shipped 2 million units worldwide—success earned Guerrilla’s then-Managing Director Hermen Hulst gave a talk during GDC Europe 2010,
[11:13] walking panel attendees through the ways in which the studio approached game development. Hulst fondly recalled the decision to prioritize creating a memorable villain over a favored hero, though he acknowledged the strife between the Helghast and ISA boiled down to “space
[11:28] It proved a winning formula, though, the Helghast’s distinctive gas mask and orange-tinged goggles quickly becoming an iconic visual for the PlayStation brand.
[11:40] Killzone artists modeled the mask after concepts of World War 1 goggles positioned over a Russian Details shared in Cook and Becker’s Killzone Visual Design book noted the eyewear gained
[11:52] the colorful tint once playtesters criticized the difficulty of spotting enemy combatants. These clever artistic choices paved the way for the franchise’s aesthetic identity, but such sparks of brilliance were all Killzone had going for it through the lengthy production
[12:08] Hulst divulged in his GDC talk that Guerrilla knew its futuristic military shooter missed the mark, a belief attributed to the team’s unrestrained ambitions and insufficient leadership. For a significant period of time, the Killzone group went without a game designer on staff,
[12:24] The absence of design expertise meant creative decisions were implemented that hardly took Worst still, a later juncture in development spawned an imprudent decision whose effects
[12:39] broke the game engine for months, forcing artists to craft and install assets despite A fix for Guerrilla’s managerial woes, fortunately, blossomed just in time for the unlikeliest
[12:53] of projects.
[13:31] Needing a “showcase title” for its first handheld, Sony proposed Guerrilla produce Hermen Hulst said the pitch was far too enticing to turn down, given Guerrilla’s appetite
[13:43] Yet, before diving into the herculean task, the firm had to reckon with Killzone’s mismanagement. The studio appointed a Game Director to oversee the PSP project and maintain quality standards.
[13:56] Producers also joined the fold, ensuring various milestones remained on target for the game’s A concentrated effort to focus on game design entered the picture from the outset, as well. That the PSP title reviewed better than its forbear later indicated organizational changes
[14:12] Not compressing Killzone’s console experience to the handheld machine served as another When digging its heels into what would become Killzone: Liberation around early 2005, Guerrilla
[14:27] had to consider whether a first-person shooter would translate well on portable devices. Production Manager Alastair Burns told GameSpot no one believed it could work, hence the implementation Crafting the experience around “gaming on the go” represented a top priority, and
[14:44] pushed the decision to pull back the third-person perspective for an isometric viewpoint. Speaking with IGN ahead of E3 2006, Game Director Mathijs de Jonge said the overhead angle provided a “tactical overview” that enabled extra “graphical details and nice parallax effects.”
[15:00] De Jonge later elaborated in a sit-down with Gaming Nexus, divulging how the creation of the Pseudo-Isometric Intelligent Camera System, or PICS, elevated Killzone’s new perspective by dynamically zooming in and framing any given scenario “in the best possible way.”
[15:16] Guerrilla similarly applied its pick-up-and-play approach to the user interface and moment-to-moment Players controlled the protagonist—Templar from the original—through the PSP’s lone analog stick, then issued ally commands via D-pad inputs.
[15:30] A simple command menu facilitated these functions, hammering home the streamlined feel and further All in all, touchstones of this nature merely scratched the surface of the lengths Guerrilla
[15:42] traveled to both refine and reimagine the key tenets of Killzone.
[15:56] The ISA dealt a devastating blow to Helghast forces at the end of Killzone. However, the Helghast’s occupation across large swaths of the planet Vekta allowed the group to reorganize and launch a counterattack that hinged on the abduction of several important
[16:10] Such acts along with heinous misdeeds committed by the villainous new character, General Armin Metrac, placed Templar back into play just two months after the first game’s events. Liberation’s direct continuation of the original story underscored how seriously Guerrilla
[16:26] It was a portable spinoff, sure, but one developers used to kickstart the franchise’s evolution. Thus, the studio sought to improve its storytelling chops; other generally well-received aspects
[16:38] of Killzone like the visual style and weapons received adjustments in their own right. The crew didn’t shy away from tackling the previous game’s lesser-appreciated qualities either, addressing critiques leveled against “sloppy death animations,” poor AI, and
[16:53] Given their intrinsic value to Killzone, multiplayer features were a must-have for on PSP. As such, the handheld’s Ad Hoc Mode connected two users in co-op for single-player missions,
[17:05] The title even supported voice chat. Suffice it to say, Liberation performed a lot of heavy lifting during the brand’s early days, its surprise January 2006 announcement arriving amid lingering discussions about
[17:21] a Killzone 2 trailer whose questionable authenticity became the subject of deep scrutiny. Liberation sidestepped similar concerns, launching in late 2006 to favorable reviews that praised
[17:33] the relatively high-quality graphics, ease of accessibility, and gameplay depth. Critics and players deemed it a solid shooter, too, with many swearing by the belief that Liberation had delivered where the “overhyped” 2004 outing did not.
[17:49] Balancing issues on top of a flawed targeting system and platform-specific limitations prevented Still, the PSP adventure critically outperformed Killzone’s PS2 debut by a noticeable margin;
[18:02] the console game earned an aggregate score of 70 percent on Metacritic while its portable During his 2010 GDC panel, Hermen Hulst insisted the marginal improvement in scores demonstrated
[18:15] Killzone 2 would later soar to greater heights.
[18:59] In and around the PS3 era, Sony exuded a hubris that blemished the brand. One in four American households owned a PS2, yet Sony had trouble supplying demand for
[19:12] PSP outperformed sales expectations early in its lifecycle, generating $400 million in revenue after only seven weeks. Simply put, the rude health of Sony’s gaming division knew no bounds, emboldening the company
[19:27] to swing for the fences with the PS3's pricing in 2006. Executives Kaz Hirai and Jack Tretton even asserted the next-generation wouldn’t begin until Sony’s say so, taking jabs at Microsoft’s Xbox 360 launch.
[19:42] But corporate arrogance especially had its day during E3 2005, wherein the hardware manufacturer showcased a so-called “real-time” demo for a Killzone sequel that technically didn’t
[19:54] Killzone 2-related rumblings entered the public consciousness in August 2004—a few months Having viewed the “cover of a design document,” IGN reported Guerrilla developers were unable
[20:07] to divulge anything concrete but confirmed the sequel would not launch on PlayStation Despite its eventual arrival on seventh-gen hardware, the studio initially intended to Hermen Hulst told GDC Europe 2010 attendees that Killzone 2’s brief stint as a PS2 project
[20:27] had targeted a Christmas 2006 release window; however, work on this iteration was cut short. Executive Producer Angie Smets elaborated further in Noclip’s Horizon: Zero Dawn documentary,
[20:39] in which she referenced a “vision video” Killzone developers designed for the sequel. Meant for “internal use,” the video depicted what Guerrilla imagined a then-next-gen shooter Overcast skies, intricate graphics, and intense combat encounters were the stars of the visionary
[20:57] piece, which Hulst claimed the studio hoped to unveil before select media members behind-closed-doors Tangled up in its own ambitions and Sony’s confidence, Guerrilla agreed to showcase tech
[21:09] According to Smets, no one knew SCE Chairman Kaz Hirai would tell viewers the Killzone That anyone actually believed as much proved just as surprising.
[21:23] Two schools of thought followed in the demo’s wake with respect to public perception—there were those who trusted the marketing speak and others who refused to believe it counted as anything other than CGI-centric smoke and mirrors.
[21:36] Guerrilla considered the state of things “a blessing and a burden”—a blessing because the video’s publicity provided a clear goal, and a burden because many felt the studio Both Hulst and Smets recalled the tech demo heavily influencing the decision to shift
[21:52] to PS3 development, which, in turn, motivated the studio’s increased its headcount. The extra hands especially benefitted production given the PS3’s raw power. If Killzone showcased Guerrilla’s art talents, Killzone 2 exhibited its game design prowess.
[22:31] Developers established Helghan, the Helghast home world, as the setting of Killzone 2 early The general idea focalized a “massive planetary invasion” on an alien planet dominated by the aggressors, leaving players “outgunned and outnumbered.”
[22:47] Selling this demanded the best in art and technology; thus, rethinking the studio’s By this time, Guerrilla had become far better organized, splitting into subgroups that each
[22:59] answered to a singular leader who regularly met with someone higher up the chain. This management style worked favorably, as it allowed the company to divide its focus across many disciplines simultaneously, a far cry from the bumbling Killzone 1 days.
[23:14] But Hermen Hulst explained in a ‘Making of’ documentary that the benchmark set by Killzone 2’s tech demo still presented the biggest challenge. Targeting the demo’s visual quality required a cinematic approach, rather than building
[23:28] According to Development Director Arjan Brussee, the post-processing often used in film inspired Killzone 2’s “analog look,” manifested in visual noise such as motion blur and over-brightening
[23:42] Notably, the internally-created Deferred Renderer Engine ensured these details could be replicated Extra effort also went into fully realizing the impact of bullets hitting characters and Blending animations achieved the desired effect in this regard, whereby the team melded “real-time
[23:59] If a player shot an enemy combatant in the shoulder, the struck body behaved accordingly. Likewise, impact effects were applied to the material system; and because various surfaces
[24:12] contained “specific material types,” shooting sand wall created a hole that bore no similarities These relatively minuscule details mattered most in the grand scheme, particularly when
[24:25] An alien world that appeared foreign to players was out of the question. The Helghast practiced fascism, a familiar political ideology the wider audience projected Developers wanted the construction of Helghan’s cities, factories, and architecture to reflect
[24:43] as much, so the pompousness of Stalinist architecture pervaded the Helghast home world. The works of Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, namely RoboCop and Starship Troopers, provided Achieving realism, at least on a cinematic scale, also guided many of Killzone 2’s
[25:00] Similarly, a push towards complete immersion explained the absence of a HUD. Cover mechanics were born from this same train of thought, providing tactical options lacking No one would argue that these gameplay enhancements didn’t amplify the single player action,
[25:16] but the improvements felt particularly pivotal in the multiplayer modes. Guerrilla added online components to Killzone 1 at the tail end of production.
[25:28] The multiplayer suite’s public reception suggested it needed more time in the oven, Killzone 2’s multiplayer matured alongside the story campaign; as a result, developers
[25:41] insisted on maintaining parity between the two modes in terms of graphical and performance From a high level, Guerrilla knew it wanted Killzone 2’s online suite to attract all player types, heralding a progression system spread across 12 military ranks.
[25:56] While ascending the ranks, players could unlock Badges, or classes, that boasted unique abilities The Medic came equipped with skills disparate from that of the Tactician, for instance. And as users progressed, the ability to combine class-specific skillsets strengthened their
[26:10] Better still, those who preferred solo play yet wanted to enjoy multiplayer could do so offline with AI bots and three difficulty modes.
[26:22] Guerrilla further crafted mix and match options, in which players could add, say, 12 AI bots to a four-person game, resulting in a 16-player experience. Another noteworthy addition included a new spawn function for players to select respawn
[26:35] A 64-person clan system buttressed the socially-driven features, with clan challenges and matches going on to provide some of Killzone 2’s most exciting online encounters.
[26:47] In spite of its tumultuous introduction, then, few would have anything but fond memories of the Helghan-set sequel.
[27:01] Following the controversial pre-rendered trailer, Guerrilla went silent on Killzone 2. The Liberation spinoff kept the IP afloat, but even PlayStation’s staunchest supporters Finally, it reentered the limelight during E3 2007 with new footage that didn’t look
[27:19] on par with the previous showcase but came close enough to warrant praise. While news of a 2008 release window accompanied the reveal, Sony later delayed the shooter to February 2009 in hopes of thinning out its fall schedule crowded with SOCOM: Confrontation,
[27:34] LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, and Insomniac’s own sci-fi shooter, Resistance The wait paid off tremendously, the series known for average review scores settling on
[27:47] Polished enemy AI, a strong campaign, balanced gameplay, great multiplayer offerings, the Killzone had at long last lived up to its original promise, delivering a gritty first-person
[28:03] The game enjoyed a few commercial wins, too, garnering the “biggest initial success at retail of any first-party PS3 title” at the time with one million units sold in two
[28:15] months, despite early sales figures painting a grim picture. All told, Killzone 2 cemented Guerrilla among the brightest jewels in Sony’s crown.
[28:36] The crew became more efficient with each subsequent release, and managed to churn out games at Killzone 2’s three-and-a-half-year production period, thus, turned into a roughly two-year Hermen Hulst likened the quick turnaround to putting Guerrilla’s “creativity in
[28:53] a pressure cooker,” but the technology and systems developed for the 2011 title made developing PS3 content much simpler the second time around. Nevertheless, the series necessitated improvements the studio knew it had to tackle upon entering
[29:07] Reviewers and players had few complaints about Killzone 2, yet its somewhat homogenous environments Guerrilla prioritized the creation of diverse locations and gameplay options as a result.
[29:21] Nuclear wastelands, “alien-looking jungles,” and an arctic setting counted among the newer playable areas on Helghan; outer space served as an in-game locale to boot, significantly The broadening of Killzone also translated to its general scope, courtesy of levels whose
[29:39] footprint spanned 10-times the size of the average Killzone 2 environment. Gameplay systems were likewise expanded upon, the best facets of the sequel—such as lean-and-peek—dialed up to 11, then layered with fresh elements like jetpack mechanics and mini-gun segments.
[29:56] Given the sheer breadth of the project, the claim that Killzone 3 utilized nearly 100 percent of the PS3’s SPU load compared to Killzone 2’s 60 percent hardly came as a What did strike some as shocking was the revelation that the shooter would support Sony’s off-the-beaten
[30:12] 2010 constituted the breakout year for 3D televisions. James Cameron’s Avatar had just captivated audiences in theaters, creating unparalleled And with LG, Panasonic, and Samsung having spent years betting big on the future of 3D,
[30:32] consumers who could afford a specialized TV set were eager to bring the technology home Of course, Sony sat among the manufactures who invested in 3D.
[30:44] Dozens of first and third-party games launched with 3D support on PS3, the likes of Batman: Arkham City and Gran Turismo 5 included. Few received as much of a 3D-centric marketing push as Killzone 3, however.
[30:58] In discussing the topic with IGN, Managing Director Hermen Hulst said 3D entered the picture in January 2009, just as the team was shifting away from Killzone 2. He reasoned that for a series dedicated to player immersion, 3D functionality marked
[31:13] The technology’s immersive qualities lent themselves well to a player’s ability to Killzone 3 also supported PlayStation Move, news that garnered a tepid response; Guerrilla
[31:28] Principal Programmer Tommy de Roos even pontificated on the prospect of developers eventually integrating motion controls into “most first-person shooters,” contending that forfeiting accuracy
[31:41] The title may have presented a good case for motion controls, yet its successes in other disciplines catapulted Killzone to new heights.
[32:16] Naughty Dog’s release of Uncharted 2 in 2009 elevated storytelling in video games. Many of the studio’s peers took note—Guerrilla Games among them. Speaking to VG247, Hermen Hulst recalled how shipping a game with “great gameplay and
[32:31] an unrefined story” was once fine but Naughty Dog set a new bar, thereby inspiring Killzone 3 developers to invest more heavily in story, character building, and dialogue. Uncharted’s light-heartedness equally informed the direction of Killzone 3, in that developers
[32:47] opted to minimize some of the “grim overtones” prevalent throughout Killzone 2. Senior Producer Steven Ter Heide acknowledged wartime as the unlikeliest of light-hearted affairs but protested against the notion that “dark and grim” undercurrents provided
[33:01] Storytelling and tonal shifts aside, the property’s bedrock principles remained the center of gravity, evidenced in Guerrilla’s unrelenting raising of the stakes with respect to the
[33:13] The sophomore entry ended on a bittersweet note, as the ISA’s Alpha Squad terminated A power vacuum formed after his death, inspiring influential figures within the government
[33:26] Weapons manufacturer Jorhan Stahl played the biggest hand, rounding up ISA members for execution and equipping a private army with advanced weaponry that once more placed the
[33:38] This narrative beat incited the introduction of new weapons and enemy types who followed Raising the bar within the Killzone universe didn’t only apply to the campaign, multiplayer
[33:52] But instead of drawing inspiration from elsewhere, Killzone 3’s online crew looked inward to For instance, the beloved Clans system's return was made all the more satisfying with the
[34:05] Level events featured in Killzone 2’s DLC rejoined the fray as well, serving as user-triggered From the outside looking in, Guerrilla had amplified the technical marvel that was Killzone
[34:20] 2, then waded into uncharted waters to establish a new status quo for shooters on PS3. But whatever allure Killzone 3 wielded lasted only a short while. Nine months separated Killzone 3’s May 2010 reveal from its February 2011 release.
[34:37] Awe-inspiring visuals, bombastic gameplay, and fun multiplayer action propelled the shooter Though many deemed Killzone 2 the superior title, the third entry still managed to pull
[34:50] its weight in a market oversaturated with first-person military experiences. It faded to the background soon after launch, however, with third-party shooters Homefront and Crysis 2 stealing much of the attention that spring.
[35:03] Sales similarly tapered off early on, reflected in Killzone 3’s inability to achieve launch Nevertheless, the interstellar war between the Helghast and ISA waged on, playing host
[35:16] for marquee adventures on the next two iterations of PlayStation hardware. SCE Cambridge Studio, best known for MediEvil, merged with Guerrilla at the start of 2012.
[35:35] After adopting the Guerrilla Cambridge moniker, the outfit entered production on a Killzone project, utilizing its handheld bona fides to reimagine the Helghast and ISA conflict for Sony’s next-gen portable—the PlayStation Vita.
[35:49] A mission to “make the best portable first-person shooter ever” drove the incipient stages The team figured translating as much of the console experience as possible to handheld Killzone on Vita—subtitled Mercenary—thus, ran on a modified version of Killzone 3's
[36:08] engine, complete with mostly proprietary technology like the “custom-built node-based editor” used for “the filmic post-processing” effects. Art Director Tom Jones shared in a PocketGamer interview that Cambridge also repurposed and
[36:22] scaled down assets from Mercenary’s PS3 predecessor to better mimic the “gritty, immersive, high-fidelity world” players had come to expect from the series. Since Sony continuously positioned Killzone as its go-to showpiece for new hardware, the
[36:36] This line of thought likewise applied to Mercenary’s storytelling, though the Cambridge crew approached the interplanetary war from a perspective far removed from that of the ISA or Helghast.
[36:49] As opposed to defending the cause of one group, players assumed the role of a mercenary assigned The concept spawned from an interest in exploring the “narrative relationship” between the
[37:01] two factions, specifically that which demonstrated nuances running deeper than “good guys versus In the boots of an unbiased, gun-for-hire, Killzone fans witnessed how each group willingly partook in “horrendous actions” for the sake of their respective causes.
[37:17] The mercenary motif introduced new gameplay systems and mechanics, too, including the VAN-Guard, a wrist-mounted digital assistant that enabled the deployment of a drone and Notably, the game’s unified progression system across single-player and multiplayer
[37:34] perfectly complimented the mercenary concept, considering the cash-based rewards and the “action, reward, spend, new action, gameplay loop.” And that finely-tuned loop provided a solid template for the on-the-go adventure, such
[37:47] that Mercenary’s nine campaign missions were designed for longer sessions, while Cambridge styled challenge missions in the vein of bite-sized objectives users could jump into when traveling. The retooling of Killzone’s multiplayer for Vita required its own iterative process.
[38:03] Ultimately, the team concluded 4v4 competitive multiplayer offered the best way to play for Lead Designer Gareth Hughes told PocketGamer that on the technical side of things, Cambridge refused to “compromise visual fidelity” for a higher player count.
[38:18] On a practical level, supporting eight-person matches helped quickly fill lobbies. Developers maintained that concessions along these lines weren’t the fault of the handheld’s On the contrary, Hughes claimed Vita’s capabilities imposed no restrictions in terms of content
[38:35] ideas; however, plans for an asynchronous challenge mode and multiplayer bots did land Nonetheless, the experience that arrived in September 2013 appealed to FPS players far
[38:49] It even absorbed the attention of non-Killzone fans who’d been left disappointed after the Vita’s first year of availability delivered subpar first-person shooters from Call of The money system and on-point mechanics kept users engaged long after launch.
[39:05] Yet, stilted gameplay—caused by framerate drops and Vita’s cramped controls—prevented The campaign, which ran parallel to events in Killzone 1 and 2, didn’t stick the landing
[39:19] either, but players agreed the experience as a whole secured Mercenary’s place as Several weeks after the portable title hit stores, Guerrilla attempted to set the same precedent with a brand-new Killzone adventure for PS4.
[39:43] Guerrilla knew Killzone’s fourth console installment wouldn’t launch on PS3 and, thus, made a point to reinvigorate the series for new-generation hardware. Lead Designer Eric Boltjes noted in a PlayStation LifeStyle interview that PS4’s incredible
[39:57] processing power opened up new possibilities, therefore inspiring the near-future storyline set three decades after Killzone 3. Significantly moving the narrative forward called for a new hero and theme, all of which
[40:09] combined to enforce the idea that Killzone 4 as a title “felt out of place.” Consequently, Killzone: Shadow Fall became the only mainline entry with a subtitle attached.
[40:21] Shadow Fall fostered a status quo change on a deeper level, radically upsetting the balance of power between the Helghast and Vetkans, insofar as the Helghast had evolved and designated That the two rival factions cohabited the same metropolis exacerbated the generations-long
[40:38] tension, spilling over into a cold war that bordered on hot by the start of Shadow Fall. Further still, the game invoked Cold War-era Berlin with a vast wall dividing the city, which heightened the conflict to a degree requiring interference from Special Forces
[40:53] Casting players as Kellan to restore balance encouraged more gameplay depth but the PS4’s potential married with Guerrilla’s proprietary technology was what made newer advancements
[41:05] The studio leveraged every ounce of power it could from the console, culminating in Visuals no longer suffered at the hands of compromise either; choosing between prioritizing
[41:20] high-dynamic range lighting or well-executed particle effects had ceased hanging over the Plus, new ways to streamline production entered the mix, thanks to the ease of working on
[41:32] Procedurally generated assets altered how animations were handled, for example. As opposed to programmers generating high-level code, a lower-level system took charge and subsequently provided designers with more raw game data.
[41:47] This procedurally-driven workflow notably introduced a greater number of character looks Senior Technical Artist Daniele Antinolfi equated the process to starting with a “basic skeleton,” then adding the “procedural skeleton on top” to flesh out believable
[42:02] But in spite of PS4’s boosted CPU, the console had limits. Sony later sat on the defensive end of another deceptive marketing fiasco following confusion about what those limitations entailed for Shadow Fall’s online modes.
[42:47] The technological leap between PS3 and PS4 was considered a case of diminishing returns, especially when compared to the astronomical jump between PS2 and PS3. Regardless, interest in screen resolution dominated the discourse ahead of PS4 and Xbox
[43:03] Xbox One didn’t fare too well amid the contention, a result of certain titles running at 720p while PS4 supported the same games at 1080p.
[43:15] But even as a first-party project, Killzone: Shadow Fall’s technical prowess came with Guerrilla unveiled the shooter during the PS4 reveal event. Between Shadow Fall’s February 2013 announcement and subsequent November release, Sony and
[43:31] Co. proudly touted its graphical fidelity and performance; the newer Killzone prioritized Whereas Call of Duty: Ghosts prided itself on supporting 60 frames per second gameplay,
[43:45] Shadow Fall only reached the milestone in multiplayer on most occasions with the campaign Eric Boltjes explained that Guerrilla had no intention of sacrificing resolution and “certain visual effects” to favor performance; he surmised that, because of this, Killzone
[44:01] The framerate news ruffled feathers, yet the multiplayer’s inability to generate native Neither its status as a PS4 launch title nor the middling review scores would be what many
[44:15] Rather, its perception became marred by a “deceptive marketing” lawsuit filed within U.S. resident Douglas Ladore filed the suit in Northern District California court, claiming
[44:29] Sony misled consumers upon advertising native 1080p resolution for Shadow Fall. Case documents referenced a “technical shortcut” Guerrilla used to convey a high-def effect in multiplayer, a process the studio detailed months prior.
[44:43] Apparently, multiplayer taxed the PS4’s processor so heavily that employing a “temporal reprojection” technique was necessary to mimic the appearance of true HD. Ladore took umbrage with Sony advertising “full HD” for Shadow Fall on its website
[44:58] and retail packaging, and argued that players “complained of Killzone’s multiplayer Edelson PC, the firm that oversaw the Aliens: Colonial Marines lawsuit, represented the
[45:10] plaintiff who reportedly sought $5 million in damages. A U.S. District Judge dismissed the suit “with prejudice” in May 2015, after Ladore filed joint stipulation eliminating the need for the case to be heard in court.
[45:25] Shadow Fall ultimately moved on from the PR nightmare, free DLC holding the audience’s The future of the brand remains uncertain, though. Weeks before shipping the PS4 title, Eric Boltjes confirmed the outfit would pursue
[45:39] a new IP that fueled a desire to “branch out” and create “something completely Unbeknownst to fans, the Killzone maker had exchanged futuristic space wars for a future dystopia in which humankind lived primitively.
[45:54] Horizon’s critical and commercial success effectively saw the face of Guerrilla go from a gas mask with glowing red goggles to a young woman with flowing red hair overnight. And that much will likely remain the case for quite some time, considering Sony’s
[46:09] expansion of the Horizon property with VR, multiplayer, single-player, and television It would seem Guerrilla found its bread and butter in the third-person action space, an area of single-player storytelling that PlayStation all but cornered the market on during the
[46:24] However, quality first-person shooters have gone missing from PlayStation’s original offerings, leaving a gaping hole that only the likes of Killzone could readily fill. But the sour note that rang out with Shadow Fall begs the question of how soon will be
[46:40] too soon for PlayStation users to once again face off against the Helghast threat.