US Army Funds Military Games Development Studio
American military to invade games industry?
Shot from Shellshock: 'Nam '67
Military based games have always been popular, but it’s only recently that sufficiently powerful graphics technology has been available to realistically recreate the horrific scenes of war. The Medal of Honor series, Battlefield and Eidos’ upcoming Shellshock: Nam ’67 are all notable examples of developers going to great lengths to perfect each sinister detail.
This trend has now reached its pinnacle with the announcement today that the US Army is setting up its own specialist videogame studio. After 3.4 million gamers registered to play the military’s previous recruitment-based title ‘America’s Army’, it’s not an entirely unprecedented move.
The new studio is headed up by former Red Storm Entertainment developer, Jerry Heneghan, as well as staff from Interactive Magic, Timeline, Vertis, SouthPeak Interactive and Vicious Cycle Software.
Output is expected to be training material rather than commercial projects, but the work done is sure to influence mainstream games that have a hardcore military focus. The studio has been set up next to Fort Bragg, specifically so that the team can research contemporary military equipment right down to each bloodstained nut and bolt. America’s Army: Overmatch is currently in development, so the general public will be able to gauge these soldier simulating skills for themselves come March 2005.
Presenting a serious military training tool as a means of entertainment is a slightly disconcerting idea, but no doubt future ‘games’ from the new studio will be impressive in their own way, not least because of the enormous financial resources made available to them. Although Heneghan has declined to reveal precisely the extent of funding, it is sure to exceed that of standard commercial studios.
This trend has now reached its pinnacle with the announcement today that the US Army is setting up its own specialist videogame studio. After 3.4 million gamers registered to play the military’s previous recruitment-based title ‘America’s Army’, it’s not an entirely unprecedented move.
The new studio is headed up by former Red Storm Entertainment developer, Jerry Heneghan, as well as staff from Interactive Magic, Timeline, Vertis, SouthPeak Interactive and Vicious Cycle Software.
Output is expected to be training material rather than commercial projects, but the work done is sure to influence mainstream games that have a hardcore military focus. The studio has been set up next to Fort Bragg, specifically so that the team can research contemporary military equipment right down to each bloodstained nut and bolt. America’s Army: Overmatch is currently in development, so the general public will be able to gauge these soldier simulating skills for themselves come March 2005.
Presenting a serious military training tool as a means of entertainment is a slightly disconcerting idea, but no doubt future ‘games’ from the new studio will be impressive in their own way, not least because of the enormous financial resources made available to them. Although Heneghan has declined to reveal precisely the extent of funding, it is sure to exceed that of standard commercial studios.
People:
Jerry Heneghan
Comments
mrnull 21 Jun 2004 22:05
1/1
I'm not sure why, but I'm scared.
It still seems like a strange move for the US army to move off the training fields and onto the XBOX (I meant PC..) I'm sure that some commercial product will emerge out of this, at the very least in a Full Spectrum Warrior sort of way.
What better way to psyche-up the nation's youth into joining the service than to develop videogames for them? This may sound silly, but I never DL'd the Army's last game. I figure you give them your information when you register for download and bam: A 2-week regin on their leaderboards lands you in bootcamp.
Of course I've always been paranoid! Damn drugs and X-Files.
It still seems like a strange move for the US army to move off the training fields and onto the XBOX (I meant PC..) I'm sure that some commercial product will emerge out of this, at the very least in a Full Spectrum Warrior sort of way.
What better way to psyche-up the nation's youth into joining the service than to develop videogames for them? This may sound silly, but I never DL'd the Army's last game. I figure you give them your information when you register for download and bam: A 2-week regin on their leaderboards lands you in bootcamp.
Of course I've always been paranoid! Damn drugs and X-Files.