Sucker Punch: inFamous Was Not a Great Game
Producer moves to explain the superhero game's curious position.
Sucker Punch producer Brian Fleming has offered some unique reasoning behind inFAMOUS' curious underrated status - it's because he feels the game simply wasn't good enough although it was an 'OK game'.
In an interview with SPOnG, the producer noted that the sandbox superhero game was critically acclaimed and earned a cult following, but failed to generate the same blockbuster sales that one would expect of a console exclusive of its calibre.
"I don’t think we did ourselves any favours on the first game," Fleming said. "Launching a new game takes a lot of time, and a lot of people, especially when you think of a worldwide launch. In that setting, I just don’t think inFAMOUS 1 was a great game a year before it shipped. It really wasn’t.
"And it wasn’t even really a great game six months before it shipped. We didn’t do ourselves any favours because showcasing the game was hard. And it was hard because the game wasn’t ready enough to get people excited about what inFAMOUS could be.
"It did turn out to be an okay game, we did a pretty good job on it, but because that curve was so steep at the end, I think it was a little surprising for a lot of people. We have to take the blame for that, we can’t sit around and say, ‘Oh, it didn’t get support.’ We have to say, ‘Yeah, it’s our fault it didn’t get support.’ "
Things have turned out okay for inFAMOUS 2 however, as the studio was able to better organise its development cycle to focus on key improvements that proved its worth to press and consumers alike, according to Fleming. Particularly publisher Sony - "it allowed [SCEA] to believe that we could further extend and even build on the success of the last game, and that it wasn’t just going to be more levels."
Stay tuned for the full interview tomorrow on SPOnG.
In an interview with SPOnG, the producer noted that the sandbox superhero game was critically acclaimed and earned a cult following, but failed to generate the same blockbuster sales that one would expect of a console exclusive of its calibre.
"I don’t think we did ourselves any favours on the first game," Fleming said. "Launching a new game takes a lot of time, and a lot of people, especially when you think of a worldwide launch. In that setting, I just don’t think inFAMOUS 1 was a great game a year before it shipped. It really wasn’t.
"And it wasn’t even really a great game six months before it shipped. We didn’t do ourselves any favours because showcasing the game was hard. And it was hard because the game wasn’t ready enough to get people excited about what inFAMOUS could be.
"It did turn out to be an okay game, we did a pretty good job on it, but because that curve was so steep at the end, I think it was a little surprising for a lot of people. We have to take the blame for that, we can’t sit around and say, ‘Oh, it didn’t get support.’ We have to say, ‘Yeah, it’s our fault it didn’t get support.’ "
Things have turned out okay for inFAMOUS 2 however, as the studio was able to better organise its development cycle to focus on key improvements that proved its worth to press and consumers alike, according to Fleming. Particularly publisher Sony - "it allowed [SCEA] to believe that we could further extend and even build on the success of the last game, and that it wasn’t just going to be more levels."
Stay tuned for the full interview tomorrow on SPOnG.
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Comments
Gamer88 3 May 2011 18:46
1/8
I thought it was great. Just completed it again for the 5th time, getting the Platinum Trophy in the process. Can't wait for number 2!!
Henry 3 May 2011 20:41
2/8
I thought it was pretty great as well... One of my favorites of this gen as a matter of fact. I understand what he's saying though, it could have been better polished. But the core of the game was so awesome, I didn't care.
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Jakey Bee 4 May 2011 00:37
3/8
Stop being modest you douche. I loved this game. I played this game while I was recovering from an accident in which a pole went through my chest. I nearly died. And this game was f**king excellent.
Angh 4 May 2011 02:45
4/8
Same here. One of the best games this generation. Im not big fan of sandboxes, but this game was just excellent, so I didn't care. One of the really few games I've maxed out. Cant wait for sequel.
Cfan 4 May 2011 07:21
5/8
@Jakey Bee, that pole must of got in the way of the controller?
TimSpong 4 May 2011 07:57
6/8
Got to be said that although the first one was my game of the last few years, it's a fairly obvious sales tactic to say that the new one is going to be better. Lowering expectations by saying that the original wasn't 'great' is a part of that marketing message.
Cheers
Tim
Cheers
Tim
John 4 May 2011 14:16
7/8
Damn right it wasn't a good game! And I seriously doubt part 2 will be any better! I thought the powers were corny! The coolest things were being able to jump down from any height and be able to 'surf' power lines! That was awesome!
Shane 28 Jun 2011 23:45
8/8
F**K INFAMOUS IT IS SOOOOOOOOOO NOT WORTH THE $$