26 Jul, 2011
Take a look at the biggest upcoming titles, and there’s one thing in common. Many of them aren’t original IPs. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, BioShock Infinite, and Mass Effect 3 are just some of the really big ones. They all expand on existent franchises that have grown to be loved in fans’ hearts.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Shadows of the Damned didn’t garner the attention that it should have been given. Sure, not a lot of us were completely in love with protagonist Garcia Hotspur’s anatomical jokes, but the gameplay itself and the quirkiness of it all lent itself to a great time in Hell. Who can say no to a moving sushi lamp and an eyeball that drops a steaming deuce on the sidewalk like it didn’t have a damn in the world?
Well okay, a lot of us were actually able to say no. Shadows of the Damned has so far sold below expectations, but Game Director Massimo Guarini said it was to be expected. He was just hoping for a little more. “We knew we were creating a niche targeting a specific market,” said Guarini in an interview with GameSpot. “However, I definitely expected to see bigger figures than the ones I can see now.”
What's up, Predator?
Since the release of Shadows, Guarini has announced that he’ll be departing Grasshopper’s company. It had nothing to do with the poor sales of the game, but rather it was a choice of finding happiness within both job and family. “…I would like to take this occasion to confirm I’m still in very good relationships with both Grasshopper and Electronic Arts,” said Guarini. “Leaving Grasshopper has just been a consequence of some events and private reasons that led me and my family to consider moving back to our country.”
He’s not leaving for a bad reason though. Guarini has his eyes set on a new company of his own, called Ovosonico. Here, Guarini hopes to work on games, but also wishes to tap into other media outlets such as the music and movie-making industries. He hopes that in the future all of these can be combined to make one giant awesome ball of entertainment. “Making games is good, but creating real entertainment brands is even better, both in terms of revenue and creative expression,” said Guarini. “Ovosonico is definitely not the typical game development studio you would expect to see. I’d rather say it’s what every game studio should become in the [near] future in order to stay in the business. It might sound like a bold statement, but we truly see this happening in front of our eyes.”
With game soundtracks being nominated for awards, invitations to movie festivals, and comic book publications, we’re already seeing video games making the leap into other parts of the entertainment industry. Guarini might be on to something here. Perhaps we’ll see more of the craziness that was introduced in Shadows of the Damned, or more great and original games coming out of Ovosonico. Don’t expect the poor performance of Shadows to dampen Guarini’s spirits. “…the ability of launching new intellectual properties will actually be the industry of tomorrow,” said Guarini. “There is no market in the world that I am aware of that can survive without the constant injection of fresh, new products.”
Say hello to my reall, really big Johnson.
Many could also argue that Shadows of the Damned signed its own death warrant by not providing any multiplayer support. Guarini won’t be jumping on that bandwagon any time soon, saying that single player games are “nowhere close to being doomed.” “The problem rather lies in how they’re produced, through which channels they’re sold, and at which price points,” he continued. “I can’t see in any way a single-player experience being less engaging or interesting because of the absence of multiplayer. Instead, I can definitely see how players who pay 60 or 70 bucks for a game can be quite sensitive to the lack of additional features that can justify their investment.”
If Guarini can keep his quirky attitude and that vision strong, then we have no doubts that he will be producing some stellar stuff in the future. While many chose to ignore Shadows of the Damned, they have no idea what kind of hot ride they’re missing out on.
Want to know more about Shadows of the Damned? Check out our review and make the call for yourself.
Shadows of the Damned is now available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Via GameSpot.
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