Devs: Cost Of Making PS4 Games "Not As Scary" As You Think

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One of the biggest concerns about the next generation is the cost required to make new software. But as it turns out, the more accessible PS4 hardware means creating next-gen experiences won't necessarily break the bank.

Gamasutra asked three major developers how much more expensive it is to work on games for the PS4 in comparison to the PS3. Their answers were quite encouraging; check out what Guerrilla Games boss Herman Hulst had to say. As you know, they'll be bringing us the amazing-looking Killzone: Shadow Fall.

"I can very simply share with you that when we did Killzone 2 and 3, we probably maxed out with a team size of 125. We have 150 now, so it's marginally bigger. This is about a two-and-a-half year development cycle, which is roughly similar. It includes a hardware transition, so that explains potentially the six months of extra time.

It's actually quite comparable. But if you look at the scale of what we're doing and the detail in not just the assets but the more believable detailed animation and things like that, the effects, I think a lot of the effort has gone into tools. Making sure we can develop smart. We've also learned a thing or two in previous installments on the PlayStation 3. So it's not, in terms of the cost, it's not as scary as maybe some people have led you to believe."

Matt Southern from Evolution Studios, the team working on the really promising DriveClub added that in fact, the size of their team didn't have to expand much. "It was a very small incremental increase," he said. Creative director Jonathan Morin at Ubisoft Montreal, the developer that is creating Watch Dogs, said you can "measure the level of experience of a studio by looking at their tools." He didn't specifically cite exorbitant costs.

It seems like there's a lot of positive news surrounding the PS4, doesn't it?

Tags: ps4, playstation 4, ps4 games, ps4 developers

2/21/2013 10:29:38 PM Ben Dutka

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