ARE DEVELOPMENT COSTS GOING TO RISE SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THE PS4?
Avalanche CTO and co-founder Linus Blomberg
"Not necessarily, it depends entirely on what game you're making. The PS4 opens upindies and smaller developers to a whole different level than the PS3. But it also raises the bar of what a mega blockbuster can be, and I'm sure there'll be some new records in terms of development budgets.
"As an open-world developer however, there's tons of exciting potential to create epic experiences that are more cost-effective due to the scalable nature of procedural technology, things that we have been forced to hold back on with previous generations."
Climax Studios CEO Simon Gardner
"It will really depend on the game, but a lot of source assets are created to much higher fidelity anyway, so this might not have the impact that you would expect.
"There is also the issue of the cost of games that the market will stand, and I think with the demise of several publishers last year, it is clear that in many cases we have already reached that. I do think there will be a much greater mix of types of games on the PS4, which will allow more experimentation, innovation and business models."
Lucid Games founder Nick Davies
"I think developers have kind of tiered off, and so there are already developers that have got 200-to-300 people on a project so I doubt that is going to ramp up signifcantly.
"It looks like Sony want to be more open with indie developers, so there's certainly scope, especially with digital downloads, for small teams to do clever things with all of the clever technology. So I think some people will spend more, some people will spend the same.
"I think costs will naturally go up with the bigger developers, but I think if you're smart, if your tools are good, if you've got a good design that compliments your team and the platform, then you can keep costs manageable."
