Ex-Bungie Dev, Christian Allen, Confirms Killzone 2 Can Be Done On Xbox360
Christian Allen, an Ex-Bungie Dev, was nice enough to sit down and talk with our very own HipHopGamer at GDC ‘09 about the issues that matter the most to you, the gamer.
Q. What Company would you like to be apart of now that your independent?
You know, the biggest thing for me is looking at the teams I would be working with, making sure that I am a fit with them and they are a fit with me. I want to make kick ass games with folks that are kick ass. I have a family now and a daughter, so I have to make sure that where I end up is a team that is fucking awesome but still knows how to deal with developers that have families. I think as an industry we are growing that way. I loved working 80+ hours a week on GR2, but now that I have a daughter, I have to figure out how to balance game development with family development.
Q. What system got you into gaming?
I definitely started on PC, both with gaming and with modding, which is what really got me started. But when I got hired with Red Storm, they told me I would be working on Xbox games, so I picked up an Xbox controller and dived in; my first Xbox game was Splinter Cell. It totally kicked my ass! But since then I’ve fallen in love with the Xbox and 360 platform, it’s how I roll now. Except for RTS games, I pretty much play 360 exclusively.
Q. What are your impressions of On-Live?
I definitely think that digital distribution is the future, and Onlive promises to really deliver on that promise. If Onlive delivers on that promise, then they could really be the platform of the future, but I think that Xbox Marketplace will give them a run for their money!
Q. After working on the 360 hardware can killzone 2 be done on that platform?
Oh yeah, Killzone 2 could totally be done on 360 if Guerilla wanted to. The tech is there, if the team and the publishers were motivated, they could do it, just like Halo could come to PS3 if MS didn’t own it. It really comes down to console exclusivity. The tech differences between the PS3 and the 360 aren’t all that much; it’s really about the delivery of content.
Q. Is Working on the PS3 as difficult as some may say?
From my experience tangentially with PS3, it was more difficult than 360 in the past, but from what I have heard this has greatly improved recently. My experience has definitely pointed me to the 360, as that is what I’ve worked on and that is what I know; but I wouldn’t shy away from a PS3 game now.
Q. What are some of your E3′09 Predictions?
What I really hope is that the E3 of 2009 returns to the sweetness of E3 past. E3 has always held a special place in that it really brought out industry to the mainstream through spectacle and a certain wow factor. I hope it returns to its former glory, and lets the mainstream know how extraordinarily fucking awesome our industry really is.
As far as games, without going into details, I think you are going to see some initiatives across all platforms to see more interconnectivity and bridging the gap between hardcore gamers and our more casual brethren.
Q. What kind of game does christian allen want to make?
You know, recently I’ve really been appreciating the genre bending FPS’s; like Bioshock and Fallout 3. Combining different genres with FPS’s has always interested me. That being said, I’ve also appreciated the purity of design of the games that have been coming out of developers like Valve. And really, what Designer wouldn’t want to make a fucking sick zombie game (but I have to roll with slow zombies, that’s the real shit). You never really know what I might come up with next!
Q. What is your favorite genre of games?
It’s really a mix between First Person Shooters and Real Time Strategy games. I love them both. And I’d love to see them mixed together in a real AAA title!
Q. How has the industry changed for you in the past 10 years?
I think we have seen a larger appreciation for the more the more casual gamer. It’s not just about the hardcore shooter fan anymore. It’s about how can I play with my wife; how can I play with my daughter; HELL, how can we all play together!?! It’s not just about the 18-34 male demographic anymore. It’s about how we can draw everyone into games.
On the development side, it’s really about how we can make fucking awesome AAA games and still maintain a work-life balance. How can we ship sweet titles without burning developers out? We have to have a sustainable development atmosphere if we really want to keep up putting out rocking titles. The old standard of developers working an average of 3 years just isn’t sustainable any more.
Q. What advice can you give game developers that’s trying to get a job?
Stand out from the crowd! Do your own thing. Don’t just go with what your teachers or what the websites tell you. If you don’t stand out, you will fail. Continue to kick ass in your own way, no matter what your discipline is. Buck the standard! That is the only way to stand out from the crowd.
Q. Any Shouts Outs you want to make?
Yeah, I got a few. My love to the folks at RSE for giving me the opportunity to break in, I will love you guys forever, and if I could uproot your studio and move it somewhere else I’d be there forever. Bungie, you have some of the most talented people I have ever worked with, you will continue to rock the world for years to come. And of course, my wife and daughter; without you I wouldn’t even be doing this, you motivate me every single day to kick ass in games and never settle for what’s easy.
Q. Is Alan Wake Coming This Year?
You got me on that one. I have no idea when it is coming out. I haven’t seen a lot on it, but from what I have seen, it’s really exciting!
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