Considering the scope and linear approach of the game, Unreal 4 seemed like the ideal fit. Since they’re a relatively small studio, we were surprised to hear that Asobo would be using a custom, in-house engine to develop A Plague Tale. Without further ado, here’s our technical deep dive into what makes A Plague Tale tick.Įngine: Building on Asobo’s Earlier Work? The tech behind A Plague Tale is a big part of the story of how it looks and feels so distinctive.
It’s received almost universal praise for the narrative and of the world Asobo has crafted. But we’re equally impressed with Asobo Studio’s technical finesse- A Plague Tale is powered by an in-house engine that, among other things, allows for over 5000 rats to be rendered onscreen at once. We’re fans of the game’s semi-historical coming-of-age tale and of its rich environmental storytelling. A Plague Tale: Innocence, with its 10-hour completion time, heavy emphasis on character development, and its constrained, yet lavish visual presentation is a perfect example. Starting with 2016’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, we’ve seen a small but sizeable number of mid-scale games with better-than-indie production values, that’ve placed a greater emphasis on narrative, setting, and atmosphere. But while AAA mainstream studios are going through something of a narrative dry spell, midsize “AA” production houses have taken the lead.
The post- Witcher 3 era is a sad, sad time to be in if you’re interested in deep narrative experiences with characters you actually care about. The whole discussion about lootboxes and microtransactions has left the community and, has even become the subject of legislation in some jurisdictions. Narrative has been left at the wayside in favour of “shared experiences.” Anthem, Bioware’s latest, plays like an MMO with half a Bioware RPG careless slapped on. As we await Assassin’s Creed 10 and Call of Duty 16(!), there’s the uncomfortable realization that bigger developers are becoming more and more risk averse, much more interested in extracting their return on investment than actually crafting meaningful gaming experiences. IO Interactive notes that it will provide more information about the game’s supported platforms and technical specifications before the start of Year 2 on January 20th, 2022.AAA development has fallen into something of a rut these past few years. Hitman 3 VR is coming to PC in January 2022, but details still remain sparse.
In addition, IO Interactive is adding a series of new maps, storylines, and modes next year, along with the permanent addition of Elusive Target Arcade mode and support for ray-tracing on PC. The experience already looks more immersive than the PSVR version, which only supports the DualShock 4 gamepad and its limited motion controls - this means you can’t even use the more intuitive Move controllers with it.Īside from Hitman 3 VR arriving on PC, IO Interactive also announced that the game has officially hit 50 million players, making it the most popular Hitman game in the series. The accompanying “Year 2” video briefly shows Hitman 3 VR played with both an Oculus Rift S and Valve Index. One of the most significant updates is VR support for PC, as the VR version of the game was exclusive to PlayStation VR when it first came out. Prepare for new maps, new storylines, new modes and new ways to play.
We're excited to announce that HITMAN 3 - Year 2 starts on 20 January 2022.