Guess who LOVES reading job ads? Absolutely right: videogames journalists! No, that's not because we're all permanently dissatisfied with our lots and/or on the brink of getting fired for half-inching whiskey from the office medicine cabinet, though both those things are certainly true. It's because makers of videogames often mention their forthcoming projects in job ads, and we do so love forthcoming projects.
There's been a rash of revelations this month, many by way of noted industry Serious Thinkings website Gamasutra, some emblazoned with that magic label "next gen". It's important not to overstate the implications of this - right now, designing a game which isn't at least capable of delivering an encore on Xbox 720 or PS4 seems rather silly, and "next gen", don't forget, is basically another word for "high end PC". Chances are many of the ostensibly current generation games you're looking forward to are, in fact, next gen games in waiting. Still, we thought you'd like to hear about certain bigger-name discoveries - add them to this list of secret Xbox projects.
Harmonix
The company behind Guitar Hero and an undivulged story-driven Kinect game has other, less musical projects on the boil. It's hiring for a combat designer "to create real-time, single-player combat experiences for a brand new IP on next-generation hardware". In case the foregoing sentence leaves you in any doubt, said project is "unlike anything Harmonix has ever done before". There's also a vacancy for a software engineer who will build "immersive gameplay systems" that "take advantage of the power of next-generation hardware".
Bethesda
Besides that explicitly-badged future generation console programmer position we wrote about the other month, Bethesda needs programmers "to work on cutting-edge technology for an unannounced game on future-generation consoles.programmer". Rather excitably, the new game will "push the bleeding-edge of RPG development for the PC and future-generation consoles". Elder Scrolls 6, then? Or maybe Fallout 4?
1 comments so far...
Bezza89 on 17 Sep '12 said:
Just Cause 3 would be great on next gen, maybe they'll actually have more than 4 textures for the ground and buildings. It's worth noting people hated GTAIVs driving, which I thought represented pretty realistic damage modelling, physics and style. Anything is better than what JC 1 and 2 had for driving though, I used all forms of transport other than the cars and bikes.
I reckon the current gen avalanche will be renegade ops 2.