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Gearbox Readying WWII Shooter For UbiSoft?
Thanks to IGN PC for its news story discussing rumors that Halo PC and Half-Life add-on developer Gearbox Software is creating a World War II team-based shooter for publishers UbiSoft. The piece points to the WarStory.net webpage, which is trailing a Gearbox product with screenshots and quotes, and IGN PC claims that: "According to several sources in the know, it's temporarily called Baker's Dozen", although "the name isn't finalized just yet" - an official announcement is expected in the next few weeks.
No, but you are probably in a small minority (including me, of course).
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, though I'm not yet sure about the universe. - A Einstein
The key draw of the second world war is:
. timelessly, irrefutably 'bad' guys. (Perhaps the Japanese could have a partial beef with that, but after the Rape of Nan-King, I doubt many would agree.)
. Widely accepted to be a war entered for a just cause by the West.
. Near enough to present time to have involved fairly familiar technology. (no-one was marching in rows as in WWI and before, or picking targets with a GPS device as in Kuwait and after)
. far enough away from present time so that the entire experience wasn't dominated by air power (air combat is less personal, less dramatic).
. high number of drafted soldiers and fairly tense and desperate combat situations gives plenty of opportunities for solid dramatic stories.
. plenty of action in a variety of settings (land/sea/air - forest/pasture/desert - etc.)
. Very few political cockups at the outcome that could inflame sensibilities.
(Much of the tension in the middle east is due to League of Nations' Mandates granted to, and screwed-up by France and Britain following World-War I. Iraq and Israel/Palestine were notable 'creations' from that era that were later abandoned to much chaos.)
and the biggest one:
. Tons of old-media sources to plunder for ideas.
Given the working title 'Baker's Dozen' - One's forced to assume this will be a stab at 1967's Dirty Dozen.
That story revolved around a US officer given 12 convicted murders to train (during WWII of course), for a mission to assassinate a host of German Officers.
Sounds like a solid video game premise to me.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
No need to wait a few weeks. Gearbox is having their 5th Year Anniversary Party in Dallas this Saturday. They'll make the announcement then. Just got my invitation in my inbox the other day.