Painkiller Dev People Can Fly Leaves Epic Games

[Fanghawk]

Painkiller Dev People Can Fly Leaves Epic Games

Painkiller developer People Can Fly has amicably left Epic Games, taking the license for Bulletstorm with it.

People Can Fly is one developer that made an impression from the very start. In 2004 it unveiled <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/57-Painkiller>Painkiller, an action-packed FPS about fighting monsters across Hell and Purgatory. The team was eventually acquired by Epic Games where it helped create Bulletstorm and Gears of Wars: Judgement, and was <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129248-People-Can-Fly-Becomes-Epic-Games-Poland-Pitches-In-On-Fortnite>eventually renamed Epic Games Poland. Now the company has announced it's returning to its independent roots - People Can Fly just left Epic Games, returned to its original name, and even purchased the Bulletstorm IP as it left.

"We, as a People Can Fly team, are extremely excited about new possibilities ahead of us," studio director Sebastian Wojciechowski explained. "We're going to work on a new game, while continuing to partner with Epic and use UE4. We're grateful to Tim and the whole Epic team for our long and successful collaboration."

While the news is surprising, from all appearances it's an amicable parting of ways. "We've been honored to work with this brilliant group of programmers, artists and designers throughout their history," Epic founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said, "first as a partner using the Unreal Engine, then as a studio within Epic, and now once again as an independent company."

People Can Fly is working on a unannounced project, but considering it acquired Bulletstorm as it left, a sequel would be a likely candidate. We'll post new information as it develops.

Source: People Can Fly

Permalink

 

[fix-the-spade]

More Bulletstorm or Painkiller would certainly be appreciated, it's pretty unusual for devs to separate from their owners on such outwardly good terms.

I wish EA would consider just handing it's next acquisition the keys and letting them walk away...

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Does this mean we'll live to see the sequel? Bulletstorm was good and it ended with a cliffhanger. Not that I care very much for the story, I actually forgot what it was about. I just don't like it when things are unfinished.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Someone should photoshop that company logo to have bulletstorm in one hand and a bag of money in the other. It would be a noble act.

 

[Albino Boo]

More Bulletstorm or Painkiller would certainly be appreciated, it's pretty unusual for devs to separate from their owners on such outwardly good terms.

I wish EA would consider just handing it's next acquisition the keys and letting them walk away...

They didn't get the keys and walk away they paid money to buy it back.

 

[SecondPrize]

People Can Fly is working on a unannounced project, but considering it acquired Bulletstorm as it left, a sequel would be a likely candidate. We'll post new information as it develops.

Source: People Can Fly

Permalink

Hells yeah, I can feel my naughty vocabulary expanding right now.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

People can fly, and so must this developer! Painkiller TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Seriously, Painkiller is such an amazing game!

 

[lancar]

Sequel to Bulletstorm?
I'd play it.

Underappreciated gem, the first one was. It was probably the most fun I ever had in a shooter for 10 years.

 

[Worgen]

Oh I really hope they rip the games for windows live out of bullet storm and rerelease it.

 

[fix-the-spade]

They didn't get the keys and walk away they paid money to buy it back.

And after they paid they got the keys and walked away.

EA simply tells everyone they're moving to the new flavour of the month studio's project or to go find a new job, they don't even give themselves the opportunity to recoup a fraction of their losses. I bet founders and higher ups from companies like Pandemic and Westwood (particularly Westwood) would have had the capacity to buy back their companies had EA allowed them the opportunity. Even if they got ten percent of the original acquisition cost back, it's still more than the throw everything in the bin and never make another game with that IP again routine they're in now.

 

[Albino Boo]

They didn't get the keys and walk away they paid money to buy it back.

And after they paid they got the keys and walked away.

EA simply tells everyone they're moving to the new flavour of the month studio's project or to go find a new job, they don't even give themselves the opportunity to recoup a fraction of their losses. I bet founders and higher ups from companies like Pandemic and Westwood (particularly Westwood) would have had the capacity to buy back their companies had EA allowed them the opportunity. Even if they got ten percent of the original acquisition cost back, it's still more than the throw everything in the bin and never make another game with that IP again routine they're in now.

Or nobody wants to spend their own money on buying loss making business.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

This is the gaming equivalent of something escaping the event horizon of a black hole completely unscathed. We all thought it was impossible!

 

[Evonisia]

Good on 'em, and nice for acquiring Bulletstorm (even though I've yet to play the first one). I'm sure People Can Fly's input was the major reason Gears Judgment was as fluid and replayable (many more "gamey" aspects) as it was, so I wish them all the best after they helped make a game I love.

 

[Mikeybb]

All the best to them.

I'll be watching closely and hoping to snap up whatever they choose to do with the bulletstorm license.

I genuinely enjoyed that game, it had a spirit of fun about it.

 

[Shiftygiant]

They broke free of their shackles and can now fly!

 

[AstaresPanda]

guess they did not want to do endless Gears of War remakes and squeals. Good for them.

 

[Metalrocks]

surely would like a second bulletstorm game. this over the top crazy title was just hilariously entertaining that the story was about something. i know there was a story about this planet with very friendly mad max style mutated people and monsters and he wanted to kill this general for betraying his team.

so count me in. need more over the top crazy action games that are actually fun.

 

[BrownGaijin]

I am really don't know what to say short of RUN! RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!

Also I wonder what Yahtzee thinks of all this.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Cool. Please make Painkiller 2 and I will give you guys money. Or a new IP would be awesome too.