Machine For Pigs Developer Takes Rapture To PS4

[Karloff]

Machine For Pigs Developer Takes Rapture To PS4


There isn't the cash or expertise on hand to make it otherwise, and Kickstarter wasn't an option.

Dan Pinchbeck's thechineseroom [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/10456-Youre-at-the-Heart-of-A-Machine-For-Pigs], the team behind upcoming horror title Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, has been working on Everybody's Gone To the Rapture - the story that begins with the end of the world - for a while now, and PC gamers had every reason to believe it'd be coming to their device of choice. After all Dear Esther, thechineseroom's breakaway hit, had earned all its plaudits on the PC, and the team has a loyal PC gamer fanbase. But, says Pinchbeck, there was no choice. There just wasn't the cash or programming expertise on hand to make the game he wanted to make, so he turned to Sony, and the result is that Rapture will be a PS4 exclusive.

"Long dark night of the soul mulling over implications of shifting across to console," says Pinchbeck but, in the end, "mix of pragmatism and excitement about the possibilities win out." Kickstarter and a public alpha were considered, but rejected on the grounds that there probably wasn't enough money to be had that way to make the game work. It would have been heartrending to put it out on a crowdfunder and not get the funding goal. It's not as if thechineseroom will never work on a PC title again, but Pinchbeck feels enough of us are multi platform gamers that making his Rapture a PS4 exclusive isn't the end of the world. So to speak. "And without sounding like a bought man," says Pinchbeck, "the PS4 is genuinely a really, really cool platform, and if people have never bought into console gaming before, now is the time."

No word on a launch date, but the PS4 itself isn't due until November 2013. Sometime after that thechineseroom's latest will launch, and when it does, expect a loud bang, followed by silence. Those Loops can be finicky beasts, after all.

Source: RockPaperShotgun [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/08/22/dear-esther-devs-rapture-no-longer-coming-to-pc/#more-165578]


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[klaynexas3]

Umm...Adam? November 15, 2013. Confirmed launch date of the PS4. This site has even discussed it, it's not some obscure fact, that's just common knowledge now.

EDIT: Just realized you probably meant launch date of Rapture, my mistake then. Don't mind me.

 

[RicoADF]

I've never heard of this game but it looks interesting, glad I'm getting a PS4 If they get enough sales it's always possible they could release on PC later on like other games made under the Sony system.

 

[Andy Chalk]

I want to be angry about this, but I just can't bring myself to it. All I can manage is disappointment and a sense of resignation. Loved Dear Esther, paid full price for it, paid full price for the soundtrack when it came out, and now this is out of reach because someone showed TCR the money. Can't blame them for following it, I suppose, but it's a letdown.

 

[Karloff]

Umm...Adam? November 15, 2013. Confirmed launch date of the PS4. This site has even discussed it, it's not some obscure fact, that's just common knowledge now.

EDIT: Just realized you probably meant launch date of Rapture, my mistake then. Don't mind me.

No worries.

There are two different PS4 launch dates depending on exactly where you happen to be; the 15th is North America. When that happens, I tend to just say the month of release, rather than the specific day. But that's just me.

 

[Karoshi]

While it is a shame, I understand their decision. At least they will keep making games and eventually come back to PC.

Besides, I was going to get myself a PS4 eventually.

 

[Zhukov]

I want to be angry about this, but I just can't bring myself to it. All I can manage is disappointment and a sense of resignation. Loved Dear Esther, paid full price for it, paid full price for the soundtrack when it came out, and now this is out of reach because someone showed TCR the money. Can't blame them for following it, I suppose, but it's a letdown.

I do not understand this attitude.

PC gamers bought their game, so they are somehow obliged to develop for our platform of choice in the future? I thought buying a game bought you, y'know... a game. Not undying devotion.

At least you're not yelling "BETRAYAL" to the heavens, but I sense the same sentiment there nonetheless.

Just came from reading this sort of thing in the Youtube comments on the trailer. Wasn't expecting to see it here too.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Did anyone else think of Bioshock when they saw the title?

I loved Dear Esther an awful lot and I'm planning on getting a PS4 at some point so this is a win win for me.

 

[FloodOne]

I want to be angry about this, but I just can't bring myself to it. All I can manage is disappointment and a sense of resignation. Loved Dear Esther, paid full price for it, paid full price for the soundtrack when it came out, and now this is out of reach because someone showed TCR the money. Can't blame them for following it, I suppose, but it's a letdown.

Out of reach? Shouldn't your job dictate that you own every major gaming platform?

OT- Doesn't bother me, I never played Dear Esther, and I probably won't play this either.

 

[Amnesiac Pigeon]

Well this is a shame. Really liked Dear Esther on PC.

Then again, Sony has shown time after time that willing to put money behind these unique games. So it will probably end up better for it.

Good job I'm planning to get a PS4 anyway.

 

[nathan-dts]

I want to be angry about this, but I just can't bring myself to it. All I can manage is disappointment and a sense of resignation. Loved Dear Esther, paid full price for it, paid full price for the soundtrack when it came out, and now this is out of reach because someone showed TCR the money. Can't blame them for following it, I suppose, but it's a letdown.

It's not just the case of them being shown money, though. They'd have to downsize their ambitions if they chose to stay without a publisher.

 

[Toadfish1]

Interesting. So in many ways, this is an example similar to Bayonetta 2, where an established developer will take their wares to a console they don't have a presence on because thats the only way their game could be made.

I'll await the people saying that "Sony don't deserve this", and "the devs have lost all credibility".

 

[weirdee]

well, i hope it was worth it

i'm more disappointed in consoles than i am of developers

 

[WWmelb]

I want to be angry about this, but I just can't bring myself to it. All I can manage is disappointment and a sense of resignation. Loved Dear Esther, paid full price for it, paid full price for the soundtrack when it came out, and now this is out of reach because someone showed TCR the money. Can't blame them for following it, I suppose, but it's a letdown.

There is nothing to even WANT to be angry about here. Disappointed is fine, but you can't blame them for chasing money and ditching the PC gamer crowd.

If they didn't go with sony, and the PS4, NOONE likely would have got to play it, and the game may have been scrapped for good. How would that be a win.

The best way to go about your disappointment would be to be disappointed in the industry; in the fact that the only people willing to take a chance on publishing this game were Sony. There are a bunch of publishers who COULD have picked this up for PC release, but they didn't. So... hardly their fault.

It's a really sad day when the journalists are coming across as PC elitists with bias against consoles. You may not be, and i may be reading more into it, but it is how it comes across. And i know you are a really good writer, so it makes it difficult to believe i'm taking it the wrong way.

Just my two cents, nothing personal.

On topic: I'll pick this up for PS4 when i get the chance. Dear Esther wasn't really my thing, but i appreciated it for what it was. I may have just been in the wrong frame of mind when i was going through it.