It’s interesting to see all these rumours about next gen consoles, especially when so many developers have current gen releases planned for 2019 and beyond. Will the PlayStation 5 really release by 2019 end, much less Spring 2020? Will Xbox Scarlett or whatever it ends up being called receive more details at E3 2019?
We’re not sure at this point. However, Close to the Sun by developer Storm in a Teacup is one such game that will be releasing in Q1 2019. A survival horror title developed using the Unreal Engine 4, it will be releasing for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. GamingBolt recently spoke to the studio’s CEO and artistic director Carlo Ivo Alimo Bianchi about the upcoming next generation of consoles, and expectations from a development perspective for the next PlayStation and Xbox.
Bianchi stated, “I honestly have no expectations beyond the obvious; more processing power, more and faster RAM. The problem is, the business is already tough – players always want more, year after year. Adding more processing power helps to untie a developer’s hands a little bit if that make sense, but the down side to that is doing so requires an even bigger budget.”
Though having more power and creating larger games is all well and good, when it comes to advancing the medium, there’s no guarantee that players will get everything. Bianchi states, “As a result, more power is nice, but it doesn’t necessarily make our lives any easier – indeed, it risks players being promised something only the biggest of studios can deliver, if that isn’t already the case.
“When I was working in the movie industry we had a saying: ‘The more power you give us, the more we will make things fancier and, in the end, the more it will cost you’. What a beautiful but stressful world we live in, haha.”
Given the number of studio closures that have taken place this year and how more games are embracing the games-as-a-service model, it really does make you think. What are your thoughts on what the next generation holds? Let us know in the comments. Stay tuned for our full interview soon.
