Here Is Why Darksiders 2 Does Not Run At 60fps On PS4/Xbox One, Would Have Caused Drop In Resolution

Design director John Pearl talks about some of the major engine changes that would have been required.

Posted By | On 13th, Nov. 2015

Darksiders 2 Deathinitive Edition

Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition is out now for PS4 and Xbox One and it’s a surprisingly strong remaster of the three year old action adventure title. One question remained though – given the technology on hand, why didn’t developer Gunfire Games go with 60 FPS? The original game ran at 30 FPS and there’s clearly enough power on the current gen to handle a higher frame rate.

GamingBolt spoke to design director John Pearl about the same and he noted that, “When we started out, we looked at what it would take to achieve 60 FPS but we knew it would be a very challenging undertaking. It sounds easy especially as other games have achieved it but it really depends on how the game was built and how versatile the engine is on console. In the end we would have had to re-do some levels from scratch to achieve 60 FPS. Some areas in the game currently run well over 60fps while others run at 30fps. Running the game unlocked allowing the max frame rate would end up resulting in a lot screen tearing and an overall poor experience for the players.”

It was also dependent on the original engine the game was running at. “Additionally, to get an engine running at a solid 60fps on consoles it has to be a goal when creating the engine and the assets or at least a lot of serious work has to be put into it to get it running at 60fps. The engine that both of the Darksiders games run on were not optimized to run at 60fps on console nor was the data optimized for that. There would have had to have been major overhauls to the way things were rendered at the core of the engine and some major changes to some of the visuals. There are technical cheats out there that would allow the game to run at 60 fps at the cost of a variable resolution. We decided a locked 1080p at 30fps was more important to us than the 60fps with major drops in resolution.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a developer for this – it’s just that we’re so used to most remasters trying to hit 60 FPS and 1080p resolution. Regardless, what do you think about the decision to stay at 30 FPS for Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition? Let us know in the comments.


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Share Your Thoughts Below  (Always follow our comments policy!)



Keep On Reading!

15 Essential Nintendo Switch Games You Need to Play

15 Essential Nintendo Switch Games You Need to Play

The Nintendo Switch is chock full of great games, but some obviously outshine others in terms of quality. Here...

15 Recent Games with Phenomenal Facial Animations

15 Recent Games with Phenomenal Facial Animations

As incredible as their environments, effects, and performances can be, these games occupy a different tier wit...

Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta Announced for October 31st, PS Plus Subscribers Receive Early Access

Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta Announced for October 31st, PS Plus Subscribers Receive Early Access

It's live from October 31st to November 3rd for all platforms, but PS Plus subscribers can also play from Octo...

Starship Troopers: Extermination Interview – Campaign, Multiplayer, Post-Launch Plans, and More

Starship Troopers: Extermination Interview – Campaign, Multiplayer, Post-Launch Plans, and More

Offworld Industries speaks with GamingBolt about Starship Troopers' latest foray into gaming.

Towers of Aghasba Involves Studio Ghibli Artist, PS5 DualSense Features Detailed

Towers of Aghasba Involves Studio Ghibli Artist, PS5 DualSense Features Detailed

Background artist Yoichi Nishikawa, who worked on The Boy and the Heron, has hand-painted "many" of the game's...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developer Reveals Star-Studded French Voice Cast

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developer Reveals Star-Studded French Voice Cast

Actors include Alexandre Gillet (The Lord of the Rings), Adeline Chetail (The Last of Us), Céline Melloul (Fi...