MotorStorm Dev Mouths Off
Evolution Studios talks downable content, equalling that E3 trailer and what's next for MotorStorm.
When PlayStation 3 launches in Europe next year, there's one game that will be at the top of everyone's must-have list - MotorStorm. And for good reason too because, although it's a first-generation title, it not only shows the sheer grunt and visual prowess of the machine, it's also the first true step into the next generation.
Martin Kenwright, CEO of Evolution, is understandably happy with the project that's dominated his last three years then, and couldn't help but smile when IGN UK visited his Cheshire studio to talk about the conception of his latest baby and what's next for Evolution.
IGN UK: How did MotorStorm come about?
Martin Kenwright: When Evolution first started and we began working on what we wanted in our rally game [which later became WRC], we actually ended up defining PS3-spec game designs for the start of PS2. We looked at what made a great driving game and started afresh. Obviously we couldn't include everything we wanted to for various reasons and while we were creating WRC there was a feeling in the background of what could we do if we had the freedom. It's was like a pressure cooker of ideas, with the team constantly thinking of all the things we could squeeze into a game.
We also figured that no one knew Evolution outside of Rally - it was the best game you've never heard of - so we decided to move out of niches and make the uncoolest sector of racing games the coolest. But we also wanted to compete with all the triple-A products, not just off-road driving games, by creating a game that really captured the spectacle, the physics, the action and the entertainment of off-road racing.
IGN UK: But that was before PS3 even existed, right?
Martin Kenwright: Yes. We had to create a vision of what we wanted to achieve before even the PS3 hardware specs were set. We had an idea of what we wanted MotorStorm to be so we set a benchmark of what we thought the machine would be able to achieve. We wanted to make it appealing to a broad audience and also to include stuff you've never seen in an off-road racing game before.
We started by going over to Monument Valley and filmed the landscape from a helicopter, to make sure it was accurate in the game. We even had better reference guys than Planet Earth - in fact, the BBC came to us because we were the first in the world to be filming in 1080p. By doing this we could create a big statement; it enabled us to compete with DVD and make the most out of the new Blu-Ray format.
IGN UK: When I first saw the demo of MotorStorm at E3 '05 I never thought you'd manage to get close to it with the actual game, yet you have…
Martin Kenwright: I don't think anyone thought we could do it! But I've been in the industry for 20 years and nothing we included in the trailer was implausible, which is why I always knew it was possible. Besides, if there's something in the trailer that isn't in this game you can bet it will be in the next one! As for last E3, it was almost like the best and the worst for us. We were killing ourselves to create a great demo, especially after setting the benchmark so high the year before and, for technical reasons, the week before, we missed the deadline for the [Sony pre-E3] presentation. We hold our hands up for that. But we got it on the show floor and the irony was the excitement went from zero to hero - when everyone saw it they thought it was great.
We thought let's do something we enjoy, to create something memorable and make a game the likes of which people had never seen before. That was the whole ethos behind MotorStorm, to create the superlatives: the best, the biggest, the widest and the deepest. We wanted to create tracks that were on top of giant mesas two miles up, but also in the mud at the bottom of the deepest canyons.
The way the team has pulled the game together in the last six months is incredible - it's better than Liverpool's comeback in Istanbul [when the Reds came back from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan on penalties in the 2005 Champions' League Final]. But at the end of the day we've tried our best to create the best we can so now's it's up to the marketplace
IGN UK: How does the final product compare with the benchmarks you set in the beginning?
Martin Kenwright: Because we started work on MotorStorm three years ago, we thought that maybe the hardware would be more potent than we expected, or possibly it would be less powerful. Looking back now we've actually exceeded in some areas considerably, which we're amazed about. Some of the lighting and HDR effects are much better than we ever expected. Other things, we haven't quite matched our initial ideas due to technical restraints. But when you put the final game next to the original it's amazing to see how close we've managed to get. Ultimately, we're thrilled with the result, even though we didn't squeeze in all the super-complex physics and animation. But MotorStorm now isn't the fate d' complete, it's the curtain raiser, it's a hint at what's to come next because we've only just started.
IGN UK: Along with Resistance, MotorStorm is one of the must-have games for PS3's launch. That must make you feel good...
Martin Kenwright: I'm proud for everybody. I could go on about how great Evolution is but MotorStorm's success will be down to the quality, commitment and calibre of the guys who worked on it. But it's great to get that feedback for the guys who've worked on the game, because at the end of all their hard work they'll have something memorable to look back on. As a business we've been walking up until now, but now we're ready to run.
IGN UK: MotorStorm launches in Japan in two weeks. What do you have planned for the European version when it launches alongside the console next year?
Martin Kenwright: Obviously, online is going to be a major component - not just multiplayer but also downloadable content. We want to invoke the same kind of response from gamers for that extra content as they got when they first saw the game. We don't want to offer more of the same, we want to give people something that excites them and is something they can really talk about. But what we're confident of is that we've created one hell of a wrapper and the opportunities for what we can put inside are immense.
IGN UK: Will MotorStorm now be Evolution's focus going forward or do you have other stuff in the pipeline?
Martin Kenwright: I think MotorStorm will put us on the map, which is a good position to be in, but I want to be in the business of IP creation. I want to make killer games. So I'm currently planning out projects for the next five years and I'm having to predict what I think will be in market at that time. As a result, I'm putting together a road map that's going to take us into a whole new fantastic space in gaming. Obviously I cannot disclose exactly what we're planning, but I'm quietly confident we can do something amazing in this market.
Our focus right now is on exploiting the whole MotorStorm phenomenon, if you can call it that, to keep that momentum going and keep working closely with Sony. We're certainly looking to develop a few new killer IPs down the line too.
IGN UK: Evolution has built its reputation on driving games. Is there another genre you'd like to tackle?
Martin Kenwright: Years ago I did think of doing a wet, muddy football game, just because I like football. I have this habit of turning my hobbies into my work, which I did with planes and then cars. I love Liverpool but making the official Liverpool football club? That would be a conflict of interest because my cousin, Bill Kenwright, owns Everton and I'm the red sheep of the family!
But what I don't want to happen is for Evolution to be pigeon-holed. The safe fruit is ironically the riskiest fruit, because you don't want to keep doing more of the same. We're not Madonna or anything but I feel the need to reinvent ourselves every few years, to stop what we do from becoming tired. In that respect, I've looked into lots of different areas, some of them exceptionally remarkable and exciting, but the cost of entry and the commitment involved means it's very difficult. However, with the arrival of online content maybe we'll see lots of potential new games and incubators for new ideas.
IGN UK: Do you think MotorStorm has set the bar for other developers to match, especially because you managed to create a game that looked exactly like the early demos? That Killzone trailer look pretty special but…
Martin Kenwright: There are some world class developers out there and there are some great technologies that are in development - because we're already working on some of them. In the next few years I think you're going to see an amazing change in terms of plausibility and believability, with amazing technologies introduced, incredible examples of cause and effect, brilliant AI… Within five to ten years will be competing directly with the movie industry in terms of visual fidelity, except we'll have the edge because our medium is interactive. I think games like Killzone will start setting the bar for what is possible.
