While gamers and journalists alike may never know what actually goes into developing a game, comparing it to such an epic event as the Super Bowl might be a bit of a stretch!
However, that’s exactly what Sledgehammer Games co-founder Michael Condrey did in a recent interview. Juxtaposing the pressures of development to what quarterback Tom Brady faces on the field, he states, “Those poor bastards (referring to the New England Patriots), they have to win the Super Bowl every year or they’ve failed, right? … And so for us, it’s a little bit like that. … There’s some pressure with that, I won’t lie.”
In that regard, I can’t argue with Mr. Condrey (as Call of Duty ’s yearly release has very much become the standard by which all other FPS games are measured). However, many traditionalists may be unhappy to learn that the old style of gameplay from the mid-2000s may have become a thing of the past. With Advanced Warfare changing up the dynamic so drastically, Condrey says this may become the new-normal of the franchise. “Could I imagine going back and making a game now without boost jump and without all the without all the movements we’ve done now? I think that would be really challenging. I think the speed and the fluidity and the new movement sets have set a new tone for the franchise that I think it’d be hard to move back from.”
So those looking for a return to the days of MW3 unfortunately may be waiting quite a long time.