Housemarque has made a name for itself as a developer by excelling in the creation of arcade-style games. It started this generation off strong with the release of Resogun. Then it re-released Dead Nation, which was then quickly followed by Alienation, Nex Machina, and Matterfall. Needless to say, the company is a busy studio. However, although its games have been praised for staying true to the arcade genre, it was not lucrative for them and the team had to announce their departure from working on arcade games with a shift towards AAA. A recent blog post notes that they have another game in development, referring to is as “AAA.”
The team released a blog post last year, in which it announced that, “Arcade is Dead,” pointing out that the genre just isn’t what it once was and isn’t financially viable, despite performing well, critically.
At that time, the developer was working on an upcoming project called Stormdivers, their first game after its departure from the arcade genre. This title has a focus on multiplayer, with what looks like an emphasis on shooting. Not much else is known about the upcoming game. What is known is that the team is also developing a AAA game alongside Stormdivers.
It’s unclear what the upcoming game is, but we know the new IP is AAA and “the biggest and most ambitious game that Housemarque has ever worked on.” Since the company is developing two bigger games simultaneously, it’s unlikely that we will see them any time in the near future. We’ll have to be patient.
There is one thing Housemarque wants to make sure is known: The developer wants to make great games and will keep the spirit of arcade alive, even if the genre doesn’t have a place anymore. The company did invite readers to apply for open positions and, by the sound of this new AAA game, it is going to need the extra help.
[Source: Medium]
