The team behind the popular Killzone series has been making headlines in more ways than one lately. Developer Guerrilla Games announced that their newest development, Killzone: Shadow Fall, will require 50GB of PS4 hard drive space to be downloaded. This as a result of the latest digital movement that has been introduced for the next generation of video game consoles, particularly the PS4. Sony is employing the digital downloading idea with hopes of making gaming more convenient. Digital downloading also allows for more content, since it won't have to be limited to disc space.
To compare a Killzone's hard drive space requirement to another recently released game, GTA V required 8GB of data to be installed, and came with two discs. Killzone Shadow Fall requires more than six times the space that GTA V required. In an interview with Eurogamer, Fergal Gara of Sony spoke about the increase in digital downloading. Gara had this to say,
"First of all, [digital downloading] is definitely going to grow as a means of consumption. And there are big innovations in the PS4 to make it more attractive and more easy gamer wise to want to download."
It would appear that Sony is gearing toward more of a digital approach due to the possibilities that come along with it. Digital downloads are now allowing gamers to play a game as they are downloading it. Considering games such as Killzone: Shadow Fall are reaching the 50GB download mark, a play as you download feature may quite possibly be the last piece of the puzzle. Fergal Gara touched on this subject in the same interview:
"The Play As You Download functionality, for example, means you don't need the whole file before you go. This is a little bit counterbalanced by the fact the files themselves are getting bloody big. Killzone: Shadow Fall is an uber file - I think it's cracking on for 50GB. It looks it, too, when you see it."
Gara goes on to admit that this feature is a working process, and that this fairly new technology still needs some fine-tuning. With video game files reaching 50GB and higher, gamers are not going to want to wait for hours to start their game. There is a certain hype factor that comes along with purchasing a new game. It's difficult to imagine someone who is still as excited to play a game through a lengthy downloading process. However with the play as you download feature, it appears that Sony is moving in the right direction.
In addition to these developments, Eurogamer also reports from the EGX 2013 event that Guerrilla Games has begun the process of creating a new independent project. Lead designer at Guerrilla Games, Eric Boltjes, has surfaced a small amount of information regarding their future.
"As a studio we do want to branch out, and we have started work on a new IP, something completely different to Killzone. I don’t want to say anything about it right now, but as a studio we do want to keep it fresh."
It will be interesting to see how Guerrilla Games branches out from the franchise that helped create a name for them. The past has shown the difficulty of branching out from a successful series of games. In a lot of cases, developers and publishers alike have trouble escaping the identity they've created from themselves through their games. Needless to say, Guerrilla Games will bring something new and exciting to the table after their latest installment in the Killzone series.
What do you think about digital downloading? Are you partial more to having a physical copy of a game? Or are you interested in the idea of having your games stored on your console? What sort of game would you like to see out of 'Guerrilla Games' in the future?
Killzone: Shadow Fall releases November 15, 2013 alongside the PlayStation 4.
Source: Eurogamer