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View Full Version : Ninja Theory: Enslaved performance prevented team expansion



jkipp82
09-24-2011, 02:50 PM
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Every year, critics and fans provide the word-of-mouth support to several games that barely subsist on a whisper of marketing.
"Enslaved should have done better," says Tameem Antoniades, head of the game's developer, Ninja Theory. "Right now we should have been doing a sequel and perfecting that sequel and doing what franchises do, which is get better over time."

The comments come from a new issue of Edge (via CVG (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/319916/ninja-theory-confirms-no-work-on-enslaved-2/)), and go on to show that the studio's longterm plans were altered by Enslaved (http://joystiq.com/game/enslaved-odyssey-to-the-west)'s so-so sales. Antoniades reveals that Ninja Theory meant to expand to two teams, but have now remained a "smaller shop" to focus entirely on the Devil May Cry (http://www.joystiq.com/game/dmc-devil-may-cry) reboot for Capcom.

Though team members had "mentally prepared (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/ninja-theory-hasnt-planned-enslaved-sequel/)" themselves for this outcome, Antoniades said in October of last year, it's clear that the game's success had been embedded in the studio's plans for growth. (At least Enslaved wasn't a racing game (http://www.joystiq.com/tag/bizarre).)

Since Devil May Cry is a firmly established brand, Ninja Theory's expressive characters may yet find themselves in a hit -- and perhaps even a finely tuned action game.