A new gaming development studio has been put together in Vancouver entitled – Smoking Gun Interactive Inc. John Johnson CEO has commented;
“The team at Smoking Gun has worked passionately together for over 7 years, building teams that have created the most critically acclaimed games in their genre. As the industry evolves so do the ways that people interact with video games. With our collective input Smoking Gun will be at the forefront of producing innovative best-selling titles, that really push the envelop further than we’ve gone before”
John Johnson widely known for the smash-hit real-time strategy title – Company of Heroes, he’s also been joined by Art Director Angie Radwan-Pytlewski and Lead Programmer Drew Dunlop whom of which both worked on Company of Heroes.
Speaking with Next-Gen.biz Johnson is very excited to begin a whole new independent career after leaving – Relic earlier this year. “Going independent can allow you to follow your vision with laser focus. It is definitely much harder to get started, but if you have a focused vision that everyone believes in you are already halfway there.”
Johnson as all game development studios want to produce high quality and multi-award winning titles that are innovative and imaginative that most games lack in this day and age.
“We are going to be focusing equal attention on both the console and PC market, and feel both those markets will remain strong. We also want to explore new ways of bringing the platforms together more in terms of how players may interact with each other and the games”
“I don’t think there is a lack of creativity and passion in the industry overall, as we’ve seen some great things happen this past year. I personally feel there are far too many products shipping that are simply the same games over and over again, with new art and packaging. This style of development can definitely lead to a lack of commitment and passion for the work.
He has also commented on how wonderful Nintendo’s Wii really is;
“I think the Wii is doing some wonderful things in helping bring back a bit of that passion and creative process for developers, and reminding us why we came into this industry in the first place. I do think the success of a title is driven by how passionate the people creating the game are about the title, subject matter, and in the leadership and passion they see in the management team driving that product forward.”
So what innovative games would you like to see Smoking Gun work on? Let us know via the comment box below.
Luke De'ath
Bristol based Luke is a keen gamer who enjoys a good FPS or Stealth title. His Favourite game is Metal Gear Solid. Luke also loves FIFA and is a season ticket holder for Bristol Rovers FC
