Hi! I’m Brandon Sheffield, director of Necrosoft Games. We’ve made a couple small things before, like Gunhouse for PlayStation mobile, but today we want to talk about a much bigger game — Gunsport, which we’re bringing to PS4. This is our first PS4 game, and we’re pretty excited about it! 1080p pixel art! Heck yeah!
Gunsport is a 2-on-2 (or 1-on-1) competitive eSport for discerning individuals who like: cool times, hot times, rough times, and dangerous times. It’s a cyberpunk vision of the neo future, like volleyball or sepak takraw with a shotgun and a laserbeam (and a bunch of other weapons, of course).
Gunsport is all about keeping the ball in the air. The more times the ball passes the net the more points it’s worth, and the more dangerous it becomes to miss a shot. Shots are limited — the keeper, in the back, can’t move, but gets two shots in a full clip. The striker, in the front, can move and jump, but only gets one shot. Teams reload when the ball crosses the net toward them, but only then, so you have to economize your shots. Every time the ball crosses the net either direction it’s worth one additional point, so when you’ve got a 30 point volley going, and you’re playing to 60, well, the stakes get pretty high.
Then there are the goals. If you get the ball into a goal, you get a bonus. Strikers can snipe it in, or Keepers can double-tap it in, shooting twice to change the ball’s direction. Or, if you’re truly drift compatible, you and your teammate can shoot the ball at the same time for a focus shot, causing the ball to go twice as fast.
So it’s an eSport, yeah, but we think about it a bit like a fighting game. Rather than being reactive, you have to be predictive. The aiming is deliberately analog. It’s not immediate. You have to watch the angles and predict where the ball is going to be, rather than reacting to where it is now. You need to predict how long it will take your shot to reach the ball. You need to see where your partner is aiming, as well as whether your opponents have any shots left with which to vex you. You’ve got to take in the whole screen at the same time. Pay careful attention to your timing and positioning.
All this action will take place across multiple stages (each of which has a different theme that changes the game) as you play with different teams (each of which has their own weapon loadout, and unique special attack). We are hoping that with the variety we’re offering, one of the teams will feel just right for your playing style, the way you might hone in on your preferred fighting game character.
You might be asking, “but what about online multiplayer?” Well, that’s part of why we’re partnering with Iron Galaxy, the company that brought you Divekick. But let’s not forget they also brought Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online, Marvel vs. Capcom Origins, and Darkstalkers Resurrection to PS3.
We’re going to be revealing more characters, weapons, special attacks, and stages as we continue development. It’s early days here, but we’re real excited about this one, and we hope you get the chance to play it real soon. We’re bringing our fully playable prototype build, which you can see screens of right here, to PlayStation Experience in December, so please come and give it a try!
Gunsport will be released in 2015. Thanks y’all, and may your shots ring true and your aim always be steady!
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