Homefront: The Revolution

Homefront: The Revolution

Developer(s) Crytek UK (2011-2014)
Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (2014 - Present)
Publisher(s) Deep Silver
Director(s) Hasit Zala[1]
Series Homefront
Engine CryEngine 3
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
OS X
Linux
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release date(s)
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution Optical disc, download

Homefront: The Revolution is an upcoming open world first-person shooter developed by Deep Silver Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver, and is the sequel to Homefront. The game is set to be released in 2016 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Homefront: The Revolution takes place four years after the events of the original occupation, following protagonist Ethan Brady as he stages a resistance movement against the army of a reunified Korea in the city of Philadelphia.

Plot

Homefront: The Revolution is set in 2029, two years after the events of Homefront and four years into the invasion of the United States by the Greater Korean Republic (GKR). The GKR has lost the western states which also include Hawaii and Alaska to the Americans, following the Battle of San Francisco. However, the GKR has shifted their control to invade and capture many of the eastern states, with Philadelphia becoming their central base. The new Philadelphia is a heavily policed and oppressed environment, with civilians living in fear as the Korean People's Army patrol multiple districts in the city. In the city, a second rebellion is brewing and the resistance grows stronger, being led by protagonist Ethan Brady.[3]

Development

Despite the mixed reviews received by Homefront, THQ confirmed in September 2011 that a sequel to Homefront was in development. The developer of the previous installment, Kaos Studios, was closed by THQ in June 2011 as part of a corporate re-organization; while THQ originally stated that future work on the franchise would be assumed by THQ's Montreal studio, it was later announced that the game would be developed by Crytek UK instead.[4][5][6] The fate of the game was left unclear, however, after THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2012.[7] THQ would, in January 2013, begin the process of selling its assets and intellectual properties at auction.[8] Crytek would acquire the rights to the franchise for US$544,218.[9] Along with its official title, Homefront: The Revolution, and a projected release in 2015, it was also announced in June 2014 at E3 that Deep Silver (who had also acquired properties from THQ in the bankruptcy auction) would co-publish the game with Crytek.[10]

Crytek designer Fasahat Salim commented that "when Crytek acquired the IP, all of a sudden we had the freedom to take this game wherever we wanted"; under the auspices of THQ, the game was designed with a linear format. Under Crytek's involvement, the game was changed to use an open world structure. The Revolution is set in Philadelphia; Salim noted the city is a more recognizable and relatable location than the small, Western city of Montrose, Colorado used as the setting of Homefront, but that players will still be able to tell that something is not right, giving it an "alien" feeling. Actions taken by the player between missions (such as disrupting the acts of the KPA and/or killing its members) will increase the prominence of resistance activities in the city, which can be used to distract enemies. Events will occur across the city throughout the game, concurrently with story missions; Salim explained that "if you're in the middle of a mission and all of a sudden you find yourself in a heated skirmish between the resistance and the KPA, that's just ... happening. You can join that if you want to, or you can use that to your advantage."[11]

Development of the game was affected by financial issues at Crytek; in June 2014, reports surfaced that the company had missed wage payments and withheld bonuses for Crytek UK staff members, and that as a result, a number of employees had filed grievances and refused to report to work, and a number of employees—including Homefront director Hasit Zala, had left the company entirely. After denying that there were issues, Crytek later admitted on 25 July 2014 that it was in a "transitional phase" as it secured capital for future projects, with a particular emphasis on online gaming.[12][13]

On 30 July 2014, Crytek announced that due to an internal restructuring, it would sell the Homefront intellectual property to Koch Media, parent company of Deep Silver. Development duties for Homefront: The Revolution were assumed by the newly formed Deep Silver Dambuster studio in Nottingham; to comply with British business transfer law, all Crytek UK employees were transferred to this new subsidiary. On the acquisition, Koch Media's CEO Klemens Kundratitz stated that the company "strongly [believes] in the potential of Homefront: The Revolution and trust in the new team to continue the path they have been walking in the last years."[14][15][16] Hasit Zala was also brought on to lead the studio.[17]

On 12 March 2015, Deep Silver announced that Homefront: The Revolution had been delayed into 2016, to ensure that the development staff would have "every opportunity to turn [it] into a best-selling title."[17]

References

  1. ↑ David Scammell (2015-03-12). "Homefront: The Revolution delayed to 2016". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  2. ↑ Phillips, Tom (3 March 2015). "Homefront: The Revolution delayed until 2016". EuroGamer. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  3. ↑ McGee, Maxwell (2 June 2014). "Homefront: The Revolution Ignites America’s Second Revolutionary War". GameSpot. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Kietzmann, Ludwig (20 September 2011). "Crytek developing Homefront sequel with THQ". Joystiq. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Kietzmann, Ludwig (2011-09-20). "Crytek developing Homefront sequel with THQ". Joystiq. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  6. ↑ "THQ closes Kaos Studios". GamesRadar. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (19 December 2012). "THQ Documents Reveal Unannounced Games". IGN. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Savage, Phil (January 8, 2013). "THQ’s franchises and studios to be auctioned off on a "title by title" basis". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (23 January 2013). "THQ Dissolved, Saints Row, Company of Heroes Devs Acquired". IGN. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  10. ↑ "Deep Silver co-publishing Homefront: The Revolution". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "E3 2014: Homefront: The Revolution". Polygon. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "[Update] Staff At Homefront Developer Crytek UK Not Reporting To Work". Game Informer. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Report: 30+ Staff Have Left Crytek UK Since 2011, Morale is "Low"". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "Deep Silver buys Homefront from Crytek, moves Homefront: The Revolution to new studio". Polygon. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Crytek Lays Off Staff After Selling Homefront; Crytek UK May Be Shut Down". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Crytek No Longer Developing Homefront, Sells Rights to Publisher Deep Silver". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Homefront: The Revolution delayed to 2016". Polygon. Retrieved 12 March 2015.

External links