Homefront: The Revolution

Homefront: The Revolution
Developer(s) Dambuster Studios
Publisher(s) Deep Silver
Director(s) Hasit Zala[1]
Engine CryEngine
Platform(s) Linux
Microsoft Windows
OS X
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release date(s)
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Homefront: The Revolution is an upcoming open world first-person shooter video game developed by Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver, and is the sequel to Homefront. The game is set to be released on 17 May 2016 in North America and 20 May 2016 in Europe for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, 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 Korean invasion in the city of Philadelphia.

Plot

Setting

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 Dana, the resistance leader, and youngest member of the resistance, Ethan "Birdy" Brady. The story will follow Ethan and the new resistance as they attempt to retake Philadelphia.[4]

Gameplay

As opposed to the original game, Homefront: The Revolution will be an open-world type game with many districts to explore.[5] The player will have to scavenge parts from buildings and stashes to create and modify weapons and equipment.[6] The KPA's weapons are all fingerprint-locked and as such they will have a sizeable advantage over the resistance. There will also be side missions where the player will be called off to carry out tasks like assassinating a high-ranking KPA general or steal a KPA drone.[7] Another new feature introduced is the enhanced ability to modify weapons such as adding a fore-grip or a sight in the middle of a firefight or to convert a rifle to a Light Machine Gun and vice-versa.[8] Philadelphia is split into three districts.[9] The Green Zone is the affluent area where at the center of the city the KPA is at its strongest, they are also where the invaders are at their most comfortable: they have running water, a stable power supply, and their fortifications make green zones one of the safest places in the city.[10]

The second district is the Yellow Zone, which is the ghetto area where most of the population live. Patrols happen frequently and it is very difficult for the rebels to navigate. The cluttered city streets are awash with patrols, scanner drones, and ever-watching cameras. Power and water are intermittent and overpopulation has forced people into slum-like tent cities.[11] The Red Zone is the bombed-out suburban area of Philadelphia that is full of ruins and rubble; also where the resistance is at its strongest. While the KPA presence is still heavy, players will run into resistance troops, weapon caches, and traps set up to take out enemy patrols. The landscape is barren, though. Heavy shelling and frequent street battles have left most the buildings in rubble and there is a constant haze of brick dust. It is the Forbidden Zone, so if the KPA catch anyone out there, they will shoot on sight — and call in back-up.[12]

Unlike the first Homefront, which features a competitive multiplayer mode,[13] The Revolution features a four-player cooperative multiplayer mode. This mode, known as the "Resistance" mode,[14] is separated from the main campaign and has its own characters, progression, classes and perks. Dambuster Studios also promised that this mode will have a difficulty level that is similar to the Dark Souls games.[15]

Development

Despite the mixed reviews received by Homefront, THQ confirmed 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.[16][17] The fate of the game was left unclear, however, after THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2012.[18] THQ would, in January 2013, begin the process of selling its assets and intellectual properties at auction.[19] Crytek would acquire the rights to the franchise for US$544,218.[20] 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.[21]

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."[22]

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 focus on online gaming.[23][24]

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 Dambuster Studios 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."[25][26][27] Hasit Zala was also brought on to lead the studio.[28]

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."[28] At Gamescom 2015, the game's multiplayer beta was announced. It would be released for the Xbox One in late 2015.[29] A closed beta for the game is set to be released for the Xbox One in February 2016.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Scammell, David (12 March 2015). "Homefront: The Revolution delayed to 2016". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Futter, Mike (12 January 2016). "Deep Silver Sends Us Back To War When Homefront: The Revolution Launches May 17". Game Informer. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 Scammell, David (12 January 2016). "Homefront: The Revolution arrives on PS4, Xbox One & PC in May, beta in February". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  4. ↑ McGee, Maxwell (2 June 2014). "Homefront: The Revolution Ignites America’s Second Revolutionary War". GameSpot. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (2 June 2014). "Homefront Returns in 2015 as an Open-World FPS on Xbox One, PS4, and PC". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Silva, Marty (30 August 2015). "PAX 2015: Homefront: The Revolution Fells Like Far Cry And That's Awesome". IGN. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Rignall, Jaz (28 January 2016). "Homefront: The Revolution PC Preview: Open-World Guerilla Game". USgamer. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Chalk, Andy (5 August 2015). "Here's six minutes of Homefront: The Revolution gameplay". PC Gamer. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Creegan, Dermot (7 September 2015). "Fight for Freedom in Homefront: The Revolution". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Cork, Jeff (7 August 2015). "Five Big Takeaways From First Homefront: The Revolution Hands-On". Game Informer. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  11. ↑ Blain, Louise (12 January 2016). "Homefront The Revolution gets a May release date and an 'inspirational' trailer". GamesRadar. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Savage, Phil (21 September 2015). "Homefront: the open world shooter that feels like urban Far Cry". PC Gamer. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Vas, Gergo (26 January 2016). "The Revolution is getting a four-player online co-op". Kotaku. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  14. ↑ Robinson, Nick (29 January 2016). "Watch 7 minutes of co-op gameplay from Homefront: The Revolution". Polygon. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  15. ↑ Butterworth, Scott (26 January 2016). "Homefront: The Revolution's Co-op Campaign Promises Dark Souls-Levels of Difficulty". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  16. ↑ Kietzmann, Ludwig (20 September 2011). "Crytek developing Homefront sequel with THQ". Joystiq. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  17. ↑ Bradford, Matt (13 June 2011). "THQ closes Kaos Studios". GamesRadar. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  18. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (19 December 2012). "THQ Documents Reveal Unannounced Games". IGN. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  19. ↑ Savage, Phil (8 January 2013). "THQ’s franchises and studios to be auctioned off on a "title by title" basis". PC Gamer. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  20. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (23 January 2013). "THQ Dissolved, Saints Row, Company of Heroes Devs Acquired". IGN. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  21. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (2 June 2014). "Deep Silver co-publishing Homefront: The Revolution". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  22. ↑ Good, Owen S. (2 June 2014). "E3 2014: Homefront: The Revolution". Polygon. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  23. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (3 July 2014). "[Update] Staff At Homefront Developer Crytek UK Not Reporting To Work". Game Informer. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  24. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (24 June 2014). "Report: 30+ Staff Have Left Crytek UK Since 2011, Morale is "Low"". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  25. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (30 July 2014). "Deep Silver buys Homefront from Crytek, moves Homefront: The Revolution to new studio". Polygon. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  26. ↑ Pereira, Chris (30 July 2014). "Crytek Lays Off Staff After Selling Homefront; Crytek UK May Be Shut Down". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  27. ↑ Pereira, Chris (30 July 2014). "Crytek No Longer Developing Homefront, Sells Rights to Publisher Deep Silver". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  28. 1 2 Sarkar, Samit (12 March 2015). "Homefront: The Revolution delayed to 2016". Polygon. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  29. ↑ Good, Owen S. (4 August 2015). "Homefront: The Revolution gets a multiplayer beta on Xbox One this winter". Polygon. Retrieved 4 August 2015.

External links

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