Next-gen must deliver "qualitative difference" - Blade

Blade Interactive, developer of World Snooker Championship, believes that expensive next-generation consoles must provide a significant "qualitative difference" - and this is precisely what they aim to deliver with new title Hydrophobia.

"What people want - and I don't care whether it's a new console or a new handset - they want a reason and an endorsement of why they have bought that technology," says Blade's joint managing director Peter Jones, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz.

"They want to feel the reason why they have spent over GBP 400 on a PlayStation 3 or almost GBP 300 on a Xbox 360. They don't just want another first-person shooter. They want to have a qualitative difference.

"It works like this with all sorts of products from cars to consoles. You want to pat yourself on the back for the wise purchase you've made; now it's all about expanding the experience. What we've done through our technology is create something that no other game has ever done."

Hydrophobia, which snuck up on us earlier this year, is Blade's "baby", says Jones. So much so that despite having spent as much as seven years prototyping, and developing technology, Blade isn't about to let the code out into the wider world for the sake of a bit of quick cash. "It was our intention originally to use it as middleware because it's a very powerful tool," says Jones. "The honest answer is that ultimately we'd consider licensing it out but we want to exploit it first."

For more of Jones' views, along with those of technical director Gary Leach, and a few more reflections on the difficulty of remaining independent in a UK games market that's had its "lean years", check out the full Blade Interactive interview on GamesIndustry.biz