Carmack talks next-gen
Well, PS3 and 360 anyway.
Speaking to a packed crowd the QuakeCon event last week, id Software legend John Carmack confirmed that the developer is currently hard at work on a brand new title for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 - but didn't so much as mention Nintendo's next-gen console.
He added that the new game would be released on consoles and PC at around the same time but refused to reveal when that might be, or indeed any details of the game at all.
Carmack said the 360, like the original Xbox, is easy to create games for thanks to a solid set of development tools. However, he went on, Sony is promoting the PS3 as offering more of an open environment for development, like the PC - and Carmack can't see Microsoft following suit.
Meanwhile, id CEO Todd Hollenshead spoke a little more candidly about the differences between the two consoles in an interview with US website Game Informer.
"I’m not really one to put words in John’s mouth but what I do know is we’ve had 360 stuff for a while and it was relatively easy to bring our internal project onto 360," Hollenshead said.
"We just got the PS3 stuff recently and it was relatively more difficult to bring that up on the PS3. So John’s first impressions are, “360 great, PS3 – pain in my ass.”"
That's not to say they're not fully committed to giving Sony's new baby a go, however.
"I think the PS3 stuff, in all fairness to Sony, is a little bit more raw," Hollenshead went on.
"I think we’ll have to wait and see, but I don’t think that’s going to ultimately change the way we’re going to approach developing on PS3. [Carmack] knows from a technology horsepower standpoint that it’ll do everything that we want it to do, so we’re committed to it."
Hollenshead was just as coy as his colleague when it came to discussing a release date for id's next project, even declining to confirm whether the game will be on show at next year's E3.
"Our philosophy about the timing of stuff is, we want the gameplay to dictate the timing, not the other way around. So, if we don’t feel like we’re in the reasonable time to ship the game, we won’t show it at E3 just to have something to show at E3. That can kind of be a dangerous thing.
"I think probably though," he concluded.
You can read the full interview and learn what Hollenshead thinks about QuakeCon, the Doom movie and women who shave their heads in exchange for video cards on the Game Informer website.
