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Games => Alien Isolation => Topic started by: Darkness on Oct 26, 2020, 09:28:38 PM

Title: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: Darkness on Oct 26, 2020, 09:28:38 PM

Noclip, a crowdsourced company known for making game documentaries, have just released their latest one and it’s dedicated to the development of Alien Isolation. The team at Noclip went to Creative Assembly’s studio and interviewed Console Creative Director Alistair Hope, Console Technical Director Clive Gratton and Chief Studio Officer Tim Heaton.

In the 20-minute documentary, Creative Assembly talk about their original pitch for the game and how they crafted a demo in just 5 weeks to convince Sega to greenlight the game. The documentary contains footage of Creative Assembly’s original pitch as well as third-person gameplay before Isolation was changed to first person. The pitch and third-person footage was previously released in the 2015 Game Developer Conference but this documentary contains better quality of it.

For those wondering about an Alien Isolation sequel, the documentary says that they received no indication that Alien Isolation 2 was in development. Released in 2014 to a positive reception and despite selling 2.11 million copies, it didn’t quite sell well enough and according to Creative Assembly in 2015, any sequel to Alien Isolation would be extremely unlikely.

We did get the Alien Isolation digital series early last year which was poorly put together in my opinion but 2019’s Alien Isolation Switch port from Feral Interactive was better received. I still think Alien Isolation is one of the best titles to come out of this franchise. It’s a shame we’ll never get a sequel to it.

Thanks to PushSquare for the news.

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Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: razeak on Oct 27, 2020, 02:12:08 AM
Bring on the sequel!
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Voodoo Magic on Oct 27, 2020, 02:41:02 AM
Nice post Darkness!!

Quote from: razeak on Oct 27, 2020, 02:12:08 AM
Bring on the sequel!

Well, we already got the sequel....

(https://66.media.tumblr.com/609f57cdba5efcb41d6e0cdba3fd97df/tumblr_n271yjPEHT1trbh6do1_400.gif)

Alien: Blackout
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Kradan on Oct 27, 2020, 05:30:00 AM
Well, then expect sequel to Hunting Grounds on Nintendo DS. OK?
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 27, 2020, 12:09:47 PM
I think the one section where it shows Amanda moving around at 8.30-ish is the perfect reason for why it wouldn't have worked so well in 3rd person compared to the final product!
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development %u2013 Video Documentary
Post by: Voodoo Magic on Oct 27, 2020, 12:27:41 PM
Quote from: Kradan on Oct 27, 2020, 05:30:00 AM
Well, then expect sequel to Hunting Grounds on Nintendo DS. OK?

lol Is Nintendo DS even a thing still? I genuinely haven't been current with handhelds for years.

In regards to a Hunting Grounds sequel, it's all about sales against budget. But even if it comparatively sold well, I don't believe we'd actually even see a sequel to any of its loose narratives.

In regards to Alien Isolation, apparently sales were disappointing enough in relative to money spent that Read, Play, Watch's Blackout was promoted as Amanda's continuation. It's a real fun mobile game if you give it a chance though! :)
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 27, 2020, 12:35:08 PM
I think there was some new footage of the 3rd person build in there. I wouldn't say there was anything in here we hadn't really heard before, but it was still nice to see it all come together! Enjoyable watch!
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development %u2013 Video Documentary
Post by: Kradan on Oct 27, 2020, 07:59:28 PM
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Oct 27, 2020, 12:27:41 PM
lol Is Nintendo DS even a thing still? I genuinely haven't been current with handhelds for years.

Me neither

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Oct 27, 2020, 12:27:41 PM
In regards to Alien Isolation, apparently sales were disappointing enough in relative to money spent that Read, Play, Watch's Blackout was promoted as Amanda's continuation. It's a real fun mobile game if you give it a chance though! :)

Look, I've played Blackout and I do agree that it's fun game. For what it is Blackout is great. But as a sequel to Isolation it's pretty ... underwhelming, don't you think ?
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development %u2013 Video Documentary
Post by: Voodoo Magic on Oct 27, 2020, 08:23:26 PM
Quote from: Kradan on Oct 27, 2020, 07:59:28 PM
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Oct 27, 2020, 12:27:41 PM
lol Is Nintendo DS even a thing still? I genuinely haven't been current with handhelds for years.

Me neither

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Oct 27, 2020, 12:27:41 PM
In regards to Alien Isolation, apparently sales were disappointing enough in relative to money spent that Read, Play, Watch's Blackout was promoted as Amanda's continuation. It's a real fun mobile game if you give it a chance though! :)

Look, I've played Blackout and I do agree that it's fun game. For what it is Blackout is great. But as a sequel to Isolation it's pretty ... underwhelming, don't you think ?

True, it's not the sequel we wanted - a phrase we seem to repeat often with these franchises unfortunately :-\ - but alas, I try to stay as positive as I can. :)
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Xenoscream on Oct 27, 2020, 10:41:53 PM
I strongly feel if they had made it fully playable in VR as potentially a paid dlc they would have make a lot more sales. As VR experience it would have been legendary, I mean RE7 blew me away in VR.

It's nice they take some solace in the fact that they made a game for the fans which is loved by them.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: razeak on Oct 28, 2020, 12:10:10 AM
Bring on the threequel!
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 28, 2020, 08:51:37 AM
Quote from: Xenoscream on Oct 27, 2020, 10:41:53 PM
I strongly feel if they had made it fully playable in VR as potentially a paid dlc they would have make a lot more sales. As VR experience it would have been legendary, I mean RE7 blew me away in VR.

It's nice they take some solace in the fact that they made a game for the fans which is loved by them.

To be fair to them, VR wasn't so mainstream at the time of Isolation. I really think something built from the ground-up for Alien in VR would be stunning.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: Richman678 on Oct 29, 2020, 02:58:47 AM
I still blame the game journalists (specifically IGN) for the poor sales.

This game was amazing, and deserves a sequel.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 29, 2020, 08:38:20 AM
It's sad that 12.3 million units is poor.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Kradan on Oct 29, 2020, 08:19:25 PM
Quote from: Richman678 on Oct 29, 2020, 02:58:47 AM
I still blame the game journalists (specifically IGN) for the poor sales.

This game was amazing, and deserves a sequel.

Ugh, IGN

(https://goodolewoody.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Develop...
Post by: Darkness on Oct 29, 2020, 08:44:38 PM
They did hint that they only just broke even.

But maybe Sega had too high expectations when it was following the disaster that was Colonial Marines and people didn't want to be conned again. IGN and Gamespot just didn't understand the game, really. I refuse to visit Gamespot because of them being overly critical of games in general but IGN I still follow. It was my daily haunt for a long time but lately, I go to Push Square or Eurogamer.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 31, 2020, 04:15:31 PM
Great to see people talking about Alien Isolation 2.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Sabres21768 on Nov 01, 2020, 03:42:27 PM
I still want to see footage of the Alien before they changed it to digitigrade legs.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Develop...
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Nov 02, 2020, 09:19:51 AM
Quote from: Darkness on Oct 29, 2020, 08:44:38 PM
They did hint that they only just broke even.

But maybe Sega had too high expectations when it was following the disaster that was Colonial Marines and people didn't want to be conned again. IGN and Gamespot just didn't understand the game, really. I refuse to visit Gamespot because of them being overly critical of games in general but IGN I still follow. It was my daily haunt for a long time but lately, I go to Push Square or Eurogamer.

My understanding is that the then current Sega management were unhappy they even had the license. It was purchased by previous management. And then they wasted all this money on Crucible and Colonial Marines, tried to get as much back as they could with a quick release AvP, and then the dumpster PR fire that was Colonial Marines. Sega never really respected the franchise imho.
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development – Video Documentary
Post by: Kradan on Nov 02, 2020, 11:16:02 AM
sigh
Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: BlueMarsalis79 on Apr 24, 2021, 10:15:34 PM
Yet another Isolation Documentary:

Title: Re: How Alien Isolation Survived its Difficult Development - Video Documentary
Post by: Sabres21768 on Apr 25, 2021, 08:56:30 AM
Great documentary.

I'd still love to see footage of the Alien before they changed its leg design.