Life After Naughty Dog

I can tell you that I'm working on it, and that it's very cool! The new project was the primary reason I decided to come work for RAD. The IP we're developing is amazing, and it is much bigger than just a game, but still retains amazing game potential. More on all of this later, I promise.

The principals at RAD had a well thought out plan, and they executed it to perfection. By not only developing and releasing Daxter on the PSP but making it one of the superstar titles on the console, they stood out quickly. It was part strategy, part hard work.

Then to follow it up with another well know franchise in God of War, but make their own unique game and story in the universe, and then rock the press with its technology... Well, that's something not every developer can do.

But RAD planned the work and worked the plan and all of this has been in preparation for their next big step. With a data driven engine that's platform agnostic, these guys are now in the amazing position to work on any platform they choose.

The great thing about the RAD development pipeline is that it has been cross-platform - PSP / Windows - from the beginning, which means the technology can migrate to any platform. For example, I've seen God of War running on Windows; it's only for development purposes but it's still a kick to see!

The truth is, RAD has already made the bold transition to being a developer of their own IP. I wouldn't be here if they weren't moving that direction. We are about to bring unique RAD properties into the mainstream with some innovative ideas, great gameplay, solid execution and smart cross-media IP development.

I truly hope the PS3 does well. Why? Well besides my friends at Sony, I own one, darn it! And I want some great games!

Seriously, though, the PS3 has an amazing amount of untapped hardware under the hood. You'll see some of this shining through in Drake's Fortune and the next generation of games coming out. It was a slow start, but part of that was the amazing strength and Sony market position of the PS2. That console refuses to die...

But soon the PS3 will have more games that everyone will want to play, and with a price point reduction - who knows? I must say that I love the Wii and Xbox 360 as well. This is a great hardware cycle; lots of innovation, and three horses in the race which are very different from each other.

Very optimistic. Sony has some great franchises and great teams. Any publisher with first party dev teams like Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica and Polyphony, and amazing third party support, is a company that must be respected - and even feared. They'll get their share of the market, you'll see.

But I'm a big fan of the strong benefits of a competitive landscape. Competition makes everyone work harder and that will make the games better. With Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all working and hanging tough, the consumer will ultimately benefit.

I am much more confident in RAD's ability to manage their burn rate and dev costs than many other teams. Huge budgets are a problem across the board right now as smaller installed bases make the risk profile for all project P&Ls more challenging.

But as console penetration increases, we will see these red flags start to settle down. Costs will slowly drop with team core skill bases improving, middleware, outsourcing, and simple economies of scale.

I've been around a long time (don't ask) and I've been through at least four major hardware transitions, and it is always the same fears - worry about rising costs, worry about team sizes, worry about price points, worry about whether the consumer base will be there this time. It always works out fine.

Games are here to stay as the primary source of entertainment and artistic expression for the 21st Century. When asked about the future, I say we just need to concentrate on making great games with passion and expertise, games people want and can't wait to play, and experiences that move the mind emotionally and all the rest will follow.

That's what Ready at Dawn is all about, and that's why I'm here.