Vivendi clams on PS2 Riddick
Sources have seen it running, but the publisher of the game of the moment has nothing to say. The real question is, just how well will PS2 manage to render the baldest head in entertainment?
Senior sources have confirmed today that Starbreeze, the developer of the supposedly Xbox-exclusive Chronicles of Riddick, is currently putting together a PlayStation 2 version.
"I played a three-level disc on PlayStation 2," said a UK insider. "Starbreeze is doing it."
No further details have yet come forth, and publisher Vivendi-Universal has declined to comment on the matter today.
Riddick has already been released in the US, and is currently being heavily pushed alongside the theatrical release ahead of its European launch in August, and is gathering high review scores as one of the greatest uses of a film licence yet seen. The Xbox game makes spectacular use of Normal Mapping and lighting tricks, along with the voice and image of bald muscleman Vin Diesel himself. Read our full review of Riddick right here.
Rumours are now circulating that the new version will be aimed at the Christmas rush, and is likely to ship in October. However, the fact that that's just four months away, the question begs: why would Vivendi want to keep the port quiet, and how could the PS2 cope with the game's advanced graphical techniques?
The move, if verified by Vivendi, will mark a similar strategy to Ubisoft's handling of Splinter Cell and its sequel, which saw technically superior Xbox versions brought to market months ahead of the PlayStation 2 version.
Watch for confirmation of Riddick for PS2 in the coming months.