Paul Frewin the Technical Director on MotorStorm RC is an avid Radio Controlled Racer, and after MotorStorm Apocalypse he decided to make a RC prototype of his own. He then showed it to a select few of us around the office and we instantly fell in love with it. And before we knew it we were in production!
What other RC racing titles have you enjoyed?
With there being so few RC style games being made the list is rather retro. Super off-road and Micro Machines were certainly my biggest influences on MotorStorm RC, but RC de Go! and Revolt were also great games back in the day that I spent many hours playing.
How did you settle on such a competitive price point? Was it a struggle to get Sony to agree to this in all territories?
There are many factors which influence the price point, but at all points throughout the development we intended this be an extremely social and competitive game. And with this in mind it was very important that we reach as large an audience as possible, so we wanted to really make this game an impulse purchase when you pick up your Vita!
There was no struggle at all. Sony were extremely open to idea, all we had to do was present a sound business plan, as at the end of the day we have to be profitable so we can continue to make more games in the future.
Are there plans to release further DLC for MotorStorm RC in a similar fashion (tracks, skins etc.) or will it be a pure stand alone title?
We decided very early on that we were going to support MotorStorm RC with additional downloadable content post release. Over the coming weeks and months after launch you’ll see a regular supply of fresh content, such as tracks, vehicles, skins & trophies. Of which we’ll be announcing details nearer to the time of release.
Do you feel the PlayStation Vita marks a point where cross-platform releases between the home and portable versions being at a parity with each other will start to become more commonplace?
Absolutely! The gaming landscape is changing, and we need to evolve to support the ever increasing demands of gamers. I definitely see games, and their supporting experiences being available across a wide range of hardware devices rather than just being isolated to a single platform. MotorStorm RC with its ‘Pay Once, Get Both’ and seamless play between the PS3 and Vita is hopefully just the start of what is to come.
With shared leaderboards between the PS3 and PlayStation Vita how much of a challenge was it to ensure an even control and performance experience across the two platforms?
It was essential to us to provide a virtually identical experience across the PS3 and Vita, as MotorStorm RC isn’t two different products, its one game for two platforms. Because of this there were many challenges throughout development, but the ease of developing for the Vita allowed us to have parity with the PS3 without making too many compromises.
How is the attach rate for post release DLC across the MotorStorm series?
Over the years we’ve released a lot of major expansions and new content for the MotorStorm series which we’re all very proud of at Evolution, and I hope that all the MotorStorm fans enjoyed it too. Sales figures aren’t something I can disclose, but we’ve been able to learn a lot about what gamers do and don’t want from additional content, so hopefully with RC we’ve struck a good balance to satisfy everyone.
Are there any plans for a traditional PlayStation Vita MotorStorm title that will feature cross platform play?
We’re currently just focussed on delivering more content for MotorStorm RC, but what I can say is that as a studio we’ve certainly learned a lot from the experience of developing MotorStorm RC and I’m sure it’ll heavily influence the games we make in the future.
How challenging was it to meet the development schedule for the PlayStation Vita launch window?
It was tough! We had a small team, with a small budget and only 10 months to go from inception to release. Add to the fact we were making it for two platforms and supporting 13 languages, then you can begin the see the magnitude of the task in hand.
Launch titles are always difficult as the date is set in stone, but we’ve got plenty of experience having been there before with the original MotorStorm. The RC team did an amazing job within the time we had and delivered a game we can all be truly proud of.
What is your favourite track and why?
Ripslide is my favourite track. It just flows so perfectly, and just when you think you’ve shaved off as much time as you possibly could you find another area where you can improve! One of the Trophies ‘Wiped Out’ is actually specifically set-up for a Hot Lap challenge on this track just for that reason.
Motorstorm: RC is available now on the Sony Entertainment Network across Europe.
