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David Jaffe Gets A New Job In A Familiar Genre
David Jaffe is no stranger to four-wheeled aggression, and now the Twisted Metal and Calling All Cars developer is taking his talents to indie developer Pixelbionic and its PC online vehicle combat game Autoduel.
Jaffe is joining Pixelbionic's advisory board as a creative advisor for the company's first game, which will be Kickstarted (details on that to come soon).
"I was super excited when I heard Pixelbionic's vision for Autoduel," said Jaffe. "As a huge fan of the genre, I'm really looking forward to contributing to the game's vision and design goals."
Autoduel is set in a post-apocalyptic world where players will join one of three groups – The Ratters, The Scavengers, or The Techies – who battle for supremacy in the game's arenas. The game features 20 cars modded to the hilt with weapons, armor, and other vehicular upgrades.
It will be interesting to see what Jaffe contributes to the game, and he certainly has a lot of experience to bring to the table, including some idea of what not to do.
[Source: Pixelbionic]
Turn the page for the official press release.
Santa Ana, CA - May 16 @ 7:30AM/PST, 2013 - Pixelbionic, an independent game developer committed to creating immersive action games, today announced that David Jaffe, legendary creator of gaming milestones Twisted Metal and God of War, has joined the company's advisory board as a Creative Advisor for its inaugural project, vehicular combat game AutoduelTM. Jaffe is the latest addition to Pixelbionic's development 'Dream Team', assembled for the game by co-founders Maxx Kaufman - a founding member of InXile Entertainment and Art Director of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Kingpin: Life of Crime and The Bard's Tale, and Mike Arkin - a Studio Head and Producer with over 150 published titles, including Die Hard Trilogy, Battlezone and the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series.
Other key members of the Autoduel team include designer Scot Kramarich - Lead Designer of Interstate '82 and Designer on Interstate '76 - and coder Rafael Paiz - Senior Programmer on The Matrix: Path of Neo and Programmer on Redneck Rampage and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Joining David Jaffe on Pixelbionic's advisory board are Zack Norman - creator of Interstate '76, and Chanel Summers - a recognized leader in the field of interactive audio who while at Microsoft was instrumental in the design of the Xbox hardware's audio capabilities.
Autoduel is a PC online multiplayer game which pays homage to epic car combat games of the past such as Interstate '76 and Twisted Metal-while offering gamers the chance to see what can be accomplished when a talented team of experienced developers is unleashed on modern hardware with cutting-edge graphics and online multiplayer capabilities. The game combines the high-octane thrills and spills of team-based car combat with RPG-influenced persistence and progression gameplay.
In a post-apocalyptic future, warriors drive to survive in their tricked-out, heavily armed vehicles scavenged from the blistered landscape, armed with a deadly array of lethal weaponry. Autoduel features team-based combat in a variety of open arenas from abandoned cities to dried-up riverbeds. Players choose from over twenty unique cars which are divided into three warring factions - the Ratters, the Scavengers and the Techies. The cars can all receive a wide variety of upgrades, from mechanical modifications to the drivetrain and suspension, to a broad array of powerful weapons and protective armor which can be bolted onto the vehicles. Additionally, players can extensively customize the paintwork and add decals in order to show their allegiance and express their unique style.
"I was super excited when I heard Pixelbionic's vision for Autoduel," said Pixelbionic creative advisor David Jaffe. "As a huge fan of the genre, I'm really looking forward to contributing to the game's vision and design goals."
Pixelbionic was founded to create spirited games such as Autoduel that are ignored by publishers, leaving the door open to independent developers supported by fans of the genre. Autoduel development funding will be crowdsourced, with a Kickstarter campaign launching soon.
"Our mission is to assemble a team of car combat visionaries to deliver the game fans want to not only play but also help create," said Pixelbionic co-founder and President Mike Arkin. "Autoduel pairs the vision of the best talent in the industry with the enthusiasm and support of gamers, a combination we are confident will set the bar for what can be achieved in a new PC vehicular combat game."
More details on the Autoduel Kickstarter campaign will be released shortly, with additional core members of the development team expected to be revealed over the coming weeks.
To download supporting assets for Pixelbionic and Autoduel, please visit: https://www.box.com/s/lxvzbipmarfky65j06s4
For further information about Pixelbionic or to share thoughts and ideas about the game visit our community forums at www.pixelbionic.com. To receive regular updates and announcements, Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/autoduel and follow us on Twitter @autoduelgame.
About Pixelbionic
Located in the heart of pre-apocalyptic Southern California, Pixelbionic is an independent developer focused on games which are built around the ideals of no-holds-barred hardcore fast-paced action and a vibrant online community, as embodied by its inaugural project, the PC online multiplayer car combat game Autoduel. The game will be developed by a 'dream team' that includes primary creators of great car games of the past including Interstate '76 and Twisted Metal. Pixelbionic was co-founded in 2012 by Mike Arkin and Maxx Kaufman, two industry veterans with numerous top-selling games to their credit.
A founding member of Grey Matter Studios and InXile Entertainment, Pixelbionic CEO Kaufman moved from creating special effects for the film industry into gaming 18 years ago. He has been Art Director and Director on top-selling games including Kingpin: Life of Crime, the Redneck Rampage series, The Bard's Tale, and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Prior to becoming Pixelbionic's President, Arkin spent over 25 years creating video games as a Producer and Studio Head in both publishing and development roles. While working at Acclaim, Fox, Activision, and Crave, he shipped over 150 titles including Die Hard Trilogy, the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series, Battlezone, UFC, Global Operations and WWF Wrestlemania. In 2006, his studio, Zono Inc., was acquired by leading games publisher Mumbo Jumbo.
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