DoFuss’s 2008 Developer of the Year

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As companies merge it is becoming harder know who exactly is developing any given game. Unless the developer is an industry giant such as Rock Star or Blizzard it seems that they are subsumed by their publisher. Developers however are probably quite happy with the arrangement. Where I am sure vanity dictates they would like their name was splashed over the front of the box the trade off for (in a normal economic climate) financial security of being under the broader umbrella of a large publisher like Acclaim or EA.

Allow me break the fourth wall for a moment. Deciding the criteria by which I judge has been the most difficult task for me in majority of my 2008 wrap up posts. Firstly I took what jumped to mind and used that to create my short list. From this it fell to what I remembered most fondly, what stood out as something different or engaged me. Bare that in mind as I give my choice for the best developer.

This year Dice have been involved in two ground breaking projects, Mirrors Edge and Battlefield Heroes. Where as neither game has been a significant critical success both have managed to change people perception of what can be done within their genre.

Battlefield took an established and popular series and made a spin off game which is free to play. In honesty I don’t know how much of this was Dice’s decision and how much was EA’s but the result is a free to play squad based online shooter. I haven’t played it, but its existence is a glimpse of a possible future. A time where big full budget title are free to play and a gateway to PC gaming for people who may otherwise never have tried it.

Mirror Edge took a risk in a fickle market. Dice had the gumption to mix the first person perspective and platforming (two gaming conventions that traditionally have never worked well together) and made it work. While the game may not have been as well received as they had hoped what they achieved in creating a mechanic that was as intuitive as it was should be applauded.

Dice to my mind have progressed the game genres they worked in more than any other developer this year. By drawing inspiration form a variety of sources and innovating on them. All of this at a time when most companies are relying on carbon copies of proven genres. While other developers made game that were better received by critics and the public, Dice’s work engaged me and opened new possibilities for gaming moving in to 2009.