Gamers need to give new IP a chance, says Bleszinski

Only weeks before EA and Epic’s ‘kill with skill’ shooter, Bulletstorm, hits stores, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski has urged gamers to give new IP a chance.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com at a recent press event for the People Can Fly developed FPS, Bleszinski said he believes there is space in the first-person shooter genre for Bulletstorm.

“I love Call of Duty. I played the hell out of Black Ops, Medal of Honor was good too. I like the genre. I’m in favour of most military shooters imaginable because the formula is getting polished and it’s actually getting tremendously deep,” said Bleszinski. “That said, that market share is largely taken up by those games and I think there is room for something that has fun with a wink and a smile. It might make you giggle, but it’s surprisingly deep in regards to characters and gameplay.

“I just want everyone out there to give a new IP a chance. That’s the underlying message of it all. Gamers everywhere say they want new IP but they ultimately vote with their dollars.”

Bleszinski also explained the difficulties in getting products seen by consumers, pointing to potential new methods of promotion.

“It can be an interesting direction,” he said when asked about Capcom’s Dead Rising: Case Zero. “I applaud Dead Rising for taking that risk and putting its own bubble out there. I think everybody is trying to figure everything out right now.

“If you play the Bulletstorm demo and finish it you unlock stuff in the full game. Genius idea – EA’s been doing that a little bit here and there. Now you have something you can claim, you want to get the full game. I think we’re in a world now where video games are not only competing with other games, they’re competing with CollegeHumor, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, everything. Everybody wants everybody’s mental cycles right now and the games, the IPs, the publishers that want to rise above the noise need to do whatever they can to hit people across the head with the giant sledgehammer to get their attention.

“Maybe making a one off demo that is really strange or unique, or some sort of ad campaign, such as some of the things we’ve been doing for Bulletstorm.”

Bulletstorm will be released on February 25 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. For more from Bleszinski, check out our newly published video interview.