The Big One
From the Australian Gaming Database
| Developer | Atari Melbourne House |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Atari |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Released | Cancelled |
The Big One was to be an action game for the PlayStation 2 focused on disaster response. It was in development at Melbourne House until it was cancelled in late 2004. The game was a pet project of Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell, and was placed on hold when he stepped down from the CEO role. There was hope that the project would resume development when Bonnell resumed his post in 2005, but the game was cancelled.[1]
Concept
The project concept evolved out of an idea pitched by Bruno Bonnell about natural disasters and aliens with weapons that could cause earthquakes.[2]. Melbourne House developed the concept into The Big One, an action-adventure game that would have followed several characters' stories in the aftermath of the "The Big One" - a large scale (7.0+) earthquake that hits San Francisco. The team working on The Big One was comprised mostly of personnel who were working on the aborted Transformers sequel. The Big One used the same game engine as the original Transformers game, with heavy modification.
Players would control multiple characters, such as a fire fighter, and different portions of the city would open up based on which tasks were completed. A karma system was also planned, which would be affected by players' actions and their interactions with NPCs.
Early footage of the game demonstrates some basic gameplay and art concepts.[3]
Cancellation
The Big One was a risky project for a cash-strapped Atari, but was kept in development due to Bonnell's attachment to the project. When Bruno Bonnell stood down as Atari's CEO in 2004, development on The Big One was stopped, with Melbourne House being reassigned to develop a PlayStation 2 port of the then-Xbox 360 launch title Test Drive Unlimited, which was considered a safer project.
References
- ↑ Wikinews - Atari Melbourne Project Revealed - http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Atari_Melbourne_Project_revealed
- ↑ Unseen64 - The Big One - http://www.unseen64.net/2010/07/08/the-big-one-ps2-cancelled/
- ↑ Dailymotion - TBO Prototype - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdwqpt_tbo-prototype_videogames#from=embed
