PlatinumGames has its own engine and in-house tools in preparation for next-gen game development

PlatinumGames has used its own in-house tools for game development for many years now but as we look ahead to the next generation and the studio's big expansion, it has been deemed time for an upgrade. This week, Platinum announced the PlatinumEngine, which has been in development for the last couple of years. 

PlatinumGames recently opened up a second studio in Tokyo, with plans to staff up and begin working on some form of ‘live service' style game. The next generation of titles from the studio will be built on the PlatinumEngine, which aims to enable “a whole new level of quality, a greater variety and number of objects on-screen, and a richer amount of expressive visual power”.

Platinum has tested the waters with already established game engines like Unreal and Unity, but these apparently lacked some features that Platinum relies on. Instead of waiting, or modifying a third-party engine, Platinum decided to take control and develop/improve its own in-house engine and tools.

Some of the main benefits here include ease of use and faster prototyping, so when Platinum devs are testing new ideas for action-oriented gameplay, they can make those changes without wasting too much time, which should lead to quicker turnaround when creating new games.

Interestingly, the interview also gives some insight into what it is like working at Platinum, with key members of the team describing it as “a work environment that values following through on your own ideas”. This is a level of freedom that we often hear about at Valve, so it is interesting to hear about that approach taking place at other studios.

All of this seems to be part of a drive to recruit new talent for Platinum as it gears up to create new, wholly owned IP for next-gen consoles.

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KitGuru Says: PlatinumGames always gets a lot of respect from me. Hopefully whatever the team's next-gen plans are, we can get a good look at them soon.

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