To try and utilize the newfound resources of next-gen hardware, Capcom has begun work on a new engine it calls Panta Rhei, leaving the long-lived MT Framework behind. This new engine signals the beginning of an era where potential is through the roof. Unfortunately, it’s also an era that requires more work than ever before.
In the process of adapting to next-gen potential and expectation, Capcom has learned that making games look great on the Xbox One and PS4 takes a significant amount of time and resources. Capcom senior manager Masaru Ijuin shared with OXM.UK:
it’s clear that heightened game quality leads to a rise in the number of man hours. The amount of work involved in making games for next-gen consoles is eight to ten times greater than what is required for the current generation of consoles.
Many gamers are under the impression that because of the Xbox One and PS4’s more streamlined X86 hardware, they should be easier to develop for. While that’s true in the sense that coding for them is less of a day-by-day challenge than consoles of past, tapping out their power requires an incredible amount of work.
While it’s true that developers can release games that look and perform no better than last-gen’s offerings, they would be scorned like Microsoft’s DRM policies if they were to do so. Consequently, art teams are having to define unprecedented detail in game environments and on character models. Programmers are working to create more simultaneous processes that take advantage of the much faster octa-core CPUs of next-gen. This all comes at a high cost.
Capcom’s first true next-gen title is Deep Down, a game that has earned a lot of praise from its visually stunning trailers. Deep Down will be run on the Panta Rhei engine, and will also show us what Capcom’s hard labor has produced.
