Agent (video game)

Agent
Developer(s) Rockstar North
Publisher(s) Rockstar Games
Distributor(s) Take-Two Interactive
Platform(s) PlayStation 3
Genre(s) Stealth, action
Mode(s) Single-player

Agent is an upcoming stealth action video game developed by Rockstar North. In July 2007, Sony announced that Rockstar was working on a new exclusive game for the PlayStation 3,[1] but details of the project, including its title, were not announced until June 2009 during the Sony press conference at E3.[2]

The game is set during the Cold War and will take players into "the world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations", according to a Rockstar press release.[3] Rockstar has yet to reveal any details regarding the setting other than that it will be set in the late 1970s.[4]

Announced in 2009 exclusively for PlayStation 3, little was heard about the game after 2009 and it was thought to have been cancelled,[5] although Take-Two confirmed in May 2011 that Agent was still in development.[6] On 18 July 2013, Take-Two Interactive re-registered two trademarks for the game, both of which were originally filed on 2 June 2009, and were abandoned on 26 August 2013.[5]

Development

Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Rockstar Games was working on a new franchise for the PlayStation 3 in July 2007. Michael Shorrock, SCEA's director of third-party relations, wrote on the official US PlayStation blog, "as part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto we've agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios." Nothing more was revealed about the new franchise except the clarification that it would not be L.A. Noire. According to Shorrock, "Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3" and added that the reason Sony locked the IP down as an exclusive deal was because Sony believed the franchise would "set the bar for the rest of the industry."[1] Ben Feder, former president of Rockstar Games' parent, Take-Two Interactive, said that the game would be "genre-defining" and "a whole new way of experiencing videogames that we haven't really seen before."[7]

Details of the project, including its title, were not announced until June 2009, when an announcement was made during the Sony press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games, described Agent as a game the company had been wanting to make for some time, and had set out to create a unique experience for the player.[8] Ben Feder, former president of Take-Two Interactive, professed his belief that the game could achieve the same level of success as the Grand Theft Auto series and become "yet another great Rockstar North franchise title", given that its development is being overseen by Rockstar Games founders Sam and Dan Houser.[2] Speaking with GameSpot on the E3 2009 show floor, Feder explained the decision to develop the game solely for Sony's console as stemming from the increased support from Sony as an exclusive title rather than developing the game across platforms.[2]

On 7 September 2009, in a Question and Answer section on their blog, Rockstar Games stated that Agent could be released as early as 2010,[9] though Take-Two Interactive did not comment on the subject until March 2010, confirming that Agent was still in development.[10] On 9 June 2010, Take-Two Interactive confirmed that Agent was still planned as a PS3-exclusive title.[6] On 24 May 2011, after nearly two years since Agent was announced at E3 2009, Take-Two Interactive confirmed the title was still in active development, even though it had never been seen by the public up to that time.[11] However, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton said at E3 2011 that he was unsure over Agent's PS3 exclusivity and that it was a decision for Rockstar Games to make.[12][13]

The first screenshots of the game, released in August 2011 by former Rockstar North environmental artist Leigh Donoghue

On 15 August 2011, Leigh Donoghue, a former Rockstar North environmental artist who worked on Grand Theft Auto IV and Agent posted the first images of Agent in his online resume. The shots show a character as well as various indoor environments from the game. Both of the images clearly mention that they were made in 2009.[14]

On 1 August 2012, when asked about Agent at Take-Two Interactive's Q1 2013 report, CEO Strauss Zelnick said "we haven't announced anything about that title".[15][16][17]

With the announcement of the PlayStation 4 on 20 February 2013, there was an expectation that Agent may have moved to become an exclusive PlayStation 4 title.[18][19][20] However, there was no mention of the game at the launch, but developer Rockstar North had signed up to support the PlayStation 4.[21] When asked if Agent was still a PlayStation 3 title after the press conference of the PlayStation 4 reveal during a roundtable media session, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said "You are asking the wrong person. I have some knowledge, but I'm not in a position to talk about it."[22]

In July 2013, Take-Two Interactive renewed its trademarks of the "Agent" brand.[23] In December 2015, a few new screenshots from between 2009 and 2010 were revealed by former Rockstar North artist Darren Charles Hatton.[24][25] The artist said the art team was taken off the Agent project and reassigned to Grand Theft Auto V, adding that he was "not sure if this project will ever be published."[26]

In mid-2016, Hatton's screenshots were pulled from his online resume for unspecified legal reasons.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 Boyes, Emma (30 July 2007). "Sony announces PS3-exclusive Rockstar franchise". GameSpot. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Thorsen, Tor (5 June 2009). "Take-Two grooming Agent to be the next GTA". GameSpot. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  3. ↑ "Rockstar Games Announces Agent Exclusively for PLAYSTATION3 System". Reuters. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Reilly, Jim (2 June 2009). "Rockstar's 'Agent' Announced For PS3". IGN. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Rockstar Games 'Agent' is Not Dead; Two Trademarks Registered". Gamerant.com. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  6. 1 2 CVG Staff (9 June 2010). "PS3 News: Agent still PS3 exclusive, confirms Take-Two". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "E3: Rockstar's Agent is "genre-defining"". Eurogamer. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Alex Sasson Coby (3 June 2009). "E3 2009: Limited information on PS3-exclusive espionage action title emerges, Houser Bros. overseeing development". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Purchese, Robert (7 September 2009). "Rockstar's Agent due out in 2010 News". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  10. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (3 March 2010). "Rockstar's Agent "still in development"". Eurogamer. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  11. ↑ Naylor, Sam (24 May 2011). "Yes, 'Agent' is "still in Development."". RIPTEN. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  12. ↑ Sebastian Moss (8 June 2011). "Agent May No Longer Be a PS3 Exclusive". PlayStationLifeStyle. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Miles Jolliffe (8 June 2011). "E3 2011: SCEA boss seems unsure over Agent's PS3 exclusivity". ConnectedConsoles. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  14. ↑ Debabrata Nath (15 August 2011). "Environment Artist's profile reveal first Agent screenshots". VG 24/7. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  15. ↑ Crossley, Rob. "PS3 News: No sign of progress for PS3 exclusive Agent". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  16. ↑ "Rockstar's Agent still in development; Take-Two CEO has nothing to announce". Warp Zoned. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  17. ↑ "Take-Two Gives Agent Non-Comment: "We Haven't Announced Anything About That Title"". PSLS. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  18. ↑ "PlayStation Exclusive Agent to Become PS4 Exclusive?". TheGamerAccess.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  19. ↑ Al McCarthy (3 August 2012). "Take Two dodges Agent on PS3". Attack of the Fanboy. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  20. ↑ Marlon Votta (7 August 2012). "GTA 5 dev may release Agent on PS4". In Entertainment. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  21. ↑ Phillips, Tom (6 June 2012). "Every PlayStation 4 game, every developer announced so far". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  22. ↑ "The Last Guardian, Agent, and Final Fantasy Versus 13 still AWOL". VG247. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  23. ↑ Sources that refer to Take-Two Interactive renewing its trademarks of the Agent brand include:
  24. ↑ http://metro.co.uk/2015/12/22/new-screens-from-rockstars-agent-leak-and-they-still-dont-tell-you-anything-5580413/
  25. ↑ http://darrenhatton.wix.com/resume-v2#!vstc2=page-3d/vstc0=agent-art
  26. ↑ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-12-22-leaked-images-of-rockstars-spy-game-agent-appear
  27. ↑ http://darrenhatton.wix.com/resume-v2#!vstc0=agent-art

External links

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