Kotaku: Silicon Knights

Courtroom Setback in Epic Fight 'Tis a Flesh Wound, Says Silicon Knights

Owen Good — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:00:00 EST

Much has been made of a recent ruling adverse to Silicon Knights in its long-running lawsuit with Epic Games, the Gears of War maker whose Unreal Engine was to have been the guts of 2008 flop Too Human. Basically, a judge tossed out an expert witness for Silicon Knights; he was going to give his estimates of the losses Silicon Knights suffered when its deal with Epic went in the crapper. More »

Silicon Knights Cuts Half of Staff, Refocuses On "One Of Its Most Requested Titles for the Next Generation"

Brian Crecente — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:20:00 EDT

Massive layoffs hit Too Human and X-Men: Destiny developer Silicon Knights last week, cutting the Canadian developer nearly in half after an unnamed publisher pulled out on a project the team was working on, the company told Kotaku. More »

Rumor: Most Too Human Devs Given the Boot

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:45:00 EDT

A rumour on 1UP reckons that nearly 75% of the staff at Too Human developers Silicon Knights have been laid off, leaving only 25 at the studio which last worked on X-Men: Destiny. More »

Should You Buy X-Men: Destiny? No.

Mike Fahey — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EDT

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X-Men: Destiny has been out on store shelves for a couple of weeks now, so for many of you this comes too late, but in case the New York Comic-Con gets you craving a little mutant-on-mutant violence, Multiple Fahey and his sidekick, Owen, are here to save the day with an untimely Gut Check. More »

A Riotous Beginning for the New Mutants of X-Men: Destiny

Mike Fahey — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EDT

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How does one go from being a displaced teenager with a dickhead father one moment to being an unofficial member of the world's greatest mutant fighting force the next? Let's ask X-Men: Destiny. More »

X-Men: Destiny Takes a Voice of Protest to the City by the Bay

Owen Good — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:30:00 EDT

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San Francisco is a city long associated with rights movements, idealism, and rallies for peace, making it a useful backdrop for X-Men: Destiny. But Silicon Knights isn't planning on a Summer of Love in when the game arrives this fall. More »

X-Men Destiny Shows Off the Uglier Side of Marvel's Mutant Menace

Mike Fahey — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:20:00 EDT

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The San Diego Comic-Con is in full swing, making it the perfect time to parade out some ugly X-Men cosplayers, courtesy of Activision's X-Men Destiny. More »

GameStop Wreaks Havok on the X-Men, Gives Spider-Man an Identity Crisis

Mike Fahey — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:30:00 EDT

With two Marvel superhero video games coming from Activision this fall, GameStop ransacks comic book continuity for fresh outfits to provide preorder customers of X-Men: Destiny and Spider-Man: Edge of Time. More »

Meet Grant, X-Men: Destiny's Football Hero

Mike Fahey — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:20:00 EDT

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Joining Aimi Yoshida as one of three new mutant characters in Silicon Knights' X-Men: Destiny, Grant is a jock hailing from Georgia whose only ambition is to become a football hero. He gets it half-right. More »

"Social Gaming Is Going to Crash"

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 12 May 2011 05:00:00 EDT

Game designer Denis Dyack, who labored on action game Too Human for years, thinks that social gaming is a bubble waiting to burst: "The trend that I see is it's probably going to be one of the biggest bubbles and explosions that our industry's seen in a long time and I think when it crashes it's going to crash very hard." [IndustryGamers] More »

Too Human Trilogy Will Be Finished, Says Silicon Knights

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 02 May 2011 15:40:00 EDT

Silicon Knights, the creators of Xbox 360 game Too Human, says it still "intend[s] to finish the trilogy" despite meager sales, middling critical reception and a very long development cycle. Studio founder Denis Dyack tells Industry Gamers it has no further comment, noting "You know, there's very public litigation around that." We know! More »

This Is Going To Be Epic: Too Human Creators Gear Up For Legal War With Shooter Giant

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:30:00 EDT

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Gears of War's success was built on broken promises and the neglected developers who helped fund the creation of that game, a 2007 suit from the developer of the disappointing Too Human alleges. More »

A New, Improved Look At X-Men Destiny And Its Teenage Mutant Ninja Girl

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:40:00 EDT

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The last time we got a look at X-Men Destiny, the merry mutant adventure from the House of Ideas and Silicon Knights, we cooled to its look and feel. But our latest peek at the game and new X-character Aimi Yoshida has us warming up to Activision's latest. More »

First Look At The New Mutants Of X-Men Destiny

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:40:00 EST

The people who made games Too Human and Eternal Darkness are now making an X-Men adventure for Activision, a game that lets players mold their own mutant. This is what that game, X-Men Destiny, is looking like right now. More »

New X-Men Game Sounds Mass Effect-y

Stephen Totilo — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:20:00 EST

This new trailer for fall 2011's X-Men Destiny keeps hammering away at one point: as a virtual X-Man, we will be able to choose our destiny in Destiny. That sure makes it sound like this game's a role-playing game. More »

Too Human Creators Heading X-Men Destiny Development

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:40:00 EDT

Silicon Knights, the Canadian studio famous for its work on Too Human, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Eternal Darkness, is the studio behind Activision's recently announced game for Marvel, X-Men Destiny. More »

Canadian Gov't Gives $4 Million to 'Too Human' Studio

Owen Good — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:30:00 EDT

The bunch that brought you 2008 dud Too Human is now on the public dole, getting a $4 million gummint check the studio says will help it build its next AAA-game. More »

A New Eternal Darkness Trademark? What's That About?

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST

Silicon Knights' psychological horror game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was one of the bright spots in the GameCube library, so Nintendo's new refiling of the Eternal Darkness trademark warrants at least a modicum of excitement. Or does it? More »

Dyack Brags that 'Staggering' Layoffs Make His Studio 'Oldest'

Owen Good — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

In an interview, Denis Dyack bemoaned the "staggering" layoffs seen in game development over the past 18 months, then went on to talk about how such attrition has helped cement Silicon Knights as one of the longest tenured studios left. More »

"Too Early" To Talk About Silicon Knight's Unannounced Projects

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:00:00 EDT

A press release from Canada Telefilm listed projects approved for government aid. Included in that list is a Siren in the Maelstorm from Too Human developer Silicon Knights. More »

Silicon Knights Hires Bean Counter as VP, Has Him Hand Out Swords

Brian Crecente — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:20:00 EST

Too Human developer Silicon Knights hired Michael Mays, a "skilled financier" with nearly 20 years financial experience, as their new vice president. More »

Silicon Knights Exec Leaves Company

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 04:00:00 EST

Rob DePetris, vice-president of finance for Canadian developer Silicon Knights, has left the company. His reason? More »

Too Human Soundtrack Hits CD and iTunes

Brian Crecente — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

Too Human had a mixed reaction from reviewers. I thought the game had merit, but was flawed. Now you can buy what some may say was the best part of the title: The music. More »

Rumor: Sega Drops Silicon Knights' Unannounced Game

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:30:48 EST

The newest issue of EGM, the one with Watchmen's Rorschach on the cover, contains a rumor that the unannounced game that Eternal Darkness and Too Human developer Silicon Knights is prepping for Sega may have to find a new home. The title is said to be looking for a new publisher but doesn't expound upon the reasoning for the alleged change. More »

Silicon Knights Lays Off 25 to 30

Brian Crecente — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Silicon Knights laid off 25 to 30 employees today. More »

What's Working for Denis Dyack Like

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00:00 EDT

Right before you go to sleep, ever wonder what it's like to work for Too Human creator Denis Dyack? Neither do we. But let's say, hypothetically, that you did wonder that. Read what some Too Human employees say about Dyack: More »

Oh, So Too Human Didn't Take Ten Years To Make

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:30:00 EDT

Too Human was first announced as a PS1 game back in 1999, but does that really mean it's been ten years in development? Nope, no, no way, no dice says Silicon Knights boss Dennis Dyack, who says development on the title only begun in earnest once they'd finished with their Metal Gear Solid port for the GameCube. So not ten years in development, then, but four. Course, that gives them even less of an excuse for some of the game's more outdated elements, but hey, if Dennis wanted that cleared up, he's cleared it up! More »

No, Famitsu Does Not Hate Too Human

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:40:00 EDT

Adding to our Too Human Frankenreview, Famitsu has given the game a score of 7, 7, 7 and 7 — 28 out of 40. Not amazing, but not terrible. The publication liked the game's online and co-op play features. One Famitsu editor even slated the game as a "Pick of the Week". Stay tuned for our review later in the week. More »

Microsoft Compares Too Human To Star Wars And Lord of The Rings

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Once again that Microsoft has "Never Say Die!" tattooed in neon green across its corporate chest, the company has announced it is sticking by Denis Dyack and Too Human. While the reviews have been mixed at best, Microsoft states: More »

Next Silicon Knights Game Nothing Like The Last Silicon Knights Game

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:30:00 EDT

Too Human's actually coming out. And good for it, it's been long enough. But what are Silicon Knights doing next? According to boss Dennis Dyack, it's going to be something completely different: More »

It Finally Happened. Too Human Went Gold.

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Almost a decade and a couple platforms later, Microsoft has announced that, yes, Too Human's gone gold. There's even a demo of Denis Dyack's game up on LIVE to prove it. It's apparently been downloaded more than another action demo on LIVE Marketplace in its first week. That's what Microsoft says! Feel free to download it. Or not. It's your choice. More »

Denis Dyack Explains Too Human (In Bed)

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:40:08 EDT

Watch as Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack exercises Herculean strength of willpower, describing the concept behind his Xbox 360 game Too Human to women in underthings, maintaining constant eye contact. Penthouse Pets Heather Vandeven and Jaime Lynn are wooed and wowed by the concept of cybernetic Norse mythology, a story told in two parts. More »

Dyack Promises "Dynamic, Intelligent Camera" For Too Human

Leigh Alexander — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Look who's writing a column in the recently-revamped Edge Online! It's Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack, and he's talking about cut scenes. That's been sort of a hot-button issue lately, hasn't it? On one hand, it's difficult to tell a story without cut scenes. On the other hand, they fly in the face of a video game's ultimate goal: interactivity. More »

Too Human Gets Euro Release Date

Leigh Alexander — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Silicon Knights' Too Human is coming to our shores on August 19th, and we now know our neighbors in Europe will get the Xbox 360 exclusive precisely ten days thereafter, on the 29th. More »

Too Human Demo - There's a demo for Silicon...

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Too Human Demo - There's a demo for Silicon Knights' upcoming giant bear sim Too Human up on Xbox Live. Go see if you can make out what all the fuss is about. More »

Too Human Demo Coming To LIVE Next Week

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:40:07 EDT

As part of its "Bringing It Home" E3 campaign, Microsoft will finally let loose the public demo of Too Human via Xbox Live, reports IGN. Anticipation for the demo is likely at an all-time high, as Silicon Knights' bossman Denis Dyack has been teasing a demo since August of '07. We expect a flurry of varying opinions upon its release. More »

Dyack vs. NeoGAF, Part II

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:00:00 EDT

Oh, the drama. In the latest 1Up Yours podcast, Too Human creator Denis Dyack explains just why he went after the NeoGAF Too Human haters. In his own words, Denis Dyack: More »

Too Human Online Co-op Hands On: Does Double The Baldur Mean Double The Fun?

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:20:53 EDT

Stephen Totilo from MTV Multiplayer and I tag-teamed a Troll today. Multiple Trolls, actually, and dozens of Goblins, as we tackled Too Human's online multiplayer co-op mode. Having completed the core single player campaign last night - it took me about 11 hours and change, for the record - and whipping through the first chapter again with my Champion class Baldur, I was a pretty good candidate for a Totilo power-leveler. More »

Too Human: "This Has To Be The Worst Game I've Played In The Last 5 Years"

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Poor Denis Dyack. Too Human's not even out yet, and already, the knives are out. None sharper than this one: over on the Eurogamer boards, one of the site's mods - a chap who claims to be a journo - says his Too Human review NDA is "against [his] human rights". He also says "this has to be the worst game I've played in the last 5 years", citing everything from the game's animation to its supposedly repetitive combat. This follows on from a few hands-on impressions hitting yesterday that range from the wary to the downbeat to the cautiously damning. None of which are the final word. But all of which will nevertheless be taken as final gospel/reviews by the impressionable and trollish (despite the potential that one is a complete fabrication), which should make a fascinating case study in the construction of internet preconceptions for some student, somewhere. More »

Too Human Hands-On: Six Hours In And Half-Way Home

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:00:46 EDT

It's puzzling to think that Silicon Knights has been plugging away at Too Human for well over a decade now. Sure, it's been planned as epic stuff from the get go, back when it was a PlayStation title and boasted of a scope that would require four game discs over 80 hours of gameplay. It later became a GameCube title, a transition that obviously required much of its previous iteration to be scrapped. More »