Four developers laid off when Electronic Arts closed Pandemic Studios have formed "Downsized Games," and their first offering is slam full of very thinly veiled references to their old employers.
BULLETrain, coming soon for the iPhone and iPod Touch, is set in a future in which "giant mega corporations rule the universe." One of them "Elaborate Acquisitions," is run by "the dastardly JR," and it has begun a hostile takeover of the protagonist's shipping company on his home planet of "Glendon-19." So the game is about revenge. "It's time to hand out the pinkslips, in blood," says the blurb on Downsized's site.
For those not in the know, of course Elaborate Acquisitions refers to Electronic Arts, with "the dastardly JR" being its chief executive officer, John Riccitiello. Planet Glendon-19 refers to Pandemic's old address, 1100 Glendon Ave. in Los Angeles.
Downsized "went live" on March 10; it was formed by Pandemic veterans Manny Vega, Andrew Mournian, Zach Hefner and Ariel Tal. No word yet on when BULLETrain will release or how much it'll cost.
Downsized Games [thanks, Gus]