Factor 5 Moves Development Exclusively To PlayStation 3

Speaking in an interview on CNET News.com, Julian Eggebrecht - president of console developer and former Nintendo stalwart Factor 5 - has indicated that the company will now create games solely for the PlayStation 3. "I was shocked by how powerful the new consoles are," Eggebrecht is quoted as saying. "They should really free our development." According to Eggebrecht, Factor 5 looked at the possibility of Xbox 360 development but found that the PlayStation 3 offered more power. Oddly, considering that the company’s previous titles have all been Nintendo exclusives for the N64 and GameCube, Eggebrecht made no mention of the Nintendo Revolution. This does not necessarily preclude the developer from continuing its Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series on the PlayStation 3, since the exclusivity period for the titles appearing on Nintendo consoles has now ended at publisher LucasArts. However, the company’s website lists only the much delayed Thornado as currently being in production. Next to nothing is known about Thornado, except rumors that it is a follow-up to the company’s 16-bit hit Turrican, which was developed when the company was originally based in Germany – rather than its current San Rafael base. It is also unclear how the exclusivity deal will affect the company’s multiplatform MusyX sound tool technology, which has been used extensively by Nintendo in a number of its own first party titles. Indeed, Factor 5 were a technology partner in the creation of the GameCube – a role that has apparently failed to carry on to the Revolution.