The January 2009 issue of
Game Developer magazine, the sister print publication to Gamasutra.com and the leading U.S. trade publication for the video game industry, has shipped to print/digital subscribers and is available from
the Game Developer Digital service in both subscription and
single-issue formats.
The cover feature for the issue is an exclusive postmortem of Media Molecule's user content-heavy PS3 platformer
LittleBigPlanet.
The article, by executive producer Siobhan Reddy, offers much insight into the acclaimed game's development. The piece is described as follows:
"LittleBigPlanet's codename was The Next Big Thing, and the support the game received from Sony and the press shows it. The game makes bold strides into the arena of user-generated content on consoles, and this postmortem simultaneously chronicles both the game's and the company's creation."
Alongside the postmortem is the 2008 Front Line Awards, highlighting the most outstanding middleware and tools available for game makers:
"Tools have taken an even greater focus as game development becomes more complex. But what to choose? For the 11th year, we bring you the brightest stars of the industry behind the industry, showcasing the best tools of the past year. As voted by you, the readers, we proudly announce the winners of our prestigious tool awards."
In addition, another in-depth technical features has game programmer Nicholos Olson offering up practical overview of the iPhone development environment, including plenty of technical details, as follows:
"The iPhone has become a popular format for both consumers and game developers alike, as it offers accessibility, a self-publishing model, and a wide userbase. But not everyone has had a chance to crack open the SDK. Here, Nicholos Olsen offers a primer to help curious developers get started on the new platform."
Finally, our regular columnists contribute detailed and important pieces on numerous areas of game development.
This issue, we include Bungie's Steve Theodore on artists and shaders, Noel Llopis on data alignment, Maxis' Soren Johnson on the game design wisdom of Sid Meier, and LucasArts' Jesse Harlin on audio design documents. And as usual, Matthew Wasteland contributes his monthly humor column.
Worldwide paper-based subscriptions to Game Developer magazine are
currently available at the
official magazine website, and the Game Developer Digital version of the issue is
also now available, with the site offering
six months' and a year's subscriptions, alongside access to back issues and PDF downloads of all issues, all for a reduced price. There is now also an opportunity to buy
the digital version of January 2009's magazine as a single issue.
