Back in February, we reported that a new IP for the PlayStation 4 in development at Sony’s Santa Monica studio had been cancelled. As a result, quite a few developer were laid off, including Lead Level Designer Jonathan Hawkins. We barely knew anything about the unreleased title, but DualShockers points out that Hawkin’s LinkedIn profile may have some clues.
The profile mentions an “unannounced IP” that Hawkins worked on between 2010 and 2014, and if the following details are anything to go by, then it seems that the cancelled IP was an open-world game, which the developers had even created two playable demos for.
Position: Lead Level Designer – Unannounced IP – (2010 – 2014)
– One of four hand-picked seasoned developers to lead a new IP from conception
– High-level design documentation, prototyped and developed gameplay systems
– Created greenlight presentation, two playable demos with a small team and limited resources
– Managed 15+ designers with daily reviews, feedback, problem solving and strategic planning
– Developed best practices for modular world building, tool creation and code requests
– Open-world, scripted linear content and system design
– Conducted analytical playtests for all gameplay sections
– Narrative/Mission design, tools, dialog and script feedback
– Schedule creation and management with production
– Mentored, trained junior designers and new team members
– Recruited, reviewed resumes, design test and conducted interviews
The exact reason behind the project’s cancellation is not known.
[Source: Jonathan Hawkins (LinkedIn) via DualShockers]
