In an era where remastering classic video game titles has become a genre on its own, there are studios that have established their name by modernizing our favorite games, making them shine in all their glory. Bluepoint Games, the studio behind the popular Shadow of the Colossus remaster, Metal Gear Solid HD and Gravity Rush remasters is a master when it comes to this discussion. We’ve recently talked with Marco Thrush, president at Bluepoint Games and he had some strong opinions to share about video game remasters.
According to Thrush, remastering a video game in a meaningful and high-end way is essential especially for console related versions. Undeniably, video games that have shaped the very foundation of the industry is unplayable on current systems and are bound to be forgotten with their respective consoles.
The Shadow of the Colossus remaster for Bluepoint Games was a perfect example of that. He said:
High quality remastered and remakes are incredibly important. Many great games are hardware locked, only available to players who own those consoles. Eventually, most of those consoles either break down or fade away, collecting dust in a garage or attic. As mentioned above with Shadow of the Colossus (SotC), it is important to bring masterpieces of gaming’s history to new players.
Thrush related that importance to the fast improvement to hardware, saying that original game developers some time have to cut down expectations just so that the game can run on current systems. This is a common tactic for studios, especially in the past.
Now, with the gap of console and PC hardware reaching a bare minimum, studios can not only remaster the classics in the most meaningful way but also deliver experiences that we’ve never seen up until now. Bluepoint Games knows how to push those limits and create experiences that can surpass their originals, especially when it comes to games that were suffering graphically. Thrush claims:
Many games, SotC included, were incredibly ambitious visions and the hardware of their time was limiting. Sometimes the original dev team had to cut corners due to those limitations. Sometimes the frame rate suffered and areas of the game did not play well. 100-million gamers can now enjoy a more fully realized Shadow of the Colossus playing at 60 fps.
Bluepoint Games is currently working on a mystery Playstation 5 project, supposedly a Demon Souls remaster. While the studio had nothing to share on that end, rumors and hints have pointed to FromSoftware’s genre-shaping title to be the next one to get the remastered treatment.
Whatever that title might be, Bluepoint Games’ president believes this will be the achievement they will be most proud of.
