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The developer of Call of Juarez has ditched retail for its next title and is determined to make its mark on digital instead.
Polish studio Techland told MCV it wants to push the quality of digital titles” with its upcoming downloadable FPS, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, which was announced today at Ubisoft’s Digital Days showcase in Paris.
The game puts players through a variety of missions with historical figures like Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, with an arcade-like score system letting them prove they are the fasted gun in the West.
When asked why Techland opted for a download release, international brand manager Blazej Krakowiak cited the digital prowess of Juarez publisher Ubisoft.
They are our long-time partner on this series,” he told MCV. They’ve always been champions of the digital format, they’ve done some excellent games that I don’t think other products would risk, like From Dust or I Am Alive. Those are all examples of how you can use the digital platform to show off a great game.
We are happy to be part of the digital revolution that everyone is talking about, and we have high ambitions in terms of quality. We want the game to look outstanding, we want to push the quality of digital titles. We have a great story to tell and this is the format where we’re going to do it.”
Of course, the decision to go download-only for the next Call of Juarez was no doubt influenced by the commercial disappointment of previous outing, The Cartel. The game was heavily criticised for its decision to drop the Wild West in form of a more contemporary setting, but Techland is keen to rectify that in Gunslinger.
There were reasons why we thought that might work, but there are also many reasons why it didn’t turn out as we hoped,” Krakowiak explained. Most of the feedback that we got was go back to the Wild West” and that’s what we’re doing. And we’re happy with that.”
We have some ideas for some great stories that we’ve wanted to tell since Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood and we have a new protagonist, a new format. We can go places we couldn’t when we were tied to previous storylines and characters.”
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is due for release on XBLA, PSN and PC in 2013.
