I Am Alive was originally billed as a AAA disc-release title from Ubisoft, but has since fallen from grace to a digital-only XBLA and PSN release. Judging by recent remarks from Ubisoft regarding piracy, we shouldn’t hold our breath for a PC release.
The title has also changed development teams in its incubation, being moved from Ubisoft France to Ubisoft Shanghai.
Talking to IncGamers, current I Am Alive creative director Stanislas Mettra has revealed that his team took over because the French botched it.
“The first build of the game was done in France and then, sometime later, it was taken to Shanghai,” said Mettra. “That was because we knew it wasn’t good enough to release and we had to deeply reconsider some elements that didn’t work well enough.
“This was after a lot of work had been completed; all of the levels were there already. But it’s really hard to create something believable and emotionally attaching.”
Mettra says that the feedback garnered from the first trailer release back in 2008 illustrated the need for a reworking.
“After we released that first trailer and observed the feedback we knew we needed something human-centric, a game that would really make you care about the main character.
“There were some things that just didn’t work with the initial setting and concept that meant it was hard to believe in the story and the world.”
It’s certainly been a troubled development, but credit should be given to Ubisoft for maintaining a high standard. Far too many developers make the mistake of releasing an unrefined game, so credit to Ubisoft for being unwilling to do so.
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