We've got yet more confirmation that the next generation of consoles is right around the corner, as another high-profile development studio candidly mentions it in a job advert. On the Zenimax job page, Arkane Studios is looking for a Senior Engine Programmer to join the team for work on next gen games. The job description really couldn't be any clearer that the studio already has plans for the PS4 and Xbox 720/Durango/whatever:
Answering to the Technical Director, you will adapt, maintain and optimize the code for PC and next gen consoles. Multipurpose, you will deal with technology issues that will come up during production (animation, IO, audio, physics….)
Interestingly, the French description of the role (since the job is in Lyon, France) doesn't actually mention next gen, asking for someone who can adapt, maintain, and optimise engine code for “les versions PC & consoles du jeu”, which just means “PC and game console versions”.
So, it's possible that the job description was written up in French and given to someone to translate who thought they'd play a little practical joke by throwing in the mention of next gen, but given that a load of people in the studio speak English (as we know from developer diary videos for Dishonored), I doubt it.
