Gas Powered Games almost went under when its Wildman Kickstarter failed to gain traction with the gaming public. Things have improved since then as Wargaming.net swooped in to rescue the studio and turn it into an arm of their burgeoning body of talent.
Speaking to VG247, Gas Powered Games chief Chris Taylor discussed the future of the PC market and expressed his desire to create a proper sequel to Total Annihilation. More than just Supreme Commander or another spiritual successor, Chris Taylor expressed his desire to return to his roots but elaborated on the problems that such an endeavor would pose.
"I would love to yes, but the problem is you can’t just make a sequel to a game that’s 17 or 16 years old. You have to update and evolve it to fit into the current situation in the market. But it’s a really complex question to answer because, do people want something that’s been evolved, or do they want to just go back in time and imagine that it’s 1998, and we’re beginning work on Total Annihilation 2? Do they want that game?
"What do [gamers] want in terms of mechanics, do they want a boxed product experience? But yes, it would be wonderful to do something with it."
Taylor was also broached on the topic of Kings and Castles, a game that was put on-hold at Gas Powered Games due to lack of publisher interest. The game was developed as a "Total Annihilation with Supreme Commander in the Medieval era." The development was put on-hold when the publisher was unable to sell it to publishers during a time when games were disappearing from retail shelves.
"The publishing industry was going through a very tough time, and it kind of still is in some ways, so to make an investment on a game like Kings and Castles was highly risky. We saw a lot of that, and that’s frankly what made business hard for many people, and many businesses closed too," he said.
Despite his experience, Taylor believes that the PC gaming scene will improve.
"We’re happy to see the stability of PC gaming come back through several world-leading companies like Wargaming, and we hope it’ll just continue to get better and better."
