Cerny Talks Knack and Indie Led Gaming ‘Renaissance’ on PS4

Mark Cerny, the PS4's lead system architect, has given a keynote speech at the Develop conference in Brighton today and while much of his speech was the same as his recent address at GameLab in Barcelona he did provide some new insight into the development of launch title Knack and indie gaming on PS4.

Saying indie games could lead to a "Renaissance of gaming" on Sony's next console Cerny hopes to welcome more "intimate experiences" on the PS4 in order to "balance out" AAA titles. He added that "Variety of experience is a key part of PlayStation."

Cerny believes that indies can "fundamentally alter the landscape of gaming" and that "the console audience has woken up to the possibilities of indie games". 

He also pledged to make is easier than ever to bring indie games to PlayStation platforms as part of Sony's 'People out front' philosophy. 

"Heave content will thrive on the platform," he concluded, noting "creative freedom and broad content that made the early days of PlayStation so memorable."

Cerny says PS4 is an attempt to recapture the creative essence that existed in the creation of early PlayStation titles such as Parappa the Rapper.

He also spoke revealed that he worked as the PS4's system architect on a freelance basis being he was not tasked with overseeing budgets or staff – allowing him to focus on creating the system.

With regard to Knack, the game Cerny's heading up development of in addition to his hardware duties, he says Sony wants the game to offer a challenge to core console gamers but also to those who have never used a controller before.

As part of the game's development Sony created a DualShock 4 50 per cent larger than the standard controller so that the development team could "directly experience" what it's like for a child to play a console game for the first time.

"Our quest to make the on ramp to the world of console games [for new players] has taken us to some rather interesting places," he said. "The issue [with a controller] was not the complicity of the control scheme as much as the size of the controller versus the size of their hands.

"We immediately understood that the shoulder buttons are simply out of reach for the typical 8-year-old, but that all face buttons could be used quite readily."

Cerny noted that while he's "personally comfortable" with a controller many players today are more familiar with a touch-screen.

"We had these goals for development for many young or beginner players, between what they're familiar with when playing a game, and what's required a modern triple-A tittle," he explained. 

Knack is designed to "bridge the gap" between both new and veteran console players and "firmly has a foot in both worlds."

The PS4, and Knack, will be released later this year . 

Source: Edge, Digital Spy.