Split/Second Message Board

#science Imagine playing a game that can caress you, run its finger down your back, make you feel as if you're flying, falling, crashing, or bugs are crawling over your face. More »

Well, this is never a good way to start off a Friday morning.

Despite positive reviews, Split/Second never found an audience.

After seeing its staff reduced to 40 employees after an earlier round of layoffs this year, Black Rock Studio, the developer behind such acclaimed racers as Split/Second and Pure, will soon close altogether, according to an official statement by Disney Interactive posted by Eurogamer.

The statement confirms that after the studio's latest project failed to garner a green light from the publisher, Disney informed the team of the decision to close.

As of this moment the studio remains open, as Disney has enacted a "consultation process" which, under U.K. law, signals an impending closure of a company. The process evidently takes 90 days.

After the previous round of layoffs, two new studios sprang forth from former heads at the company, including Split/Second director Nick Baynes' Roundcube Entertainment, and ShortRound Games, which was founded by four former department heads at the company.

Here's hoping the affected Black Rock employees find new work soon, either with their former coworkers, or elsewhere.

Black Rock Studios, the developers behind explosive racer Split/Second, have been shut down by owners Disney. Those laid off have already formed two new studios, called Roundcube Entertainment and ShortRound Games. [Eurogamer] More »

Split/Second developer Black Rock Studios is soon to be no more, with owners Disney letting go of the team's 40 remaining staff, Eurogamer is reporting...

A fraction of a moment never felt so long.

Greetings, and welcome to the next exciting installment of Split/Second. I’m happy to say we’ve managed to cram all of what made Split/Second great onto the PSP. At Disney Interactive Studios, we’re really proud of what Black Rock Studio created and were excited to see what Sumo Digital could add to the PSP version.

As Split/Second was a visual treat, we knew that we couldn’t compromise for both the size of the power plays and sheer on-screen excitement. We set out to create a spectacular-looking PSP game and I hope that everyone will agree that this is one of the best-looking racing games on the PSP. Another vital ingredient was to make sure that the handling and controls suited the PSP. Sumo are very experienced with years of racing experience and so set about creating a new driving model from scratch. The end result should be a fun, quick and skillful driving system that rewards users who push the cars to the max.

To add something completely new to the game we then added four all new Challenge modes which test the drivers in completely different ways. Each mode was designed with some key thoughts in mind – (1) blow things up; (2) race really fast; (3)use the environment to your advantage; (4) combine 1 to 3 while trying to get the highest score!

The final big addition for Split/Second PSP is that we managed to create an entirely new Docks track. This was a combination of previous work which works its way through different parts of the Docks area and ends up being one of the longest tracks in the entire game.

The demo should be live for everyone to play now so grab it and the game is available this week. Hope you enjoy this new version as much as we have!

I know what you’re thinking, and yes, the airplane still crashes onto the track in the middle of the race on the Airport Terminal track. Track layouts also distort dynamically, environments crumble realistically, and towers teeter and topple majestically under the destructive spark of Split/Second’s signature Power Plays.

In short, despite the smaller screen size, Split/Second’s PSP incarnation does not skimp on the spectacle. The PSP version releases on November 16th with four-player ad-hoc Wifi multiplayer, and this week I took a pre-release version of the game for a spin.

Thanks to some dazzling real-time lighting and particle effects, Split/Second on the PSP looks remarkably similar to its PS3 big brother. The tracks layouts are nigh-identical, and the gameplay zips along at a speedy clip, blasting energetically through every one of its 30 frames per second no matter how many fireworks are on the screen.

The controls have been been subtly tweaked to accommodate the mobile nature of PSP gameplay, and they feel tight and responsive on the analog stick and d-pad. You can still slipstream behind other racers to diminish wind resistance and gain a short-lived burst of speed, a critical tactic when you find yourself lagging behind the pack. The gas and brake buttons are mapped to X and Square, respectively; To drift around hairpin turns, you tap the Square button once. Given Split/Second’s blistering pace, I find it helpful to brake as little as possible and instead ease off the gas during dangerous moments. Finally, the L1 button triggers Power Plays, the aforementioned earth-shaking catastrophes that will wipe out your competitors if you master the, um, split-second timing.

Black Rock Studios (working with Sumo Digital) was kind enough to chip in an extra track for PSP players to bring the track total to 13 in all. PSP users also get new Challenges in addition to returning favorites like Elimination (stay out of last place), Air Strike (dodge incoming missiles), and Detonator (finish laps inside the deadline). Details on the new Challenges are still scarce and I’ll update you when I learn more.

Split/Second is a fast, aggressive PSP racer that will appeal to fans of destructive racers such as Burnout Dominator and WipEout Pure. If you have questions about the gameplay or overall experience, ask away in the comments below and I’ll do my best to get you an answer.

As part of a mentorship campaign initiated by Disney's XD channel, England-based developer Black Rock Studio will welcome some young viewers into the exciting world of game development. Kids will get to see what's under the bonnet of Split/Second, the studio's disaster-driven racer that debuted in May.

Black Rock audio director Steve Rockett values the positive message and "inspirational format" of Disney's campaign, telling Develop, "I think this idea is comparable to what has been going on in the music industry in the past few years in that it shows we are becoming much more accessible, and now people see it for what it is - a great place to work." Rockett will be showing his informal pupils how engine sounds are recorded and implemented in the game (it's just a guy going "VRROOM!" into a microphone, right?), while lead designer Ian Hudson will delve into Split/Second's unique track creation. Cars go here, explosions go there. This bit collapses. Got it!

According to Hudson, allowing players to participate in this manner will help sell them on game development as a viable and fun career. "When they see their ideas appearing in those games, well that's just thrilling, and it definitely gives them the idea that this isn't that hard to do and they have the ability to do it," he said. "I think it will attract a lot of people. The kids will get to say 'oh that's how you do it, I understand it now'."

But remember, kids: don't release anything alongside Rockstar's latest game.

#dlc The Facebook page for Split/Second promises three packs of new cars - one of them free - later this month, and a "major DLC pack" that includes a new environment in September. More »

#psp After a successful debut on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, Disney's destruction-driver racer Split/Second gets down-sized and down-to-business on the PSP this holiday season. More »

What we were playing when we probably should have been outside.

Game from Black Rock Studio set within the world of a fictional reality TV show features tracks rigged to explode, making every lap different.

#review Few racing games feature exploding silos that violently alter track layouts and redirect traffic onto an airstrip, requiring you to play chicken with a cargo plane apparently transporting fireballs. But Split/Second does. More »

Kart racing grows up.

Banger racing Hollywood style in Black Rock's explosive racer.

Get your questions answered.

#racin As part of our neverending mission to tell you what video game is now turning left four times at 100 mph on Saturday, let's check in with Joey Logano and the No. 20 GameStop Toyota. More »

#demo Routine trips to the airport will never be the same, now that Disney Interactive Studios has released a playable demo of action racing game Split/Second on Xbox Live. More »

#clips Can you imagine how much creating a television show set that looked like this would cost if Split/Second was a real reality television show? More »

#splitsecond My biggest concern with over-the-top racer Split/Second isn't with its explosive premise or arcade controls, it's with how long the game can maintain my interest. More »

Fast cars and hot images.

Part racing game, part blowing stuff up, Black Rock Studio's Split/Second hits May 21, Disney Interactive Studios announced today. The game is due out on the PC for $50 and Playstation 3 and Xbox...

Rev your engines and get ready to zoom.

Make the track go Boom.

Black Rock Studio Ambassador Jay Green opens the doors on the details to their action racing game Split/Second.

Master the art of using your surroundings to stall and destroy your adversaries in the Downtown Track!

Race through the Downtown streets doing whatever it takes to be number one!

Race for destruction across the Docks and through Downtown.

Check out this explosive footage of intense racing among the Shipyard from Split/Second!

Activate the trigger and gain access to alternate routes that will bring you closer to the finish line.