Shoot, stab and
jump like a
grown-up

Local studio A2M moves
to the mature market with Wet

BUYING BACK TO GIVE LIFE: Patrick Fortier

by ERIK LEIJON

This past July, the video game industry was rocked by the mega-merger of gaming publishers Activision and Vivendi, no studio more so than Montreal’s own Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M). Known primarily for developing games based on movie licences or more family-friendly fare, A2M was gearing up to make their long-awaited transition into more violent, mature titles under the banner of Vivendi-offshoot Sierra. Unfortunately, the game was a victim of post-merger cost-cutting, except A2M feel strongly enough about their acrobatic XBox 360 and Playstation 3 action shooter Wet to sink their own cash into the project until they find a new publisher.

“We found out [about the project being dumped by Activision] on the Internet, just like everyone else,” says creative director Patrick Fortier, who joined A2M after a decade at Ubisoft Montreal specifically to work on Wet. “The reaction at A2M was interesting because there was a lot of belief in the project. We took the unusual step to actually buy back the rights to the game so we could take our time on the game and find the right publisher.”

Wet wasn’t the only game to bite the dust after the merger: the long awaited Ghostbusters game, the Jack Black pilot Brutal Legend as well as 50 Cent and Chronicles of Riddick sequels were all in the same boat (but have since found new homes). Fortier says Wet wasn’t as far along in development as those titles, but it’s now nearing alpha stage (meaning the levels and the gameplay mechanics are done) and the studio is in discussions with prospective publishers. As creative director, Fortier, 34, is responsible for presenting the game’s content to interested parties.

A2M is hoping Wet will alter public perception about the company, which is the city’s second largest studio, with 450 employees, yet receives little attention from hardcore gamers due to a youth-centric portfolio including High School Musical karaoke titles. Wet stars Ruby, a lithe gun-and-sword-wielding blue-collar hero taking down baddies in a spaghetti Western-style world. The game is unique as it combines acrobatic jumping with shooting; by leaping around and interacting with her surroundings, Ruby can multiply her score and enact even more wild manoeuvres.

“Wet is really a reunion of acrobatics, swordplay and shooting,” says Fortier. “The player is rewarded for jumping off the walls, shooting down ladders, staying in the air and being as acrobatic as possible. We’ve seen games that had either all acrobatics or all shooting and sword combat, but to mix all those things together has been the most challenging part of designing Wet.”