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Rat Race may be crawling back from the dead

by Andrew Yoon { Jan 27th 2009 at 7:20PM }

Remember Rat Race? Sony had revealed this episodic downloadable comedy game over a year ago -- only to quietly can it at E3 earlier last year. However, a report on True Game Headz suggests the project may be getting a second chance at life.

According to the report, developer Super-Ego was working on the game for Sony, making it a first-party exclusive for the platform. However, along the way they had to deal with "unstable finances of their investor," leading to a breach of contract with Sony. Sony considered the project done, but the team at Super-Ego wasn't ready to simply abandon their work.

In the time since the game's cancellation, Super-Ego has supposedly been in talks with other third party publishers, willing to help provide the resources necessary to finish the game and get it on the PlayStation Network. Considering it's no longer a Sony first-party title, the team will no longer make the game exclusive to PS3. A PC version is supposedly planned, with an Xbox 360 version also being considered.

[Thanks, sean]

Gallery: Rat Race

Don't laugh now, PSN's Rat Race exterminated

by Christopher Grant { Jul 16th 2008 at 9:00AM }

Following a discussion of Siren, we asked Sony Worldwide Studios pres Shuhei Yoshida about development of the not-quite-funny episodic comedy series Rat Race for the PSN. Yoshida laughed, telling Joystiq: "You have good memory. Yeah, maybe I talked about episodic games and that's my fault. So, yeah, we stopped it. We really liked the concept; it's like The Office TV series. It was kind of funny but we were not quite happy with how the game was turning out and there was some difficulty in development."

So, for those of you cursed with a penchant for terrible comedy, you'll probably want to dull the pain with yet another episode of Two and a Half Men. The rest of you? Keep an eye out for the remainder of our interview with Yoshida.

Rat Race is canceled

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 16th 2008 at 9:00AM }

We teamed up with Joystiq's Chris Grant in a lengthy interview with Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida (full interview to come later in the week). One of the random details we stumbled upon was the fate of the long-forgotten PSN episodic title, Rat Race. He admitted earnestly: "So, yeah, we stopped it. We really liked the concept; it's like The Office TV series. It was kind of funny but we were not quite happy with how the game was turning out and there was some difficulty in development."

Remember the first footage of the game? Well, it wasn't too inspiring. Honestly, this isn't one we're going to regret losing.

PS3 Fanboy interview: Rat Race

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 12th 2007 at 1:30PM }

The upcoming Rat Race surprised everyone when it was announced a few weeks ago. Now, Greg Easley and the rest of the Rat Race team must figure out the finer points of comedy, as they venture into new, unknown territory. See our exclusive interview below.

The game is currently announced for PS3. Do you intend on keeping it a PS3 exclusive, or will it appear on XBLA as well?
Rat Race is a first-party Sony title and will remain a PS3 exclusive.

What was the inspiration for an episodic comedy game?
Back when we were a tiny startup, a friend of the company suggested we avoid traditional genres and set our sights on making a totally original game. Knowing what our engine could do, he suggested setting the game in an office and incorporating over-the-top comedy. It didn't take long to figure out nearly everyone on the planet has funny and outrageous office stories to tell. (Don't you? Admit it!) We realized that with material this rich we should just go for it.

Gallery: Rat Race

Continued →

Rat Race trailer somehow reminds us of the Sims

by Jem Alexander { Oct 19th 2007 at 7:00AM }

Rat Race, the newly revealed episodic game exclusive for the PSN, certainly has some potential. The trailer above, however, doesn't exactly fill us with confidence. Whilst watching it we had vague flashbacks to The Sims 2. Despite that, we're excited about episodic gaming coming to the PSN. That's real episodic gaming, by the way. Not Valve-style episodic.

As far as we know, no gameplay details for Rat Race have really been divulged. Until we learn more we're going to reserve judgment. How about you?

Super-Ego Studios announces Rat Race, exclusive for PS3

by Nick Doerr { Oct 17th 2007 at 12:00AM }

Nope, this isn't the announcement of the long-awaited Seth Green movie tie-in. This Rat Race is a completely different monster, slated to hit the PSN exclusively at some point in the near future. The game is being hailed as a comedy/adventure title, pulling voice talent from places like South Park, Ugly Betty, Flight of the Conchords, and more. Basically, the voice talent alone will make this game worth a second look. But what's it play like?

Behold: a dysfunctional office. This is your base of operations, so to speak. The office and happenings therein would "make the Enron guys look like Nobel Prize laureates" and that's always a good start. A list of colorful characters is described at the PlayStation Blog, but that's not what we're looking for right now. The goal of the game is to make you feel like you're "playing a role" in an episode of your favorite TV show. There's more than snappy dialogue and interactive text, though -- you'll sneak, solve puzzles, steal, fight lab monkeys and more. It seems like it'll be a giant parody game in a way, but all in an office with some of the most interesting voice talents around. More to come!