Following the recent formation of Recoil Games and the subsequent announcement of its first title, the sci-fi themed first person shooter Earth No More (PS3, X360, PC), I caught up with studio founder and director, Samuli Syvahuoko (pictured left). The former managing director and co-founder of Max Payne creator Remedy Entertainment, Syvahuoko has only recently returned to PC and console development after having spent six years specializing in mobile technology and games, providing him with a fresh view of the current gaming landscape.

With this in mind, we spoke on variety of topics, including the company's relationship with 3D Realms, its use of Unreal Engine 3, digital distribution, the future of the PC and console market, and the effects of piracy. Check it out.

Samuli Syvahuoko: Having been "away" from the PC/console space for several years, I was somewhat shocked to notice that--apart from eyecandy--things in games had not progressed all that much. And having always been a big fan movies and television serials (in other words great storytelling and believable characters), I started to see a clear gap that needed filling.
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eXp has been updated with a Q&A with Samuli Syvahuoko of Recoil Games. Syvahuoko is asked about the company's "cinegames" and the upcoming Earth No More.

3D Realms' latest title is a sci-fi themed FPS named Earth No More, company co-founder Scott Miller has confirmed to Shacknews. Developed by the recently formed Recoil Games and powered by Epic's Unreal Engine 3, the game will arrive on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2009.

Initial details on Earth No More surfaced in the latest issue of Game Informer, which is set to hit stores and subscribers later this week. Beginning in a small, quarantined New England town, Earth No More's antagonist comes not from space, but from nature. As a result of mankind's constant pollution of and experimentation with the environment, a growth of deadly red vines and mutating spores have overtaken the world, perverting whatever they encounter.

When reached for comment, Miller told Shacknews that ... Read more

FiringSquad busts out with the first Recoil Games Q&A, asking Samuli Syvahuoko about this new game development company (see story).

Samuli Syvähuoko, co-founder and former managing director of Max Payne creator Remedy Entertainment, has announced the formation of Recoil Games Ltd., a new studio dedicated to console and PC game development. Joining Syvähuoko are other former Remedy staffers as well as developers hailing from studios such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Guerrilla Games, Codemasters, Treyarch, Bugbear, and Housemarque.

"The gaming industry is growing rapidly, and Finland has a strong cluster of expertise in the field. Founding a new development studio with a team of industry veterans is an exciting opportunity that has quickly attracted the attention of international game production companies and investors," said Syvähuoko, who will serve as Recoil's studio director. "Recoil Games titles will focus not only on compelling storylines and state-of-the-art visuals, but also on superb playability. Our long-term goal is to become a world-class game development company by building original IP game franchises that will reach hit status worldwide."

Recoil's first project is an original action game targeting PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Among the studio's goals are to create games "with the scope, feel and ensemble cast of disaster movies." Towards that end, Recoil will make use of what it calls its "Cinegames design techniques," which promise to deliver intelligent game characters capable of working together to overcome obstacles--including tackling "internal human conflict," which Recoil feels is lacking from modern games.

Helsinki-based Recoil, which opened its doors this January, currently numbers about 20 employees, with plans to grow to 50 during development of its first game. The company is currently looking for a senior programmer, lead AI programmer, lead graphics programmer, and level designer. For more information, check out the official Recoil Games site.