14 DAY TRIAL // L.A. Noire might be getting ready to reveal itself in front of the press in all its glory, but we already know the game faced some difficulties in its development. Sony was the first one that worked on the title, starting development in 2003, only to drop it in 2006 and hand it over to Rockstar. Now it's 2010, and all we have are still just some dark screens and an atmospheric teaser trailer. And while it looks good and sends a bit of the noir feeling, the game has little to show for itself after being in production for seven years.
But the seven-year development story appears to be a lot grimmer than we could have imagined. Kotaku spotted a Tweeter account that claims to be a source closely connected to the game, and the story its post tells is a tragic one. It's a long story, with a lot of ups and down, an we'll try to summarize it, providing its highlights and a bit of a narrative flow.
Apparently, the beginnings of L.A. Noire had Brendan McNamara, Team Bondi's founder and the creator of The Getaway, design a very different concept for the game. "McNamara had an idea that would [...] blow Rockstar out of the water; an interactive 3D noir. Stuff that actually isn't like other stuff...And McNamara would get a chance to create the launch title that completely defined a platform for its entire lifespan." The project started off with a sonic boom, and things quickly grew for the baby game. Its developing team steadily expanded and ideas were being shaped, but everything changed when McNamara saw GTA San Andreas and found it to be a totally revolutionary concept. "The present game plan [for L.A. Noire] would no longer suffice."
From here on, "veracious" tells the story of a dying game. Accusing McNamara of being incapable of managing a project, and especially the human resources involved, the post explains that, along with a change in management at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, McNamara and his project were put under the microscope. "The new bosses found that Team Bondi had little to show 2+ years of development, except an unplayable game filled with superfluous content... However, the project had already cost Sony USD 20 million+; a cost high enough that they attempted to spend the few months salvaging LAN."
Further on, he explains that the game's title is nothing but a mistake, and that the end "e" of Noire is nothing but a ridiculous typo. Eventually dropped by Sony in an attempt to cut its losses, the game was handed over to Rockstar in spring 2006. "Sony and Take-Two came to agreement that the former wouldn't pursue the costs incurred for development in exchange for a franchise exclusive... Obviously, Sony wrote off the costs associated with the development of L.A. Noire," which would pretty much mean that Sony was just glad to get rid of the game.
The end "veracious" pens for the story isn't really a happy one either. He explains that, since 2006, the title has been at a standstill with revamps, ports and four delays. And even more disturbing, he claims that working conditions at Team Bondi are very similar to the ones over at Rockstar San Diego, which is currently working hard to get Red Dead Redemption out the door. "Also, if you want to go to that Rockstar SD Spouse post and replace studio names and games, you have a good idea of Team Bondi as of present."
The picture he painted for the game is indeed a bleak one, with dramatic shots and a dark and worn-out frame. Kotaku tried to contact both Team Bondi and Rockstar, but, until a reply arrives, if it will arrive, this is just one side of the story, that truth be told, seems to fit pretty well with the facts we already know.