14 DAY TRIAL // Dutch game studios Streamline announced its collaboration with Spanish developer Virtual Toys for the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade sports based title Hoop World. The Unreal Engine powered game was expected to be available for download via XBL Marketplace later this year, yet Streamline confirmed it will be released some time in 2007. The working version was presented this year at both the Game Developers Conference in San Jose and Electronic Entertainment Expo but something seems to have gone wrong.
After a series of collaborations which included assisting in the production of Unreal Tournament 2004, last year the studio announced Hoop World as its first original game. Developers describe their latest project as an "over-the-top, three-on-three multiplayer trick-game" that combines arcade style basketball and the intriguing ancient Mesoamerican game of tlachtli. Hoop World features a variety of stylized multi-ethnic characters, multiple hoops, interactive locations, and an unique points system, based on collaborative 'tricking'.
Hector Fernandez, chief creative officer at Streamline named Virtual Toys a "hardcore engineering house." Their job is to turn Hoop World into an XBL compliant title, including the 50MB size limit. "We're basically looking to have their engineering expertise to make sure we get all our content within [the mandated] limitations," Fernandez added. Streamline assures us the concept will remain the same, as content changes are expected to be fairly limited. None the less, the additional time will provide the developers with a good opportunity to expand - instead of downgrade - the arcade basketbrawl game. "It's speculative," he said, when asked if the game will include extra content. "We'll have everything we intended and then we'll see."