The year we formed Guerrilla, 2003, was an interesting time for gaming. The PlayStation 2 had launched three years earlier to critical acclaim. People were losing their minds over the technological feats being achieved with all the power it offered (six whole GFLOPS!).
Early days of development
Meanwhile, we were working hard in the Netherlands – some of us making Game Boy Color games. We were called Lost Boys, we were scrappy, maybe flying by the seat of our pants a little, but we were also ambitious. So, when the opportunity came up to create these new experiences that push boundaries and steer the industry, we grabbed it with both hands.
It was a time of experimentation, and it was exciting to be at the forefront of innovative, interactive technology. I think it’s clear that’s still in our DNA – in Decima, especially.
As Guerrilla, we made a lot of work for ourselves right off the bat, creating 3D immersive games with Shellshock: Nam ‘67 and Killzone. Unexpectedly, our small studio was quickly catapulted to the global stage. Killzone’s gritty galactic war captured the imagination of gamers, and we were proud of having made a mark in the industry and having developed a first-person shooter for Sony.
It wasn’t long until we jumped to work on the sequel. By this time, consoles were taking the world by storm, and PS2 players especially. By that point, we knew what we were doing a little bit more, and Killzone 2 raised the quality bar for us. It’s nice to see it considered a ‘classic’ of that generation – even if it makes me feel a little old reading that back.
Around when the PlayStation 3 console was launching, we became a first-party studio for Sony. They were really supportive of our creative visions, and their new technology was, as always, best-in-class. We experimented with the latest tech, like the PlayStation Move motion controllers, and we expanded the world of Killzone into handheld experiences.
This period was truly one of growth for us at Guerrilla in every sense. We navigated what it meant to be a first-party studio for Sony, growing and having visibility on the global stage. We were regularly producing games. They were popular. But it only pushed us into wanting to spread our creative wings, staying true to the motivation of our early years.
A new generation for Guerrilla
By the time we released Killzone Shadow Fall (2013) for the PS4, we were at a turning point.