Epic, EA officially announce Bulletstorm @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on April 12, 2010

News: Now what will CliffyB have to talk about tonight?

Game Informer blew the lid off Bulletstorm over the weekend, and now developer People Can Fly (and their parent company Epic Games) and publisher Electronic Arts have officially announced the game.

Built using Epic's Unreal Engine 3, Bulletstorm is a first person shooter where players will be asked to "kill with skill." Coming to the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sometime in 2011, People Can Fly promises it'll contain "over-the-top combat moves and outrageously large guns."

УBulletstorm is the kind of game we love to make because it's pure, unadulterated entertainment,Ф said Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps. УPeople Can Fly has created a wildly fun first-person shooter that looks gorgeous running on the latest Unreal Engine 3 technology, and the skillshot system is a welcome addition to the genre. We can't wait to see how everyone reacts to seeing Bulletstorm.Ф

In development since 2007, Bulletstorm's story has found inspiration in recent shooters such as Haze and Borderlands:

Bulletstorm tells the story of a futuristic confederation protected by an elite band of mercenaries: Dead Echo. When Dead Echo members Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato learn they've been working for the wrong side, they're betrayed by their commander and exiled to the far reaches of the galaxy. In Bulletstorm, Grayson and Ishi find themselves surrounded by hordes of mutants and flesh eating gangs in an abandoned paradise. They have two objectives: get off the planet alive, and exact revenge on the man who sent them there.

The game's "Skillshot" system aims to remove the repetition of constantly hunting for headshots by encouraging players to be creative, or, to kill with skill:

The skillshot system rewards players for inciting mayhem in the most creative way possible. The more insane the skillshot, the more points players collect to upgrade their character and unlock weapons, which then allows them to execute even more creative moves and exaggerated skillshots.

Epic Games' Design Director, Cliff Bleszinski, is expected to unveil Bulletstorm tonight on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, which begins at 12:35 AM on NBC.