GDC Next 10 adds Project Eternity, CounterSpy talks

'Future of games' conference GDC Next organizers have announced the latest two titles to be included in the 'GDC Next 10' special session series of innovative, yet-to-debut games: Obsidian Entertainment's retro-revival RPG Project Eternity, and Dynamighty's procedurally-generated action game CounterSpy. As part of the November LA-based 'future of games' conference's cutting-edge content, representatives of each game will be invited to give a world-exclusive talk about the concept, inspiration, and design behind the title. Every GDC Next 10 game has been picked by GDC organizers as a game to watch for the future; one that is doing something decidedly different in today'’s increasingly crowded game market. This week's first addition to the Next 10 is Obsidian Entertainment's Project Eternity [trailer], an original PC game that aims to revive the 2D isometric design and hand-drawn aesthetic established by classic party-based role-playing games Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate, and Icewind Dale. Project Eternity initially made waves as one of last year's crowdfunding hits, pulling in over $4 million to break the Kickstarter record for games at the time. However, bringing back the 2D isometric RPG isn't all magic missiles and lightning bolts. Project Eternity director Josh Sawyer (Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights 2) will elaborate upon the challenges involved in balancing contemporary development and design practices with classic RPG fans' expectations in a talk titled 'Gathering Your Party with Project Eternity'. Attendees will learn how 13440 x 7560 renders sound cool until you see how big they are on disk; how classic challenge is good, as long as you avoid classic obfuscation; and how a few words with a loose illustration can be a scene's greatest illustrator. This week's second addition to the Next 10 is Dynamighty's debut title, CounterSpy, [trailer], a side-scrolling action game with stealth elements, built around a "Doomsday Clock" mechanic; players must complete procedurally-generated espionage missions to prevent the Cold War from going nuclear and roll back the clock bit by bit. CounterSpy will launch on PS3, PS4, and PS Vita. LucasArts veteran, Dynamighty co-founder and creative director David Nottingham will discuss CounterSpy's development path, from concept to console deal, in 'How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Making CounterSpy.' Nottingham's talk will also take a personal tack, as he will share how he brought himself to leave the safety of triple-A behind to forge a new studio and build an original game. These games join previously announced GDC Next 10 inductees Capy Games's Super T.I.M.E. Force, Team Dakota's Project Spark, Double Fine's Broken Age, The Odd Gentlemen's Wayward Manor, HumaNature Studios's Doki-Doki Universe, and Grand Cru's Supernauts, all of which are the subject of detailed behind-the-scenes talks at the show. GDC Next is the spiritual successor to GDC Online, and will take place alongside the App Developers Conference on November 5th-7th, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This new event aims to highlight the future of video game development, with tracks including 'Next Generation Game Platforms', 'Free To Play & New Business Models', and 'Smartphone & Tablet Games', as well as cloud and indie game tracks. Check out the GDC Next Session Scheduler to see the other announced talks and begin your planning. Previously announced talks include an Chris Roberts on the community-building lessons he learned while crowdfunding Star Citizen for $20 million, and Kongregate COO Emily Greer on analytics best (and worst) practices. Online registration is in full swing for GDC Next; registrants can save up to $200 on ADC, GDC Next, or a combined VIP All-Access Pass. For all the latest news on GDC Next, subscribe for updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Also, check out ADC's recently announced talks, with Sequence on Food Network TV companion app On the Road, and WillowTree on its eHealth app case study of Johnson & Johnson's BabyCenter. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech