Author: Kristoffer Keipp (Jun 03, 2008) - And yet another interview. This time we met Hideaki Itsuno, Capcom's Chief Director for Devil May Cry 4.

Devil May Cry 4 (picture: Capcom)

Hideaki Itsuno is Chief Director of Devil May Cry 4

PCGH: In a regular Cross Platform Development a title is usually developed simultaneously for Console and PC. Indeed you chose a different way like you did with Lost Planet and you once again finalize the console development before you started porting Devil May Cry 4 to the PC. What were your reasons for this approach? Is this a general policy at Capcom?

Hideaki Itsuno: For the most part, the development of the console and PC versions of the game did happen simultaneously so this definitely isn't a port. However, the PC release requires additional testing and checking due to the fact that it must run on a wide variety of hardware. Taking this into consideration, we prioritized the console versions and were able to release them earlier than the PC version. This was the case for Devil May Cry 4, not a company-wide policy.

Devil May Cry 4 (picture: Capcom)

Devil May Cry 4 (picture: Capcom)
PCGH: What are the differences between the Console and the PC Version as far as technical aspects is concerned? Can you confirm that besides additional content the PC version will offer improved visuals, a DX10 support and new video options? Are there any other differences between the two builds that are worth mentioning?

Hideaki Itsuno: One thing that we were able to do only on the PC is include the new Legendary Dark Knight Mode which really maximizes the potential of your PC. In this mode we are able to have large number of different enemies present on-screen at once. To clear this mode, players will need to master whole new strategies. Also, network ranking are not supported in the PC version.

PCGH: Did you develop your own engine for Devil May Cry 4 or did you license a technology? What were the reasons for developing your own technology/using middleware and what are the advantages when utilizing your own technology/a commercial product?

Hideaki Itsuno: As far as middleware goes, we use our own internally developed engine, the MT Framework in the development of this title. Dead Rising and Lost Planet also used this engine in their development.
There are a lot of good reasons to use middleware of this kind; you can keep development costs down while shortening the development cycle, and once your development staff is familiar with the tools, they can develop more effectively. By using Capcom's own in-house engine, we are able to make a lot of fine-tune adjustments to the system to customize it to each game we create.