Minimum, the blocky multiplayer shooter that was formerly being developed by Timegate Studios, is now in the care of Human Head.
Human Head Studios spent a lot of time working on Prey 2 but it just couldn’t quite get the job done, and sometime in 2012 – I don’t think the date has ever been nailed down – Bethesda pulled the plug on the whole thing. TimeGate Studios, meanwhile, filed a lawsuit against SouthPeak Interactive that went about as wrong as humanly possible, resulting in a multi-million-dollar backfire and the eventual bankruptcy of the company.
Prior to that, TimeGate had been working on a cool-looking shooter called Minimum, a reference to the minimalist design of the game’s characters and environments, which were constructed entirely out of blocks, giving it a vaguely Lego-like look. The end of TimeGate seemed to mean the end of Minimum as well, but it’s actually still alive and kicking at the hands of another studio – Human Head.
Human Head announced the revival of Minimum yesterday with a trailer that actually looks pretty fantastic. The game will pit teams of five against one another, each backed by a massive, autonomous Titan robot – and yes, I can foresee some trademark issues ahead on that one. Players can collect and use resources to craft customized weapons and armor using the blueprint-based crafting system, and along with battling other humans they’ll also have to deal with “creeps” that spawn during Titan Mode, and that drop resources that can be used to power and enhance friendly Titans.
It’s kind of a strange and surprising turnaround, but a nice outcome for all involved, too. Except for TimeGate, I suppose, but Minimum has a new lease on life and Human Head is back in the saddle, and two out of three ain’t bad, as they say. Most of the details remain unannounced but it’s expected to hit Steam Early Access “very soon,” and in the meantime you can find out more about Minimum and register for “early beta access” at playminimum.com.
