Earlier this week I spoke with Rockstar's COO Terry Donovan about Rockstar Games' newest endeavor. He had hinted earlier in the summer that Rockstar was working on something new and that I wouldn't believe it when I heard it. Knowing the guys at Rockstar I asked if they were taking Grand Theft Auto online and I rattled off some classic action movies. They just shook their heads. No. The look on Donovan's face was priceless. He had some gem of a game in the works, and that's all I was going to get, this little hint. But I'm a patient man, and Rockstar rarely, if ever, under-delivers.
I got a surprise phone call Wednesday. Rockstar was ready to present, and they wanted to work with IGN on the story. Donovan and I talked about the game. With the passion and focus and that has become Rockstar's trademark, he explained to me that the new title was Table Tennis. I think there was a silence on the phone for a few seconds. Rockstar Games, the innovator of urban cool in videogames, the guys who changed the face of this console generation and who made it OK for adults to play games without shame, was making a Ping Pong game. I really didn't know what to say. Table Tennis is a hugely popular sport, one of the most played casual games on Earth. Everybody at one time or another has played it. Walk into IGN's common room, the kitchen, and you'll see a doubles game at any time during the day.
But no guns, no violence, no cars, no gangs? I was honestly shocked. Not because I didn't think they could do it -- if anybody can make it happen, it's Rockstar -- but I never thought that was even a consideration. Look at their games so far: Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Smuggler's Run 1 and 2, Midnight Club 1, 2, and 3, Manhunt, Red Dead Revolver, and The Warriors. Do you see a progression leading up to table tennis?
More than a year ago Rockstar San Diego commenced on a game that would take advantage of the Xbox 360's graphic power and capture the intensity, speed and excitement of Table Tennis. No doubt, there is a certain level of anticipation on Rockstar's part about the world's reaction to this slight change of focus. Yet, in the discussion I had with Donovan and from the intense and edgy tone of Rockstar's Executive Producer and President Sam Houser, I found nothing but purity. These guys mean business. They love the sport, they love the intensity, and they want to make great games. I really do think they want to surprise people, to shock them a little with their direction, their focus, and to cut against the grain of common perceptions. No doubt, with this new game, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, they have done all these things.
source: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/693/693369p1.html