“There weren’t a lot of console-quality 3D games for mobile back then,” Small recalls of his teams 2011 title Riptide GP, its “spiritual successor to Hydro Thunder Hurricane,” which started life as a technology demo for Nvidia’s Tegra 2 chipset. It also proved to be the perfect springboard for Vector Unit’s transition into self publishing and mobile game development. “Yeah, we got to make an impression, a splash,” laughs Small. Released as part of the second XBLA Summer of Arcade, the game went on to sell over 300,000 copies. (which had picked up the assets of the bankrupt Midway Games), the eventual result was 2010’s Hydro Thunder Hurricane. Thankfully, though, with Microsoft pushing hard on its Xbox Live Arcade service, Vector Unit found an enthusiastic advocate in the form of Microsoft Game Studios’ Peter Choi.Ĭue months of business negotiation, and prototype reworking, but thanks to Microsoft’s acquisition of the original licence from Warners Bros. Some were keen, but as time dragged on and the Great Recession started to kick in, interest dried up. Playable prototype complete, Vector Unit went out into the world to find a publisher. Over the years, Vector Engine has been heavily optimized for the sort of games the studio makes, and has played a significant part in the company’s success, but back to that debut game. “Back then Unity wasn’t around, Unreal was really expensive, and Ralf wanted to do his own engine,” Small says, explaining the decision to roll their own tech.
![riptide gp renegade big head riptide gp renegade big head](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/552d2128e4b0c421d2bebae5/1458594400724-G6DAPLN18WJF03DI2VE4/RiptideGP_Renegade_Spaceport01_160312.jpg)
Vector Unit's Matt Small and Ralf Knoesel both worked on the 2001 title Blood Wake (Both Small and Knoesel had previously worked on Xbox combat boat game Blood Wake.)
#Riptide gp renegade big head code
Having saved and budgeted for nine months of runway, it took six months to code Vector Engine, the studio's own engine technology, and complete a playable prototype for its “ Hydro Thunder-inspired” console speed boat racer. But the dream suffered some early difficult moments.
![riptide gp renegade big head riptide gp renegade big head](https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2017/03/riptide-gp-renegade-fountain-park-egg-2.jpg)
Started out in early 2007, as a duo with CTO Ralf Knoesel, Small admits Vector Unit’s formation was the fulfillment of the pair’s fantasies about “going indie." Now they could finally finish the projects they’d failed to complete after clocking out of their day jobs at EA and Stormfront Studios.
![riptide gp renegade big head riptide gp renegade big head](https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2017/03/riptide-gp-renegade-alpha-station-egg-2.jpg)
Maintaining this level of output as well as independence keeps the team passionate, says creative director Matt Small. indie Vector Unit struggles with, although the studio's self-sufficiency is the product of hard-won experience. It’s tiny, but during 10 years of operation, the core three-person team has released eight arcade racers across nine platforms, in both paid and free-to-play versions, all developed using its own engine technology.