Expect Thief 4 At GDC In March

We haven't heard anything Thief 4 related since the announcement was made in May '09. But at this year's GDC (Game Developers Conference) we can expect to hear something.

Paul Weir of Ubisoft Montreal will be giving a presentation on generative sound design in games and specifically in Thief 4. In the description for his talk at the GDC site Weir explains his topic, "Innovative audio has been at the heart of the original THIEF titles and Eidos Montreals new THIEF is no exception, this presentation will mark the first time that the game has been spoken about publicly. This talk will argue for the benefits of using generative music in games and will present a theoretical framework for its justification. Developers should more enthusiastically embrace alternative music models to resolve ongoing issues with linearity and to create a musical aesthetic that pushes away from the shadow of film. I will show our custom generative system (GRAMPS), demonstrate its key design features and suggest some best practice techniques. Ill also discuss how using a single person as the composer, sound designer and audio director on a AAA title can help create a unified sound field, blurring the lines between sound design and music."

For true stealth fans it will be a treat if we hear anything else about the game during GDC as the previous Thief game (Deadly Shadows) was released in May 2004. GDC begins on February 28 and ends March 4. Honestly speaking, I don't think we will hear much about it as these talks are aimed at developers which means that the games press rarely covers them.

Announcement Via Twitter