We’re working on a review for Spike Volleyball, so I got in touch with Black Sheep Studios to talk a bit about the game’s development and PS4 release. Come check it out!
PS4Blog: Welcome to PS4Blog.net. Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
I am Jean-Louis Verlaine, CEO of Black Sheep Studio.
PS4B: Spike Volleyball is out now on PlayStation 4. How would you describe this sports game?
Our main goal was to create a simulation that delivers the speed and pacing of real indoor volleyball. It’s a challenging game, and some moves could take a long time to master, such as “Perfect pass” and “Block,” which are all about timing. However, we wanted the first handling not to be punishing nor frustrating as games are made to be fun!
PS4B: How long did it take the team to develop the game? Where there any particular hurdles or challenges you had to overcome?
This project started three years ago, with two years of intense production. Our first challenge was to transcribe the volleyball feeling, since it is a fast-paced game, with a lot of actions that follow each other quickly: how can we give the sensation to the player to control every part of the game without losing him with too many inputs to perform? It has been a very interesting part of the project, and we are excited to get the player’s feedback on this point.
PS4B: How do the national teams available in the game differ from each other?
They all have an in-game value called “OVR” which represent their power and effectiveness. For each team, we defined this value regarding their real FIVB ranking and the last major tournament results.
PS4B: And that’s all the time we have for this one. Would you like to add anything else before we go?
Thanks a lot for your interest in Spike Volleyball!
