"We are looking into it currently"
Image: Bandai Namco
Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man World: Re-Pac has been a blast from the past for those of us that had a PlayStation growing up. So imagine being one of the people who worked on the original game, seeing all of your work on-screen, prettied up and refined — it’s likely exciting! But for former Namco Hometek game designer Scott Rogers, he was only met with disappointment when he reached the end of the remake to find that he — and the rest of the team on the original — hadn’t been credited.
Speaking to our friends over at Time Extension, Rogers said that crediting the original staff should be a “courtesy”. Rogers also told Jason Weesner and Hardy LeBel — who also worked on the team — of this, and expressed his frustration, because crediting the original staff is “just the decent thing to do, right?”
A few days ago, Rogers shared this disappointment on Twitter, highlighting just how similar the remake is to the original Pac-Man World, alongside that frustration:
“Shame on you @BandaiNamcoUS for not crediting the original #pacmanworld team in #PacmanWorldRePac.
This game is a 100% recreation of the original down to the level designs and pac-dot placement. I’m extremely disappointed that you failed to do something that would literally take minutes to do.”
This game is a 100% recreation of the original down to the level designs and pac-dot placement. I’m extremely disappointed that you failed to do something that would literally take minutes to do. 2/ pic.twitter.com/J2WE9vnNNc— Scott Rogers – Game Designer (@mightybedbug) August 28, 2022
As Time Extension points out, this isn’t the first time a remake has failed to credit the original staff, with notable Switch examples being Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. International Game Developers Association has issued guidelines on crediting those who worked on the original game(s); however, these can be difficult to enforce.
Time Extension has since reached out to Bandai Namco for a response, but has yet to receive one. The company has replied to Rogers’ tweet though, promising to look into the issue. Hopefully, a patch will be implemented to give the original team the credit they deserve.
You can read the full piece on Pac-Man World: Re-Pac over on Time Extension. Otherwise, let us know how you feel about this issue in the usual spot!
[source timeextension.com]