The Big Gamble: Of L.A. Noires Technology and Innovation

At a time in the video game industry when many large publishers demand yearly sequels for a AAA game, L.A. Noire represents a big gamble on the part of Team Bondi and Rockstar. Not only will it be one of two AAA adventure games in the era of the console shooter, it also brings an untested, potentially revolutionary technology. Take a look at the game's facial capture process.

Seeing videos of L.A. Noire for the first time, I was floored to watch one of my favorite characters from Mad Men in a game. I remember being blown away when I first heard voice acting in a game, and now it's become so commonplace that I don't even think about it. Much in the same way, I'm blown away by the facial animations I'm seeing in L.A. Noire. In the future, will this kind of realism become so boilerplate that no one will bat an eye? I think so. But does L.A. Noire have the goods that will make highly detailed facial capture processes catch on right now?

There are, of course, doubters. However, when David Cage says "Their technique is incredibly expensive..." he brings up a great point.

I remember watching this video about the Microsoft Surface a couple years back. The video showcased a functioning prototype of what Microsoft thought would be the next revolution in computing. They were half right: While multitouch screens are everywhere, the Surface still hasn't seen the light of day. As far as I know it has been put on hold. Why is that? Perhaps because the Surface was estimated to retail for multiple thousands of dollars - not a practical cost for the average person. By contrast, an iPhone is a few hundred. Apple proved that in order to get users to adopt new technology, it doesn't need every feature under the sun, it just has to be cool and affordable.

Gaming companies, like the average person, also have budgets. That's why L.A. Noire's facial capture process may end up like the Microsoft Surface. It's expensive, and because of that it probably won't be a practical solution for a majority of companies. It also may not fit with a particular game's aesthetic or design goals.  Who really cares about how realistic Marcus Fenix's face is when he cuts something in half with a chainsaw? How many of you play Katamari for the engrossing story? I'm not saying highly detailed facial capture tech will be stillborn, I'm just saying we're seeing the nascent stages of it. Like any technology, it'll go through a process of evolution. To be sure, Rockstar and Team Bondi's game will leave a mark on their industry, just as pieces of Microsoft's Surface were the seeds that planted the iPhone, pieces of L.A. Noire's facial-cap will be taken in by other development houses. My point is, the technology will get less expensive and more mature. You'll see similar-but-different facial capture tricks deployed in games over the next decade – and perhaps that's how L.A. Noire will be remembered: The game that bet heavily on new technology and spun the cogs of an industry.

There's no denying that Rockstar and Team Bondi are showing serious moxie for sinking so many resources into a project that relies so heavily on untested technology. Ambitious games like L.A. Noire have both made and broken companies in the past, and at times changed the industry. Final Fantasy VII experimented with CG animation, capturing the attention (and dollars) of millions of people. On the other hand, Spore promised to change games forever, but maybe only changed Will Wright's desire to live (I have no source for that). How can Rockstar and Team Bondi  know that gamers won't be completely turned off by their innovation - actors' faces in their game? 

The short answer is: they can't. L.A. Noire could be a complete flop. It could be just another example of failed innovation, like the Virtua Boy, or the Sixaxis controller. I've already heard people saying the faces in this game look like bags of goo. But without companies who are willing to take these kinds of risks, we wouldn't have the DS, online services like Xbox LIVE, or voice acting (play the original Resident Evil and explain to me why anyone thought voice acting was a good idea). Innovation and failure go hand-in-hand. Both are good for industry. Both have lead to some of the best and worst gaming experiences I've had. 

With that said, I think Rockstar and Team Bondi could have a hit on their hands. Gamers curious about the new tech will be paying attention to this game, and the people behind this game know that. They've been marketing their facial capture tech hard - the video I linked earlier is the best example. The two company's strategy will probably pay off, as gamers are pretty quick to adopt new technology, and L.A. Noire's new tech is going to draw in a lot of curious on-lookers. This could result in sales or a tremendous backlash against the game.  However, too many publishers are scared of any risk. Most large companies play it pretty safe, churning out yearly sequels, or games nestled safely in popular genres. To push out any expensive innovation in today's video game industry seems like heresy. That's why L.A. Noire deserves your respect, if not your money.

Let's be honest here, in this console generation, looking at this game, backlash seems more likely. Someone thinks an adventure game will become a platinum hit in the age of Call of Duty? Does anyone else remember the dozens upon dozens of examples of games that over-promised on features that didn't live up to the hype, or straight-up didn't exist? Why should anyone believe me when I say that L.A. Noire will be a hit? Because no one is over-promising with this game. Anyone who has been paying attention has seen that what L.A. Noire promises is actually in the game. The game's facial capture technology is going to be a rough start, but it'll open a lot of eyes and get a lot of ideas going. 

The big gamble might pay out, and if that happens, expect to see other companies jumping on the bandwagon. Like any healthy industry, video game companies are quick to copy the newest, hottest thing. It'll probably be called something different, and some games will use it with horrid results, but this level of facial capture will be here to stay. Over time, this technology will improve beyond its awkward puberty years that we're currently witnessing. I'm not saying it'll happen tomorrow. Like any innovation, it'll be at least a couple of years before we see this again - but it will catch on. Old gamers will someday nostalgically remember the time before this happened, shaking their fists at those dang kids and their dumbed-down facial cap games.

Regardless of how L.A. Noire sells, one day in the future, gamers, publishers and developers will look back at Rockstar and Team Bondi's use of facial capture technology in this game and equate it with Valve's use of the Havok physics engine in Half-Life 2 - it's as much a tech demo as it is fun to play with, and it left a widespread mark in the video game industry. We'll see it pop up everywhere. In short, I believe that one way or another, Rockstar and Team Bondi's big gamble will pay off.

Matthew Stewart is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Journalism, and has chosen to greatly disappoint his parents and teachers by using his degree to write about video games. You can reach him on twitter @StewartMS.