Video Game Vintage Title: Agent

Agent

Agent is a stealth action video game currently in development by Rockstar North for the PlayStation 3. In July 2007, Sony announced that Rockstar was working on a new franchise for the PlayStation 3, but details of the project, including its title, were not announced until June 2009 during the Sony press conference at E3.

The game is set during the Cold War and will take players into "the world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations", according to a Rockstar press release. Rockstar has yet to reveal any details regarding the setting other than the fact that it will be set in the late 1970s.

Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Rockstar Games was working on a new franchise for the PlayStation 3 in July 2007. Michael Shorrock, SCEA's director of third-party relations, wrote on the official US PlayStation blog, "as part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto we've agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios." Nothing more was revealed about the new franchise except the clarification that it would not be L.A. Noire. According to Shorrock, "Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3" and added that the reason Sony locked the IP down as an exclusive deal was because Sony believed the franchise would "set the bar for the rest of the industry."

Details of the project, including its title, were not announced until June 2009, when an announcement was made during the Sony press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar, described Agent as a game the company had been wanting to make for some time, and had set out to create a unique experience for the player. Ben Feder, former president of Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive, professed his belief that the game could achieve the same level of success as the Grand Theft Auto series, given that its development is being overseen by Rockstar Games founders Sam and Dan Houser. Speaking with GameSpot on the E3 2009 show floor, Feder explained the decision to develop the game solely for Sony's console as stemming from the increased support from Sony as an exclusive title rather than developing the game across platforms.

"We think this has the potential to be yet another great Rockstar North franchise title. ... It's the Houser Brothers and Rockstar North. It's the A team working on an AAA title. I think the subject matter, the characters, the story, the environment, the background--all the elements are there. It's such a rich environment to play in."
�Ben Feder, former Take-Two CEO

On 7 September 2009, in a Question and Answer section on their blog, Rockstar stated that Agent could be released as early as 2010, though Take-Two did not comment on the subject until March 2010, confirming that Agent was still in development. On 9 June 2010, Take-Two confirmed that Agent was still planned as a PS3-exclusive title. On 24 May 2011, after nearly two years since Agent was announced at E3 2009, Take-Two confirmed the title was still in active development, even though it had never been seen by the public up to that time. However, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton said at E3 2011 that he was unsure over Agent's PS3 exclusivity and that it was a decision for Rockstar Games to make.

On 15 August 2011, Leigh Donoghue, a former Rockstar North environmental artist who worked on Grand Theft Auto IV and Agent posted the first images of Agent in his online resume. The shots show a character as well as various indoor environments from the game. Both of the images clearly mention that they were made in 2009.

With the announcement of the PlayStation 4 on 20 February 2013, there was an expectation that Agent may have moved to become an exclusive PlayStation 4 title. However, there was no mention of the game at the launch, but developer Rockstar had signed up to support the PlayStation 4. When asked if Agent was still a PlayStation 3 title after the press conference of the PlayStation 4 reveal during a roundtable media session, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said "You are asking the wrong person. I have some knowledge, but I'm not in a position to talk about it."

In July 2013, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, renewed its trademarks of the "Agent" brand.