The 15th anniversary of the PS2 title The Getaway is here! Celebrate the open world crime game with a look back with developers Team Soho, including the inspirations for their PS2 title. Thanks to the PlayStation.Blog for posting this look back at The Getaway!

Did you know that The Getaway was originally supposed a successor to a racing title? It’s quite the jump to what it became:

“I’m not sure any of us actually knew what we were getting ourselves into,” remembers Gavin Moore, The Getaway’s Director of Animation (now Creative Director at Sony Japan Studio). It’s easy to see why – before it became a massive, photorealistic game map taking in 10 square miles of London, The Getaway started off as a spiritual successor to PS one hit Porsche Challenge. Merging that game’s open-world driving concept with The Italian Job-inspired gameplay (nicknamed “Minis in a Field”), the core idea took shape.

Also, the developers talk more about the decision to make The Getaway’s UI minimalist:

[T]he game was also one of the few titles at the time to favor a minimalist on-screen user interface. There was no visible health bar, ammo counter or map, meaning you had to pay careful attention to subtle cues like the blinking indicators on the back of the car to guide you to your destination. “I loved the opening and how you transitioned straight from intro to gameplay,” says Will Burdon, Technical Director (now at Sony London Studio). “This wasn’t a typical game with loads of cluttered graphics on the screen. It just felt very cinematic from start to finish – it was hard work, but ultimately very rewarding.”

There is a lot more to read at the PlayStation.Blog post, including The Getaway’s inspiration and plenty more!

Did you ever play The Getaway?

[Source: PlayStation.Blog]