Rugby 15: New Gameplay And Licensing Details Emerge

News and specifics on the upcoming Rugby 15 game have been quite scarce since its announcement, but some new information regarding the gameplay and licensing have been revealed.

Speaking in an interview with YouTuber, TheScottishCannon, HB Studios executive producer Peter Garcin answered some pertinent questions about the game and gave some new details on the features in the upcoming release.

“We started over from scratch this time,” said Garcin when asked if Rugby 15 uses any animations or assets from Rugby World Cup 2011 (HB Studios’ last rugby release).

“It’s literally a 100 percent new game. We reimagined and rebuilt the game with a multi-year plan in mind. We rebuilt the AI, even the way we approach AI, as well as a new control system, a completely different presentation even, and it plays very differently from any previous rugby game.”

“It’s very expressive with simple controls – and a lot of the control this time is on the analogue sticks and the triggers. In terms of new moves, there’s the spin move, a fend, a sidestep/duke move, plus a totally new locomotion group for the way in which you move around.”

Regarding offloads, Garcin gave some interesting insight into the various offloading abilities that will be in the game this time around.

“You can offload in just about any tackle, assuming that your arms are free, of course”

New struggle/pushing mechanic where players have the option to drive and push in a tackle, depending on player’s momentum and size of the actual player.

In terms of game modes, the game will feature the fully licensed French Top 14, Pro D2, Aviva Premiership and Pro 12 competitions, but there will also be a “custom cup creator” which has a multitude of configuration options, as well as “other unlicensed competitions which represent other types of competitions that are common in rugby”.

And with an online multiplayer mode, the current game won’t feature any online modes, but it is “on the cards” according to Garcin.

Rugby 15 is currently in development for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita and PC, and will be released on 14 November 2014.

The game will be the first next generation Rugby title from the Canadian-based studio, which previously created Rugby World Cup 2011 and Rugby 08.

Check out the full box art below, as well as a trailer for the game and a developer diary on the commentary talent to feature in Rugby 15.

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