The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 Games: Interviews with Creators and Developers (Studies in Gaming) 9781476688541, 9781476648439, 1476688540

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The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 Games

Studies in Gaming The Play Versus Story Divide in Game Studies: Critical Essays (Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, editor, 2016) Player and Avatar: The Affective Potential of Videogames (David Owen, 2017) Speedrunning: Interviews with the Quickest Gamers (David Snyder, 2017) The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (Patrick Hickey, Jr., 2018) The Postmodern Joy of ­Role-Playing Games: Agency, Ritual and Meaning in the Medium (René Reinhold Schallegger, 2018) Responding to Call of Duty: Critical Essays on the Game Franchise (Nate Garrelts, editor, 2018) Storytelling in the Modern Board Game: Narrative Trends from the Late 1960s to Today (Marco Arnaudo, 2018) Storytelling in Video Games: The Art of the Digital Narrative (Amy M. Green, 2018) Teach Like a Gamer: Adapting the Instructional Design of Digital ­Role-Playing Games (Carly Finseth, 2018) Video Gaming in Science Fiction: A Critical Study (Jason Barr, 2018) The Composition of Video Games: Narrative, Aesthetics, Rhetoric and Play (Johansen Quijano, 2019) ­Forum-Based Role Playing Games as Digital Storytelling (Csenge Virág Zalka, 2019) Narrative Design and Authorship in Bloodborne: An Analysis of the Horror Videogame (Madelon Hoedt, 2019) The Pokémon Go Phenomenon: Essays on Public Play in Contested Spaces (Jamie Henthorn, Andrew Kulak, Kristopher Purzycki, Stephanie Vie, editors, 2019) The Minds Behind Adventure Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (Patrick Hickey, Jr., 2020) The Minds Behind Sports Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (Patrick Hickey, Jr., 2020) Rerolling Boardgames: Essays on Themes, Systems, Experiences and Ideologies (Douglas Brown, Esther ­MacCallum-Stewart, editors, 2020) Roleplaying Games in the Digital Age: Essays on Transmedia Storytelling, Tabletop RPGs and Fandom (Stephanie Hedge and Jennifer Grouling, editors, 2020) What Is a Game? Essays on the Nature of Videogames (Gaines S. Hubbell, editor, 2020) Women and Video Game Modding: Essays on Gender and the Digital Community (Bridget Whelan, editor, 2020) Being Dragonborn: Critical Essays on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Mike Piero and Marc A. Ouellette, editors, 2021) The Minds Behind Shooter Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (Patrick Hickey, Jr., 2021) Playing with the Guys: Masculinity and Relationships in Video Games (Marc A. Ouellette, 2021) Roleplaying Games in the Digital Age: Essays on Transmedia Storytelling, Tabletop RPGs and Fandom (Stephanie Hedge and Jennifer Grouling, editors, 2021) Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop ­Role-Playing Games (Gerald Nachtwey, 2021) Watch Us Roll: Essays on Actual Play and Performance in Tabletop ­Role-Playing Games (Shelly Jones, editor, 2021) Who’s in the Game? Identity and Intersectionality in Classic Board Games (Terri Toles Patkin, 2021) The Minds Behind PlayStation Games: Interviews with Creators and Developers (Patrick Hickey, Jr., 2022) The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games: Interviews with Creators and Developers (Patrick Hickey, Jr., 2022) The Performance of Video Games: Enacting Identity, History and Culture Through Play (Kelly I. Aliano, 2022) Beyond the Deck: Critical Essays on Magic: The Gathering and Its Influence (Shelly Jones, editor, 2023) The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 Games: Interviews with Creators and Developers (Patrick Hickey, Jr., 2023) The World of Final Fantasy VII: Essays on the Game and Its Legacy (Jason C. Cash and Craig T. Olsen, editors, 2023)

The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 Games Interviews with Creators and Developers Patrick Hickey, Jr. Foreword by Dave Warfield Studies in Gaming

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina

All cover art has been taken from TheCoverProject.net or from the author’s personal collection. Gameplay screens have been taken directly from live gameplay sessions or from press releases intended for public sharing. All other photographs have been provided by the game developers interviewed or directly from the publisher when indicated.

Also by Patrick Hickey, Jr., and from McFarland The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games: Interviews with Creators and Developers (2022); The Minds Behind PlayStation Games: Interviews with Creators and Developers (2022); The Minds Behind Shooter Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (2021); The Minds Behind Sports Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (2020); The Minds Behind Adventure Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (2020); The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers (2018)

ISBN (print) 978-1-4766-8854-1 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4766-4843-9 Library of Congress and British Library cataloguing data are available

Library of Congress Control Number 2022060913 © 2023 Patrick Hickey, Jr. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Front cover images from iStock and author’s collection Printed in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

To my wife Melissa and my children, Josie Ann and Devin Patrick, for their tireless love and support throughout this adventure in researching, interviewing and recollecting one of the greatest times in gaming history.

Table of Contents Foreword by Dave Warfield ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Preface ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 3 Introduction��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 Craig Stitt, Ratchet & Clank ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 David Cage, Indigo Prophecy������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13 Brian Eddy,­ Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Paul Guirao, Tekken Tag Tournament ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 Alan Flores, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock���������������������������������������������������������������� 32 Luke Valentine, Mister Mosquito������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36 Yoshitomo Moriwaki, Spider-Man: The Movie�������������������������������������������������������������� 40 Yoshitomo Moriwaki, ­Spider-Man 2������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 44 Glen A. Schofield, Blood Omen 2 ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 50 Chris Zimmerman, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus���������������������������������������� 53 Jeff Merghart and Dan Mueller, The Mark of Kri���������������������������������������������������������� 60 Lindsay Gray, Katamari Damacy������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 67 Benjamin Johnson, Dragon Rage������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 71 Diarmid Campbell, The Thing����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 76 Amanda Tarr Forrest, Everquest Online Adventures ���������������������������������������������������� 85 Scott Campbell and Kellan Hatch, War of the Monsters���������������������������������������������� 89 Scott Henshaw, SSX Tricky ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 96 Robert Leyland, Tony Hawk Downhill Jam ����������������������������������������������������������������� 101 Dan Mueller, ATV OffRoad Fury����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 106 vii

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Scott Campbell, Downhill Domination ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 109 Jeff Johnson, RedCard ­20-03 ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 114 Bill Harrison, FIFA 2005������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 118 Kerry Whalen, FIFA Street �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 124 Dave Warfield, NHL 2002����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 130 Scott Henshaw, Def Jam Vendetta��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 135 Graeme Bayless, Madden NFL 2003����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 142 Jim Buck, NFL GameDay 2004�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 146 Audrey Leprince, Rainbow Six 3����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 150 Lindsay Gray, Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies�������������������������������������������������������������� 154 Scott J. Langteau, Medal of Honor: Frontline �������������������������������������������������������������� 157 Michael Gutmann, SOCOM: US Navy Seals ��������������������������������������������������������������� 169 Kyle Shubel, Killzone ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 173 Paul Guirao, Dead to Rights ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 183 Scott Langteau, Call of Duty: Finest Hour�������������������������������������������������������������������� 189 Alan Lawrance, Red Faction������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 199 Kyle Shubel, Shadow of the Colossus����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 204 Craig Kerrison, EyeToy: Play����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 212 Wil Mozell, NBA Street Vol. 2 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 220 Conclusion ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 233 Index �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 235

Foreword by Dave Warfield In 2005, I transitioned from making games to making game designers. After 15 years of making games as both a designer and producer, I embarked on a new career. I was tasked with creating a new education program that would teach the next generation how to be game designers and how to make games. A lot of people asked me, “where do you start?” and in my mind, there was only one place to start … the past. Today, games have focused so much on depth of play, multiple features, huge worlds and meandering storylines. Looking back at historical games, for the most part there was a real focus on one core gameplay element. You could break it down to “WHO does WHAT to achieve WHAT?” For example, an Italian plumber runs and jumps to save a princess. As a game designer, looking back and understanding games of the past, you can find a way to refocus your designs to deliver what is most important to your overall game experience. What can I do to make this game better? How can I improve it? What elements of this game make it awkward, or did I not enjoy? And, what have I seen in past games that could make this game better, more addictive, or add some depth to the gameplay? As a game player, you can gain a better understanding of some of the mechanics that have become a portion of the entire variety of challenges in the game you are playing. Is it about problem solving, strategy, ­hand-eye coordination or just basic timing and reactions? Nostalgia can be a fun part of examining what we found entertaining in the ’80s and ’90s, but those games held our interest because of the new gameplay challenges they provided. Games have always been about accomplishment, whether that was attempting to get your ­three-letter nickname on a high score screen or earning that elusive trophy as you work your way towards 100 percent completion. Take a look back at those historic games and think about what the designers were trying to create for the players. What ultimate objective would give the game player that sense of ­self-worth? As much as the original Doom led to Call of Duty, you could argue that moving that paddle in Pong to stop a blip may have evolved to Breakout, but it also likely led to raising a shield to stop an incoming arrow. Just as 1962’s Space War! likely led to No Man’s Sky through many evolutions over the years, 1975’s Gun Fight by Taito had an influence on Red Dead Redemption 2. “Each new game was built on the foundation of the one before”—High Score The history of game systems had as much influence on those changes as anything else. As the ­8-bit game systems of the early ’80s (NES) evolved to the ­16-bit game systems of the late ’80s (Genesis), the graphic capabilities and storage grew, allowing for more gameplay depth. 1

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Foreword by Dave Warfield

The introduction of the PlayStation in 1994 was another one of those jumps, but the introduction of the PlayStation 2 in 2000 set a new bar that is not likely to be matched. It triggered a series of titles that changed not only how games were made, but also the level of control that players had, the size of the worlds created and provided a giant leap in realism and detail. Looking back at the vast library of PS2 games, so many game players were able to achieve an entirely different type of accomplishment because of this new level of immersion. As we look back at these historical titles, we are not waxing sentimental, we are seeing the types of games that are being developed for Facebook and cell phone games today. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox X may be the newest and most powerful game systems we have ever seen, but the evolution they bring will never match what history has shown us occurred when the PlayStation 2 was released. The history of games allows us to look back and not only remember the games that we used to play, but it also allows us to learn from that history. We can improve our gaming abilities, our strategies, understand what was most important about the overall game experience and remember how we were entertained. So, whether you are a designer or a player, looking back at the past makes today’s gaming experiences better. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”— George Santayana

Starting in 1990, Dave Warfield was a game designer for Konami, creating TMNT, Top Gun, Mission: Impossible and NFL among others. As a producer for Electronic Arts, Warfield worked on the NBA Live and NHL series as well as Skitchin’. Leaving Electronic Arts in 2005, Dave Warfield developed the game design educational program at Vancouver Film School, leading and teaching what he had done for the previous fifteen years. In 2015, he retired and finally has time to play all his favorite games.

Preface With roughly 155 million consoles sold, the Sony PlayStation 2 is the ­best-selling console of all time as of March 2022. For that reason alone, it’s a video game phenomenon that deserves to be looked at more closely by historians. Those numbers by themselves say quite a bit, but there’s even more depth to the console. The origin of some of Sony’s most important franchises of the past and present began on the PlayStation 2, including God of War, MLB: The Show, Jax and Daxter, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Ico, SOCOM and the EyeToy, as well as the continuation and improvement of several of their already successful series such as Twisted Metal and Gran Turismo. Simply put, while the original PlayStation was a force of nature, selling over 102 million units during its lifespan, the PlayStation 2 trumped it in nearly every way imaginable. It’s crazy to think that at the beginning of the PS2 lifespan, online gaming wasn’t yet possible for the majority of console gamers, forget about the ­X-band or Sega/Nintendo channels, nerds. In the end, downloadable content was made possible thanks to the system’s hard drive attachment. Through it all, the PlayStation not only adapted, but it thrived. This makes the PlayStation 2 a wildly accomplished console as well. PS2 became the entry point for millions of gamers as well bridged the gap between couch ­co-op games and those played solely online. Simply put, its importance in video game history can never be questioned. The fact that The desire to preserve video game history for my the console was also backward com- children and gamers of all shapes and sizes fueled patible with the PlayStation 1, which this book. 3

4 Preface to this day contains some of the best games ever created, only adds to the PS2’s ultimate allure. At the same time, the PlayStation 2 was far from a paramount of power. Many developers preferred to develop on the more powerful Microsoft Xbox (which only sold 24 million units) or the PC, but they were attracted to the console because of the massive userbase. As a result, thousands of developers, producers, artists and other personalities attached to some of the console’s most iconic (and in some cases, not so iconic) games have creative legacies intertwined with it. That, by itself, may be the biggest reason why the games—and the people that made them—need to be celebrated. Make no mistake, without the achievements of the PlayStation 2, the video game industry might have looked far different than it does today. Speaking of celebrating things, much as I noted in this book’s predecessor, The Minds Behind PlayStation Games, the Sony video game brand and the continuation of its existence following the original PlayStation also deserve to be chronicled. Though the Sony brand continues to lead the console gaming world as the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch era takes shape, the PlayStation 2 marked an era of complete and total domination. At the time of the original PlayStation, Nintendo still had the Super Nintendo, and Sega still had the Genesis family of systems (and attachments). No one expected Sony to end up where they did. The PlayStation was an absolute surprise and revelation. The PlayStation 2, however, was the proof that Sony didn’t capture lightning in a bottle. The PlayStation 2 proved Sony was the lightning. Fueled by the continued evolution of console gaming and an amazing lineup of titles and peripherals, Sony made sure their console was able to adapt. The result was one of gaming’s landmark achievements. Although the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ultimately ran a neck and neck battle during the console era that followed the PlayStation 2, Sony eventually got back in the driver’s seat, as the PlayStation 4 continues to outsell the Xbox 1 at more than ­two-to-one as of this writing. While the Nintendo hybrid handheld console, the Switch, currently outsells both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Sony’s footprint and legacy in the industry is one that is impossible to ignore. Again, even though the original PlayStation marks the beginning of that legacy, the PlayStation 2 represents an era where the legacy truly began to take shape. With no real collection of many of the games that helped define the PS2 experience, this was a book that I felt, as a gamer, historian and collector, had to be written.

Introduction Anyone who has read my previous entries in The Minds Behind the Games book series understands my love for classic games. All the ­cartridge-based consoles of my youth will forever have a place in my man cave—and heart. However, the transition from cartridges to ­disc-based systems was just as special a time for me. Simply put, it’s the reason why this book exists, and I consider such a work overdue. The era of the Sony PlayStation changed everything for me, as such games as Twisted Metal, Warhawk, Jet Moto, NHL Faceoff, NFL GameDay, Final Fantasy VII and Jumping Flash opened my imagination in ways that ­16-bit games never could. By the time of the PlayStation 2, however, I was in my late teens and early 20s and was more than a gamer. Embarking on a career in journalism, I read more about the creation process of PlayStation 2 games than any other console I had played previously. As a result, I grew far more attached to the releases on the system than any other. While I also owned a GameCube, an Xbox and a Game Boy Advance and DS at the time of the PlayStation 2, I secretly rooted for the console. It was by far my favorite. With my creative juices and love of writing and gaming percolating simultaneously, I began to write about games, forming my own America Online group page and contributing to forums on sites like Neoseeker and GameSpot; the PlayStation 2 is partially responsible for not only this book, but all of my books. And how could it not be? With so many great first and ­third-party games to choose from, including the continuations of the Twisted Metal and Final Fantasy franchises, it’s one of the most iconic consoles ever. Today, I own over 300 games on the console, among them classics like God of War, Sly Cooper, ­X-Men Legends, Tony Hawk 3 and Deus Ex, as well as cult classics such as The Thing, NHL 2002 and SOCOM (all featured in this book or previous books of the series). As a result, despite its age the PlayStation 2, originally released in 2000, will always be a console worth digging into. The biggest reason why I embarked on this journey, however, was the need for more information on several titles featured in this book—or the clear lack of information, period. Looking up cult classics such as Dragon’s Rage, Downhill Domination or War of the Monsters yields virtually no real information besides reviews. Video game critique, though an important facet of the industry and journalism, ultimately is only opinion. To me, nothing beats hearing about how and why something was made, from the people who actually did it. That has a much bigger effect on how I experience the game than someone’s own experiences while playing. Because of that, I saw another need to give this system the love it deserves. Now that I have professed my undoubted love to the PlayStation 2 console, sit back and drink in the stories that made over three dozen PS2 games a reality. It’s going to be a ride. 5

Craig Stitt, Ratchet & Clank Fake It Till You Make It

After proving itself as a developer with potential on Disruptor for the PlayStation in 1996, Insomniac Games made arguably the best platform on the console with Spyro the Dragon in 1998. Just a few years later, however, the PlayStation 2 was the dominant console, and it was time for the brand to step up once again. Although their initial idea for a game on the console (one far more serious in concept and design than Spyro), Girl with a Stick, never saw the light of day. It allowed the team to go back to what made them successful in the first place—crafting colorful platformers with a ton of playability. The result was their 2002 PS2 debut, Ratchet & Clank. Although Ratchet & Clank’s ­third-person shooting elements made it a far different title than Spyro and Disruptor, the innovation and magic were there. It was proof again that Insomniac was a developer that could create worlds that millions of players wanted to enjoy. Selling over 3.7 million copies on the PS2, the game was a massive triumph and is the first of over 10 games in the series. Known for his artwork on games such as Kid Chameleon, Sonic 2 and Comix Zone on the Sega Genesis, Craig Stitt made the leap to ­CD-based consoles with art and design credits on Disruptor and Spyro. A huge part of the Insomniac team at the time, he saw Ratchet & Clank as another cool opportunity. “I was the Art Director at the time, along with John Fiorito,” Stitt said. “We had just come off several months working on Stick Girl/Girl with a Stick. I didn’t have anything to do with coming up with the original concept for R&C, but once the idea was pitched to the company and everyone liked it, I started working on Ratchet & Clank began its near 20-year series on concepts for worlds/environments.” the PlayStation 2. 7

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Stitt’s early concept art was beautifully detailed.

The man behind the original design for Spyro the Dragon, Stitt admits the game had a much different look, but he still found himself in a situation where he wanted to contribute. “I liked the ­sci-fi aspect,” Stitt recalled. “I also remember liking the idea of all the fun weapons. I will admit that I wasn’t crazy for the actual designs for Ratchet or Clank, but they both quickly grew on me. I very quickly came to love the environments we were coming up with.” A veteran of the industry for over a decade at the time of Ratchet & Clank’s development, Stitt admits he’d seen things come full circle in a way that was fun. In his own way, Stitt was reconnecting with his previous work. “When working on Spyro, I had to regularly check myself to stay true with the look that we had come up with Spyro,” Stitt said. “I loved the look of Spyro, but it was a little outside my normal style. However, the look for Ratchet & Clank came much more naturally to me, both in the 3D architecture and in painting the textures. “It would be very interesting if you pulled up my art for Sonic 2, Oil Ocean and Hidden Palace and compared it to my work in R&C. I wouldn’t be surprised to see similarities between the pipes and tanks of Oil Ocean with the pipes and tanks of R&C, or the rock formations of Hidden Palace Zone and cliff walls and rocks of R&C. The move from the PS1 to the PS2 was in some ways subtle and in other ways dramatic. Nothing like going from the Genesis to the PS1, which was truly ­mind-blowing with how much more could be done. The big difference from the PS1 to the PS2 was now we could do all the little things we wanted to do in Spyro. Things like fill the levels with small details, i.e., clumps of grass, interesting plants, or pipes and machinery. So many things that were just textures in Spyro could now be actual geometry.” With the industry changing mightily from his time on Sonic 2, Stitt saw his roles in the industry change as well. Drawing Zones in Sonic 2, was absolutely important, but his work on Ratchet & Clank was much more influential to the game’s feel. At the same time, Stitt believes his role this time around was different than it was on Spyro. “My primary work



Craig Stitt, Ratchet & Clank9

on the game was coming up with the visual look of the worlds, then building and texturing them,” Stitt said, “as well as overseeing the other environment artists. One of my primary jobs as art director was keeping the overall color scheme of the game constant. This wasn’t as important on R&C as it was on Spyro. “I’ve been trying to remember how we did the skies in R&C. One of the more significant things I contributed to the overall look and feel of the worlds in Spyro were the sky boxes. I know I did a lot with regards to the skies in R&C, but I can’t remember anything specific, other than asking Al Hastings if it would be possible to make the sky spin so we could do a black hole … and of course the next thing we knew we had spinning skies!” Now on their third game as a team, Stitt saw Insomniac as a ­well-oiled machine—one that worked well with every department to maximize the various level of skill throughout the company. As a result, Insomniac was able to create games no one else could at the time. “On the first couple games the designers would come up with the general theme/ story for the levels, design the gameplay/map, then give the artists maps to actually design the specific buildings and landscape,” Stitt said. “This was sometimes problematic because the designers would often not take into consideration the amount of room needed to build in interesting structures along the path of gameplay (machinery, rocks, plants, etc.). This would often lead to needing to have the designers make subtle alterations to the map. “By the later games, the designers would give the environment team a very broad stroke description of what a level needed to be to fit in the story, then the art team would

The game’s levels were massive for the era.

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brainstorm, together and separate, and come up with a bunch of different looks and concepts. We would then show these to the designers, and they would pick the ones they liked. I think this lead to more interesting worlds and definitely let the environment artist feel more connected to the levels and have a sense of ownership. I think this made everyone happier; it for sure did the environment team.” After their success with several Spyro the Dragon games, Insomniac managed to carve a niche in the industry that was all about fun. Ratchet & Clank represented the next evolution of that thought. At the same time, the game wasn’t supposed to be their first entry on the PlayStation 2. Stitt believes it all happened for a reason. “Maybe it was a touch of arrogance, but coming off the Spyro games, I think we felt very confident that we would have sales in the millions, especially after we got a little way into the development and could see Ratchet move through the worlds, and the detail we were able to put into the environments, and how fun the weapons were,” Stitt reflected. “I think that is one of the primary reasons Girl with a Stick was scrapped. It was an absolutely beautiful game … to look at, but the gameplay just wasn’t there, at least for a game that needed to be fun for a wide range of players.” By the time the team got to Ratchet & Clank, they knew the hardware of the PlayStation 2 and the Sony brass well enough to know what they could and couldn’t do. That didn’t stop them from finding ways to show Sony what their intentions were with the game. “Back when we pitched R&C to Sony, we mocked up a couple levels to show them,” Stitt admitted. “I don’t remember why, but we had some very hard limits on frame rate and those kinds of things, so everything in the demos was faked. By this I mean we limited where the player could move to a small balcony then used forced perspective to make it look like they were looking out over a HUGE world.” Once the game was approved by Sony, Insomniac now had to take their “faked” demo and make it a reality. Stitt was one of the men they called upon. “One of the levels we mocked up was a futuristic city. Ratchet was standing on this round platform/balcony looking out over a city that stretched to the horizon, with a sky full of flying cars. Skip ahead several months, and the designers hand me the map for Metropolis … and it’s HUGE. By this point we had made enough levels to know what the rough size limit was for a level. The map for Metropolis was at least 25% larger than the MAX size we had set. I talked (complained?) to Ted Price about it and told him I didn’t think it was possible to do. There wouldn’t be enough memory, plus given the nature of the level, frame rate would be a nightmare. “He basically told me, ‘Tough. Do it.’ This was particularly stressful because it had to be better than the ­faked-up ­mock-up. I really wish I had a copy of the ­mock-up on tape! Long story short, I pulled it off. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite levels, and the one I am most proud of. Others must have liked it as well because it ended up being used in a lot of the marketing materials. My other favorite levels, with regards to the art, are Planet Gaspar, the organic rock terrain of Planet Orxon and the flora of Planet Batalia.” Along with helping design the look and feel of several of the most important levels of the game, Stitt also had a small impact on gameplay that he was proud of. “There was a bug on Planet Batalia where Ratchet’s ability to climb ladders was ‘discovered,’ and a bug became a feature,” Stitt said. “I had just finished work on the level, and I believe beginning work on Metropolis, when a bug came back to me. On the front of one of the buildings there were some large horizontal slots, which were there just for looks. When I had placed the collision polygons, I had matched them to the physical shape of the slots. I don’t know why I didn’t just make it completely flat/smooth. Turns out, the testers were able to jump up the face of



Craig Stitt, Ratchet & Clank11

the building using the collision on the slots. This let them get up on the roof, where they were not supposed to be able to get. “It was pretty cool, so instead of fixing the bug, I talked to Brian Allgeier, and it was decided that it was not a bug but a ‘feature.’ At that point, we worked out the specific measurements for a ‘ladder’ and had the programmers ­fine-tune it and the animators create an animation for it.” In addition to the actual development of the game, the veteran developer began to see the company he worked for begin to change. Although that change was symptomatic of what was going on in the industry, Stitt still has a soft spot for the days of big dreams accomplished by small teams. “Insomniac was growing like mad, which had its upside and its downside. We now had teams large enough to do the kinds of games we wanted to do, but it was a huge change from the days of Spyro,” Stitt said. “Back in the early days of Disruptor and into the early days of Spyro, the whole company could fit in a couple cars, and we would often all go out to lunch together. You knew everyone at the company, and you talked to most of everyone on a daily basis, both about work and life outside of work. As we got further into the development of the R&C games, when it came to new hires, you would know someone’s name and what they did (artist, designer, programmer, etc.) and even if you didn’t work directly with them, you would still see and talk with them in the break room. “Then there was a time that you would see someone new, know what department they worked in, but maybe not know/remember their name. Then it got to the point that you would see someone in the hall and not know anything about them. Did they work at Insomniac, or were they just dropping lunch off? It was hard after coming from such a small, ­close-knit group. “Something else that changed was that for years, very, very few people left Insomniac. There were a few who were asked to leave or were fired, but almost no one left. The hours were long and hard, but it was a great place to work, with lots of perks. But by the time we got into the second R&C game, the turnover was getting closer to those found at any company.” It’s because of that, Stitt believes, the older games he’s worked on will have a bigger legacy in the industry’s history. “Although I enjoyed working on it, and am very proud of it, I don’t have a deep connection to it like I do with Spyro,” Stitt admitted. “It’s super fun when I meet someone who knows R&C, but it doesn’t surprise me when I meet someone who doesn’t. With Spyro, even if someone doesn’t play games, they probably know about the ‘little purple dragon.’ For Spyro, I would love it if after another 20 years people are still talking about it … or even in a hundred years! I don’t see R&C having that kind of staying power or emotional connection with most players.” At the same time, Stitt is far from disappointed in the Ratchet & Clank franchise. He just sees them as ones that played a far less influential role in his career. “I’m very proud of the R&C games, and of my work on those games,” Stitt said. “If I were to list the games I’ve worked on by those I feel the most proud to have been a part of, Spyro would be first, then Sonic, then R&C. I think that same order could also be used to describe what effect they had on the industry. “As HUGE as Sonic 2 was, I think Spyro had more of an effect on the industry, but that would clearly be a very debatable issue, and I could very easily be wrong, and I am also clearly very biased towards Spyro. I might also argue that that order fits into how people see those three games. Obviously, I have talked with LOTS of people who played all three of these games, but Spyro is the one game that people will regularly say, ‘That was MY game

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growing up!’ Since I left Insomniac, and the game industry, just as I finished work on R&C Deadlocked, I can’t say what kind of effect it would have had on my career. “I do know that I wish I had left Insomniac at the end of RC1, or at the latest at the end of RC2. I think if I had left then, coming off the Spyro games and two R&C games, I could have gotten a job anywhere I wanted. Also, if I had left, maybe I would not have ­burned-out and ­crashed-and-burned like I did a few years later at the end of Deadlocked.” All that aside, Stitt is still interested in, at some point, reconnecting with the series. This time as a player and not as a developer. “The newest system I have is a PS2 … which is actually in a box out in the garage,” Stitt said. “I haven’t played much since I left the industry in 2005. But, that being said, seeing the commercials for the new R&C: Rift Apart on the PS5 makes me want to go out and pick up a PS5!”

David Cage, Indigo Prophecy How to Save a Life

As writer and director of games like Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human and Beyond: Two Souls, David Cage has a resume that many in the gaming industry would have a hard time matching. However, his writing and directing experience in gaming came after years of work on music in games for companies such as Sony, Virgin, Cryo and many more. With this blend of abilities, Cage is a ­one-of-a-kind talent. While not his first project as a writer and director (that honor belongs to his PC/ Dreamcast title, Omikron: The Nomad Soul), Indigo Prophecy, or Fahrenheit as it is known outside the United States, may in fact, be his most influential. While its modest worldwide sales of 150,000 units may not make it seem like a smash hit, it laid the groundwork for everything that followed and proved to be a force of its own. Simply put, the thrill the game provides is due to its ability to wield wonderful narratives. Between the main protagonist, Lucas Kane, who is looking for the reasons that led him to commit murder—and the two detectives, Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles (both with their own personal issues), out to find him—Indigo Prophecy hits hard. While not as fast and frenetic or noir as Max Payne, its psychological elements, brilliant use of ­cut-scenes, sound and fantastic pacing made it a game that countless others would borrow from in the years since its initial release. For Cage, the game represented an opportunity to tell a different type of story in gaming—one he had been eager to tell for years for a variety of reasons. “I was from a generation that grew up with video games. I was 10 when the first commercial video games really appeared, and I quickly became an avid gamer,” Cage recalled. “My focus was on music at the time, so I started working as a composer for video games. The technical constraints before ­CD-ROM were quite severe, so I had to understand a little bit of programming to be able to do any music. When ­CD-ROM arrived, my life changed, and I could finally be a musician again, record real instruments, work on mixes and in short, get rid of most of the constraints.” As Cage stated, his music resume in gaming spanned a large portion of the ’90s, when the change from ­cartridge-based systems to ­CD-ROM was occurring. This also represents a period of learned lessons and growth for the then young designer. His accomplishments were ­far-ranging. From credits on the SNES platformer, Timecop, to a Speedy Gonzalez game on the Game Gear, Genesis and Master System titled Cheese ­Cat-Astophe, Cage was slowly becoming the creator he is today—even if few were aware of it. Behind the scenes, away from writing, Cage was developing another set of skills that would define his career. 13

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“As I was also passionate about writing, I started writing the game I was dreaming of playing,” Cage said. “I had absolutely no clue about what game development was, or any idea of the technical constraints. I just wrote what excited me, and it was the game design of Omikron: The Nomad Soul, a game that was signed with Eidos Interactive at the time and featuring David Bowie. This is how Quantic Dream started—and how a gamer/musician started—in the industry.” While Omikron: The Nomad Soul was far from a huge seller, it did something special: it got the right people’s attention. With a great soundtrack, Bowie’s likeness, gameplay that had ­third-person and ­first-person cameras, ­side-scrolling, adventure, shooting, and ­beat-em-up elements, it was certainly industrious. It absolutely opened eyes. If nothing else, it helped make Indigo Prophecy possible. For the ­design-inexperienced Cage, it was a bold step, but one he knew he had to make. “Indigo Prophecy was a game that I imagined and that I was dreaming of developing. It was a very risky step in my young career, as the project was about creating a video game entirely based on interactive storytelling,” Cage said. “There were many new concepts that we wanted to try, from ­multiple-windows, controls based on the sense of mimicry, a new action system, [to] the Mental Health system, etc. So, what I felt was a mix of excitement and terror, which is usually how I feel on all my projects.” While Indigo Prophecy’s story and gameplay mechanics are still spoken about today, the music is held in just as high a regard. With a musician’s mindset firmly in place, Cage knew he had to create something special for the game’s soundtrack. He also got help from a pair of masters. “Music is always a very important element in all my games. We often say music is 50 percent of the image. What we mean by that is that a good soundtrack will make the game look better. This is something we experience on every single game we created,” Cage observed. “For Indigo Prophecy, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Angelo Badala-

Cage’s career in the industry began on the music side.



David Cage, Indigo Prophecy15

menti, a very talented composer known for his collaboration with David Lynch (and the famous theme of Twin Peaks) and with Norman Corbel, a wonderful Canadian composer (who composed the soundtrack of Heavy Rain). The soundtrack is what gives emotional color to the experience. Integrating the soundtrack is always a very important moment for me as a director.” Despite having all of the ingredients in place to create the type of game he wanted to, Cage admits the PlayStation 2 port was far from a cut and paste affair. “Developing on PlayStation 2 was indeed a challenge, as it was a very demanding platform, also very different from PC, which made ports very challenging, unless you were prepared to develop two games,” Cage said. “But it was also a very interesting and powerful platform at the time.” Regardless of the power of the PS2, however, Cage and the team had to work hard to make sure they were able to deliver the game the way they wanted on the console. “I remember how we struggled to implement the multiple windows,” Cage admitted. “The idea came from the TV series 24 that was very popular at the time. They modernized this old concept of having several windows ­on-screen at the same time, so you can see simultaneously what happens in different places. We felt that this idea was very interesting for a game, as you would see a cop approaching in one window while still being in control of your character in another window. It was a fascinating idea … but at the same time, it meant that you had to run several instances of the engine. “The first version was running at three frames per second … but we kept optimizing the code until it finally ran decently on a PS2. It was a massive challenge. The team and I were very proud that we made it possible.” At the same time, despite accomplishing many of his gameplay goals for Indigo Prophecy, Cage does see the cycle as a learning experience, one that influenced the rest of his career. “In general, I tend to have no regrets about past games, because I always work as hard as I can and do my best to the best of my knowledge at the time. Of course, you make mistakes when you need to make creative decisions, especially when you experiment with many new ideas, but I always learned something from them,” Cage said. “The ­full-screen QTE sequences, for example, was an interesting and VERY daring… idea. We really wanted to try something radically different. We learned a lot by experimenting with The game’s cover let it be known there was a mystery this idea, but I would certainly make to solve.

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The use of different camera views really made the story special.

a different choice today. Another regret is the change of title: the game is called Fahrenheit in the rest of the world and Indigo Prophecy in the US. It is always strange to have different titles for a game, but this was a decision from a different time when the Internet was not what it is today.” Besides the game’s naming issues, all the effort the team exerted fighting the console to do what they needed paid off. Cage is proud of the finished product, which since its original release, has been ­re-released on the PlayStation 4 and several other consoles. “The ­multiple-windows feature remains something I have not seen again. The sense of mimicry on the controls was also something quite innovative at the time,” Cage reflected. “The Mental Health system was probably one of the strongest ideas of the game, this notion of representing the mood of the main character and letting players support him through his actions and choices, at the risk of seeing him falling into depression and suicide. The mechanics were very simple—but representing a state of mind and allowing players to affect it was very intriguing.” These mechanics were so enthralling that the game not only earned a more than respectable 83 score on Metacritic but has produced a long list of hardcore fans that still appreciate it to this day. Over the years, Cage has heard several stories from gamers about Indigo Prophecy has affected their lives. “Someone told me once an incredible story: this person was seriously depressed, and was considering killing himself. He was on his way back home to commit suicide when he stopped in front of a shop window where Indigo Prophecy was running on a screen,” Cage shared. “In the demo of the game, we could see Lucas Kane and his Mental Health, where the Player had to make the right decisions to keep Lucas alive, otherwise he may kill himself. This person was intrigued and decided to buy the game. He came back home, played it for 10 hours in a row, struggling with the game to prevent the suicide of Lucas Kane…. And this experience helped him to pass this difficult moment in his life and to realize that he could also fight against depression in real life. He wrote to me years later to tell me that the game saved his life.”



David Cage, Indigo Prophecy17

Those gameplay devices made Indigo Prophecy special to that person, but they’re just as important to Cage. He too wanted the player to feel as much of the story as possible. “Indigo Prophecy was a game that showed that Interactive Storytelling was possible. Interactive Storytelling is different from Adventure Games where the core experience can be based on inventory management or puzzles,” Cage said. “In Interactive Storytelling, as I imagined it, the experience was entirely based on story, choices and consequences, emotion, role play and nothing else. “For me, the scene where Tyler Miles wakes up in the morning, takes a shower, chooses his clothes for the day, drinks coffee, kisses his wife before going to school, is a scene that was very meaningful to me. I always thought that video games had to show spectacular action to be interesting for players, but this scene convinced me, and I hope some players too, that interacting didn’t necessarily mean shooting at someone, that it could be something as simple as living these everyday moments. What matters is to create empathy for the characters, and then everything becomes possible.” So, while Indigo Prophecy may not go down in the history books as Cage’s most profitable title, a piece of it has integrated itself in everything he’s done afterward. If you’re a fan of anything he’s done over the past two decades, it’s safe to say it’s a game you’ve experienced in your own way. For Cage, it’s a cycle he’ll never forget. “Indigo Prophecy is the game where I tested almost all the mechanics that I would use in the next fifteen years. It has all the concepts of Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and even Detroit: Become Human,” Cage said. “All these games are based on the same philosophy and the same principles, just with more experience and polish. Indigo remains one of the most important games in my career for this reason. I also started learning my job as a writer and director. I played a lot with motion capture and most of the technologies that I am still using today.”

Brian Eddy,­ Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy From Holiday Pizza to Psychic Pugilism

Midway was a leading force in the arcade revolution of the ’80s and ’90s. Thanks to titles like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz and Terminator and a second golden age of pinball, Midway was essentially unstoppable during that period. But fast forward to the 2000s, and the arcade was dead. This meant the giant had to adapt. And, adapt they did. Releasing new versions of their classics such as NARC and Spy Hunter and home console versions of Blitz and other extreme sports games, Midway did anything but fade away like the arcade era. However, the publisher did more than build on their old legacy; they tried to create new ones. In addition to the releases of their ­fan-favorite titles, they released new IPs that managed to garner brand new fan bases. Among them was ­Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. Following the exploits of “­PSI-operative” Nick Scryer, ­Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy takes you through a wild journey of espionage and a character that discovers his powers as the game progresses. Like a classic arcade game, it introduces concepts to master as the game builds its story and characters. Ultimately, it’s a ­constantly-fun, but a ­slow-build, ­spy-thriller adventure that absolutely delivers. Adored by fans and hailed by critics, it’s one of those games that hardcore gamers appreciate. At the same time, a lack of marketing on Midway’s part hurt its legacy. Nevertheless, although it wasn’t a massive seller, its 460,000 combined units sold (290K on the PS2) ­Psi-Ops was proof that Midway was far from finished in the game industry. Considered one of the most underrated and unappreciated games on the console, its blend of ­third-person adventure and psychic combat immediately made it stand out from the crowded PS2 hardware market in 2004. Known for his previous work on Midway titles such as NHL Open Ice, CarnEvil, Arctic Thunder and several pinball titles, Design Lead Brian Eddy was out to make a big splash on what would become his first console release. But, before his debut with Williams and eventually Midway, Eddy was a gamer first, a hardcore one. “I was a kid at the start of the invention of video games in the 1970s, so I grew up as they were being created and evolving,” Eddy remembered. “Very exciting times to be in it, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I lived and breathed games, always trying to get quarters to go to the arcade. I think I dreamed of video games at the time. It was ­all-consuming. After having an Atari 2600, I really wanted to start making my own games. So, I sold off my Atari with about 20 or so cartridges to help fund a Commodore ­Vic-20 computer. I then taught myself BASIC programming, and once I realized I could not make programs run very fast in BASIC, I taught myself machine language and wrote a game 18

Brian Eddy,­ Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy19



called ­Matter-Zap. I then moved up to the Commodore 64 and played literally hundreds and hundreds of games. We won’t say how I got all those games, but it was a great lesson in brute force game design on what worked and what didn’t work.” Thus, from gamer to creator, the still-teenaged Eddy had amassed a wild assortment of programming knowledge and gaming experience. That didn’t directly lead to a future in gaming, however. “I continued improving my programming skills, wrote some programs for magazines and books, and then when I was about 17 or 18, I created what I called the Delivery Express System, which was basically Google maps before Google maps. I was working at Holiday Pizza, delivering pizza and was having a hard time finding houses. All we had back then were paper maps and our memory,” Eddy said. “So, I created a computerized mapping solution using a modified Commodore 64. The delivery driver would type in the address, autofill included, [and] it would pop up a map to the location ­on-screen, and then could go and print it on the back of the receipt. I remember writing a CAD program on the Commodore 64 and hand drawing hundreds of paper maps, section by section, that I got from the local cities. It was a pretty slick system. I sold it to a few local pizza places, and one even used it for about 15 years until they closed! As I was doing that, I went on a vacation to Chicago with a friend to go to the CES show. Back when they had video games. And, saw an ad in the paper that said, ‘GAMES! GAMES! GAMES!’ This ultimately leads to me getting the job at Williams Electronics as a programmer in the pinball division. It was a dream job as I was working with the people who made games like Joust, Defender and Robotron! I would have done it for free! So yes, always been a gamer, in all forms: board games, pinball, arcade games, consoles, PC, Facebook, mobile and now VR games. I love the evolution and changes over the decades.” Despite his happiness to be at Midway, the industry was going through an evolution. Primarily a pinball and arcade designer, Eddy too was asked to make an evolution of his own. This one was actually the beginning of the birth of ­Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. “I was already a lead game designer at Midway Games, Chicago, which would be equivalent to a Game Director and Executive Producer combined into one nowadays,” Eddy said. “I had just finished my last project, the Arctic Thunder arcade game, and the Although not one of Midway’s biggest hits, Psi-Ops is a company had just shut down the cult favorite.

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whole arcade division since that business was on a massive downturn with all the arcades closing. The new focus was fully on console and PC games. I was excited to jump onto these platforms as it was always a dream of mine to make console games! Management relied on me to propose game concepts and basically sell the concept to them to get it funded. I was given a small team to put together some concepts to pitch to management. We proposed four or five different concepts, and they chose ­Psi-Ops as the one to develop. Metal Gear Solid was one of the top games at the time, so it was strategically part of the pitch to design a game in that genre, but adding our own twist, psychic powers.” Being able to do his first console game for Midway was an honor for Eddy, but he knew it came with a high standard. He was ready. He saw what was going on in the company and knew they weren’t going to lay down during the new home ­console-only generation. “Midway, Chicago was the heart of Midway Games as that is where it all started. That’s where the early arcade games came from, and the teams working there had a rich heritage in creating, living, and breathing arcade games,” Eddy shared. “That was our legacy. So Midway, Chicago games always had a big emphasis on fun, easy to pick up but hard to master gameplay and controls as that’s what we needed to get the next quarter. So, I’d say the gameplay is what really stood out on ­Psi-Ops. Much like Mortal Kombat or Blitz, it wasn’t the best story ever or the best graphics ever, but the gameplay had to be amazing. I think the story and the art were definitely as good as anything out there, but our focus in the studio was gameplay first. Around that time, Midway started buying other studios, and their heritage

The game’s first boss made you use all of your cool powers.

Brian Eddy,­ Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy21



came from the console and PC work, so they had a little bit different take on how to make a compelling game. There isn’t a right or wrong way; it’s just how we grew up creating games and was a big part of ­Psi-Ops.” Now with the end of essentially a generation of dominance in the arcades, Midway also had to be careful what they created on consoles. They needed winners. As a result, Eddy knew there was a ton of pressure for the game to be a success. Early on, the game absolutely got the attention of the ­higher-ups at the company. “As with every Midway game, the expectation was very high. It was expected to sell over a million games. We didn’t quite make it to a million. During executive Eddy’s contributions to the video game industry are management reviews, we always immense. wowed them with the demo of gameplay in progress so that built some excitement internally,” Eddy recalled. “I remember the very first time we showed the first playable to the CEO; it was barely running. It was just a scene with a couple ­half-buildings and a few ­half-walls, but we had the very first ragdoll physics started, and telekinesis barely worked. We were all sure it was going to crash at some point as it would only run for about 15 minutes. The CEO grabbed the controls toward the end and picked up an enemy and flung him across the screen, flipping end over end, and he landed by hitting a stone fence and was hanging upside down, dangling by his foot. The room erupted in cheers and ‘Oos’ and ‘Ahhs’ as no one had seen something like that before, and the project was ­green-lit to continue!” Far more than a tech demo, Eddy’s job was to make sure the now ­green-lit project was going to be a success. That wasn’t his only job, though. Truth be told, there was little Eddy’s hands didn’t touch on the game. “I was responsible for the whole project, and since Midway had pretty small teams at that time compared to the rest of the industry, I wore a few different hats as many did on the team,” Eddy said. “I was the lead game designer and the executive producer in charge of the project management also. That would probably be a conflict of interest nowadays. Lots of control, but management knew the leads well and was trusting of us to do the job. They gave us plenty of rope to hang ourselves with if we couldn’t pull it off! Midway, Chicago, had never done an action/adventure game before in the studio, so we had to make everything from scratch as we went along. No engine or previous game to build on, which was perfectly fine as that is what we did well when making arcade games. Midway even made their own graphic chips for over a decade. It was part of our DNA.” Armed with the tools needed to make ­Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy something

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special, Eddy was confident. That didn’t mean that they didn’t have their work cut out for them, though. Ironically, the team had a major setback that nearly ended the adventure before it started. “One of the roughest times was when the game went to the first E3 show,” Eddy admitted. “The game was clearly not ready to be shown to the public. There was barely an engine running, nothing was optimized, a sparse level. It didn’t look very good, and the controls were clunky at best. Unfortunately, Midway didn’t have enough product to show and decided we had to go. It was a big mistake. We all knew it would not show well as it was just too early when being next to ­near-finished games. When E3 was over, the game was almost canceled, but we convinced management in our vision and direction and what we still had planned would fix all those issues. It was a very tense couple of weeks, but they obviously, ultimately, allowed us to continue and finish the game. We then had a mountain of work to do to fix all the issues. I give credit to an amazing team pulling together to turn it around and ultimately deliver upon the vision.” After E3, now with more of a clear idea of what the game needed to be, Eddy and the team were more focused than ever. “One of the biggest changes was the controls. When we went to that first E3, the controls for using the powers were completely different,” Eddy said. “For TK, you had to select the object you wanted to interact with using the right joypad and then buttons to control it. The camera was also controlled by the game and wasn’t always focusing on the right thing, so it was hard to move and use the powers. It led to the game being really hard to control and see what was going on. In general, it was just clunky and pretty unplayable. A couple people on the team suggested we try a ­first-person-like camera view that the player controlled instead of the game. I was very skeptical at the time, but we tried it, and it was the best decision we made as it cleared up the clunky feel of the controls and made it more intuitive and easier to pick up and play and combine the powers. The rest of the game design worked out pretty well, and while we were evolving and learning from things we implemented, especially with the physics, most of the original design stayed in place. TK surfing, the ability to stand on a crate and then TK lift the crate and yourself up in the air, wasn’t part of the original plan but was discovered by the team playing and wanting to do it, so we fully implemented it. A lot of small details like that were added from the team and others’ suggestions, but overall, the ­high-level design was pretty close to the original. We did have to cut a couple levels’ length, especially the last level with the Aura Beasts. We probably cut that one in half to get the game done in time to ship.” After getting the game to control the way he wanted and that initial E3 setback, Eddy believes the team did a great job of finding a sweet spot, a place where arcade gamers could see it was a Midway game, and home console owners could relax with it and enjoy the ride. This may be the place where ­Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy shines the brightest. Eddy also believes he had a special team that was just as responsible for the game’s accomplishments. “Console games were more difficult, much deeper and different expectations from the player. My lead programmer, Jason Blochowiak, and Senior Programmer Steve Ellmore did an amazing job with the team in creating a ­brand-new engine and toolset from scratch on the PS2 and Xbox with an insane implementation of the Havoc Physics engine,” Eddy said. “Certainly, the best at the time. And, that allowed us to do some great ‘play how you want’ gameplay with the game design and all the powers. I loved games that provided you with a sandbox of tools and then it was up to you to combine them in any way you wanted to get

Brian Eddy,­ Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy23



past the obstacles and fight the enemies. It’s very rewarding to the player. I think we did an amazing job of integrating all the powers in the game, still the best implementation of Telekinesis I’ve ever seen, and all these allowed players to play how they wanted to. We focused on making sure every encounter along the way had many solutions, and I think this, along with an amazing physics implementation, allowed us to create something really special that people still remember today. Our arcade heritage of gameplay first, easy to pick up and play, but hard to master really shined in the game design.” While happy with the finished product, Eddy acknowledges the sheer amount of work that went into making the game a reality. They could have given up but never did. “We did have a lot of challenges during the development,” Eddy reflected. “We built the engine and toolchain from scratch. This is really impressive now, when I look back, because we made an engine and a full game, with a small team in less time than most of the bigger companies had to just make the game part. I think a few programmers and artists may have lost their minds during development. “A couple small fun things were the ‘In my mind’ song we had created for the game by the band Cold, which was actually a great song, was in the game as elevator music whenever you went into an elevator. Another fun one is one of the main foes, Barret, was the guy training you as you got each power, and since time progressed as you learned them, the artist, Sal DiVita, gave him a different hairstyle each time. He didn’t tell any of us he was doing this, and when we saw it, we all had a great laugh. It was a small detail but made the progress fun for those who picked up on it.” Those different haircuts were just the tip of the iceberg of things in the game you may not have noticed or not known. According to Eddy, plenty was going on behind the scenes. Many of these situations are the causes and reasons as to why there was never a sequel to the series. “The original title of the game was called ESPionage. We went to the first E3 showing the game with that name. The play on words was great, and we even had ­T-shirts made, but it didn’t work as well spoken, as it didn’t convey the concept as well as written, so we ended up changing it,” Eddy said. “There was also a lot of controversy in marketing on adding the tagline to ­Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, but we really felt strongly you needed it to lead you to a story, so we ultimately won, and it was kept. “Another one was the ‘To be continued’ at the end of the game. This was a big controversy on the team. Some people were vehemently against it and said we shouldn’t do it unless we know if there would be a sequel. I ultimately decided to put it in as I really wanted to do a sequel and was hopeful it would happen, and I thought maybe putting a cliffhanger ending in it would push management to greenlight a sequel. Ummm … Yeah, no that didn’t work or help! It was purely ­sales-driven, and the new consoles were coming out, so they wanted the team to do something new. In hindsight, we really should have done a sequel and used all that we learned and the engine we made to improve the next version as it would have been even more polished, and we would have had a huge head start and be able to focus mainly on the game part. A lot of games succeeded in that era by doing a decent first game, and a great second game but that wasn’t the mentality of management at the time. Arcade games either hit or didn’t. So, they looked at console games the same way. But console games were getting very complex, and it turned out to be a good strategy to stick with a concept over multiple games as each one built upon the previous one, and you ended up with a much better game than starting from scratch. “The whole marketing team at Midway was completely switched out about three

24

The Minds BehindPlayStation 2 Games

months before the game shipped. This made it very difficult to get them up to speed quickly, invested in the game, and for them to get the word out about it to all the publications in time to make a big splash,” Eddy noted. “I think if they had been there from the beginning, they would have understood the game better and been more vested and pushed to do a lot more venues, but it was a little bit like an orphaned project that they just wanted to get past since they had little to do with it during development. A stronger marketing presence for the whole project, so they could create a ­build-up to launch, would have helped get the word out and ultimately lead to more sales.” Despite the lack of a publicity push from Midway, the game still sold nearly half a million copies and earned Game of the Month honors from GameSpot and awards and nominations from several other gaming publications. That, to Eddy, was proof that that game was a success. It also led to the creation of a game from Midway, led by Eddy, that did sell over a million units. “The reviews came in and most were quite good. The team was excited to see them,” Eddy said. “I believe it was the ­highest-rated Midway game that ever came out on consoles that was not an arcade port. So, we were all proud of the accolades. But it also came out when many big games were launching, and we did not have the marketing muscle or money to go up against bigger companies at the time, so it was harder to get the word out among players, and it didn’t sell as well as the company had hoped. I think the fact that it still has a following today, and many people remember it fondly, means we created something fun and memorable for players. I’ll take that! We really wanted to do a sequel, but the company wanted us to start on a new game, using this Unreal engine, so we instead started John Woo’s Stranglehold. But that’s a whole different story.” The achievement of Stranglehold is indeed another story, but one that doesn’t get told without the lessons learned from ­Psi-Ops. Eddy clearly understands that now. “Lessons learned on this project shaped my approach going forward on other projects and even the company. The scope was too big and the team too small for what we wanted to create. I won’t say we set ourselves up to fail because you want to be ambitious and push the envelope, but it also has to be balanced in a way that works for the business. The talent on the team made up some of the difference but [it was] a big lesson on keeping scope tight and adjusting as you go,” Eddy said. “Another is: dynamic worlds are really fun! When we made the playroom and included it in the demo. I remember hearing from players that they spent hours and hours just trying to do different things in that room and making their own fun. “Finally, I will say: let people do their job, don’t micromanage them, put your trust in them, direct them to keep the vision cohesive, but let them shine. A great team will make a great game. Hire the right talented people, and let them do what they do best. This can be tough as the lead, as you have a vision in your head, but while it’s important to stay true to your vision, you also need to be open to other possibilities. Great ideas come from everywhere and everyone, so always be ready to listen to feedback and implement the suggestions if it works better and still fits the vision. Oh, and crunch is awesome! Everyone loves crunch. Yeah, okay, no crunch is very, very bad. Plan better.” Recently serving as a designer on the Stern pinball version of The Mandolorian, Eddy has reclaimed his pinball roots. That doesn’t mean he’s forgotten ­Psi-Ops or how the game ended. “­Psi-Ops was my first console game and one of the biggest challenges in my career. I’m very proud of how it turned out even if not perfect,” Eddy shared. “It was a great team, and we created something people still remember today. I’d say that was a win. I think

Brian Eddy,­ Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy25



­Psi-Ops was really a game before its time. It did some amazing things with the physics, player choice and the power that really stood out as unique and special at that time on the consoles. Most of all, I just want it to be remembered as being a blast to play! That’s why I love doing what I do. When you can create something that players love and remember even 20+ years later, there is nothing better. And I will remember it as a game that really needs a sequel! I mean that ‘To be continued’ has to be fulfilled, right?”

Paul Guirao, Tekken Tag Tournament Kung Fu Panda and Break the Walls Down

Although the PlayStation 2 era is by far the most important time in Sony’s reign of dominance in video game history, the console’s legacy is epic for another reason as well—it essentially put an end to the days of the arcade. Before the PlayStation 2, the only place to play the best version of your favorite fighting game was a quarter or two at a time at your local arcade. Once the PS2 was released, however—that was beginning to change. By the time Tekken Tag Tournament was released in Japan on March 30, 2000, the arcade experience was finally able to go home with you. That process didn’t happen overnight, though. Games the likes of Street Fighter Alpha and Tekken 3 on the PlayStation were able to deliver a comparable gameplay experience to their arcade big brothers. You could tell the difference, but not by much. By the time Tekken Tag Tournament hit the PlayStation 2, it was identical to casual gamers and played comparable enough to make any hardcore gamer happy. While the PS2 version wasn’t perfect, it played its role in helping to end the arcade era. Armed with a bevy of extra modes as well including Tekken Bowling, it quickly became a fan favorite on the console, selling over 4 million units on the PlayStation 2. One of the reasons for the game’s success was that the fighting genre was one of the industry’s best and brightest. Every console had a killer fighting game series of its own or a specialized edition that maximized its potential on whatever hardware it was using. For Tekken Tag Tournament, Associate Producer Paul Guirao remembers a time when you could only play a game like it in a public setting. While he was a fan of arcade games, he truly became a gamer thanks to the Atari 2600. It makes sense that he’d be one of the people responsible for recreating the Namco arcade fighting experience on the PS2. “I have been around games most of my life. It started when I was hanging out at the bowling alley with my dad, and the frequent visits to mall stores like Sears, where the Atari 2600 was on display, allowing anyone to play all the games that were available,” Guirao recalled. “I was never really good at these games as a kid, because arcade games were designed to be ‘quarter crunchers.’” They were never intended to be finished with one quarter, and the ability to continue where you last left off was ­non-existent. “My gamer life began when my parents got my brother and [me] the Atari 2600. My life changed completely because it’s all I did when I wasn’t playing outside with my friends. Armed with a black and white TV, we would play games until the break of dawn, often getting in trouble for being up so late. As I got older, I was introduced to the Commodore 64. It was then that I was drawn into games that had at least 16 colors, making it the closest thing to an arcade game. This is when I became really interested in programming, because the BASIC language was the most common programming language available to the public. 26



Paul Guirao, Tekken Tag Tournament27

In my free time, I would try to program my own games, even if it was a textbased. After the Commodore era, I was hooked on games, especially RPGs like Wizardry and Bard’s Tale. The most fascinating thing about this time is that if you were into computers, you were considered a nerd or geek. I would often have to hide my love for computers just to save face; it wasn’t cool at the time to be ‘smart.’ How times have changed in today’s world! I now proudly say, ‘I’m a nerd and geek!’” With his love of computers and RPGs as a springboard, Guirao began to ponder what it would be like to enter the industry. A far different time than today, Guirao headed to the newspaper classified section and looked for ­part-time work. “Back in the ’90s, game companies were looking for game testers to find problems in them before they were shipped to the masses,” Guirao said. “I was in college at the time and had always been aware of game testing back in the early ’90s when Sega was making a name for themselves for the Sega Genesis. I had always thought, ‘Hey what a way to make money while going to college!’ Companies were paying $8 an hour to sit on your ass and play games, at least so I thought! In the ’90s, the minimum wage was around $4.25 an hour, so $8 was a lot for a college kid. I would search the classifieds looking for game testers ads, and eventually, I found several. The irony: you would think becoming a game tester was easy, but funny enough, the interviews could be very grueling since they were looking for testers who paid close attention to detail. I eventually ended up at Namco, which was formerly known as Namco Hometek, the US division that handled all game console products. There were two primary divisions at the time, Namco Hometek and Namco America. Namco America was the arcade division designated for all the arcade games that went out to local Arcades, like Dave & Busters.”

Who did you choose in Tekken Tag?

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The Minds BehindPlayStation 2 Games

Around the same time, while he was more of an RPG aficionado, Guirao remembers how important fighting games were in the industry in the ’90s. The ability to appreciate different titles and understand why they were so successful at the marketplace absolutely played a role in his future in gaming. “I’m not as much of a fighting game fan as I used to be. I still love them, but [I’m] no longer as invested,” Guirao admitted. “The game that really stands out is everyone’s favorite, Street Fighter II. This game was such a radical change from the original arcade game that it became the game that everyone would play. Tournaments would be happening every week. Local rivalries were started based on your location. It was crazy!” Like many future producers and developers, Guirao got his start as a tester. While he didn’t originally know where this chapter in his life would take him, he was happy to put his love of gaming to work. “I started off as a temp tester working on Treasures of the Deep (for more on that game, read The Minds Behind PlayStation Games), an underwater treasure hunting ­arcade-type of game,” Guirao said. “During my time as a temp tester, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position as a Senior Game Tester. I was a computer science major at San Jose State at the time and the current R&D Director noticed I wanted to be a programmer. This was my ‘in’ into the industry; he wanted to groom me to be part of a development team at some point in my career. I never thought I’d work in this industry because the internet was just in its infancy. I saw a future in programming for web applications. In the meantime, I thought to myself, ‘Well shit, I might as well get paid to play games while earning my degree and then move on!’ Little did I know some 20+ years later, here I am, still in the game industry. It’s been quite an adventure.” Going on to earn design credits for Dead to Rights, Splatterhouse and Days Gone, Guirao has amassed an impressive resume. However, by the time Tekken Tag Tournament

The visuals on Tekken Tag were the best on the PS2 at the time.



Paul Guirao, Tekken Tag Tournament29

was revealed, he was far from as experienced as he is today. Despite that, Guirao knew how crucial the game was to Namco at the time and understood why it was created. “Tekken Tag was really a ­mash-up bringing back some characters not seen in Tekken 3, made to compete against a lot of fighting games coming out from Capcom,” Guirao recalled. “Capcom was one of the first companies to introduce a ­tag-mode. While those games were ­sprite-based, they were very addicting. “Tekken Tag was a very important product to both Namco and Sony. Tekken 3 had done so well on the PS1, that the success of Tekken Tag was vital to the launch of the PlayStation 2 for the US market. Not often do you see launch titles named: Tekken Tag and Ridge Racer 5 for the PlayStation launch,” Guirao said. “What really made this so exciting: the power of the PS2 had finally caught up to the arcade. What players were getting in Tekken Tag is exactly what you would find in the arcades. Now, the PS2 didn’t have all the power found in the arcades, but for what the PS2 provided, you really couldn’t tell the difference unless you’re paying close attention to details like ­anti-aliasing. This was a huge talking point during those days.” Although Guirao admits the Tekken Tag Tournament port isn’t all that different from the hit arcade version, he knew it was a vastly different experience from the last Tekken console title, Tekken 3, on the PlayStation. Although Tekken 3 is considered by many to be one of the best fighting games on the PlayStation, Guirao knew Tekken Tag was in a completely different stratosphere. “The game didn’t really change much by the time I got on it,” Guirao said. “It had been in the arcades for some time. If anything changed to my account, it was the limitations on the PS1. In the arcade version of Tekken 3, there were no walls to bound the player in. It would feel like the player could move without feeling trapped. In the PS1 version of Tekken 3, walls bounded the player. Most players won’t realize it because the bounding box that contained the players was huge! At some point, you’ll run into a wall and be trapped leading to some crazy trap combos. On the PS2, this was no longer a limitation. Walls were gone.” By the time Guirao began work on the game, the hype had already started. Tekken Tag was one of the most anticipated games on the PlayStation 2. Guirao admits, however, that his work was different on this title than it was for the games he worked on later in his career. “I was on the localization team at Namco Hometek. It was our job to get the game ready for the US Market. While I didn’t speak Japanese, my ­co-workers were all fluent in the language and were heavily involved with the dev teams to get the games localized into English. My job involved handling all contact with Sony, ESRB and our local QA teams,” Guirao reported. “We were sent to Japan for a month to get the final product ready for a US release. You can imagine having to deal with the time differences and working with Sony to get a smooth release. Outside my name being in the credits, my mark was really left on Sony, as it was my job to harass them until we got Sony’s approval that the game had passed their QA teams and was ready for launch. When I say harass, I literally mean calling almost every hour to get the status of our game! I’m pretty sure I annoyed the hell out of them, but it was a necessity since the last thing we needed was the game being delayed because of a Sony violation that was found by them. Getting final approval from ­first-party publishers is often ­gut-wrenching because you just never know what they’ll find! Since it was the arcade release, much of the game had already been translated. If any real work had to be done, it was for all the new game modes only available on the home console. This is where most of our localization work came into play, testing out these new modes to make sure they didn’t break.”

30

The Minds BehindPlayStation 2 Games

Despite the pressure with testing, localization and frequent calls with Sony, Guirao knew there was going to be a payoff. Tekken Tag Tournament had a date with destiny. That didn’t make the work any easier, though. “For the most part, we knew Tekken Tag was going to be a success. Tekken was a very popular fighting game at the time. At its peak, it had brought the fighting genre to another level, being one of the more successful 3D fighters of its time,” Guirao said. “We just had to make sure that we got the game ready for the US PS2 launch. Probably one of the more stressful times during my localization time.” Because he played the game so much, Guirao has characters that remain special to him. You might be surprised who ended up having a lasting impact. “There are a lot of characters I enjoyed, but the two characters I found myself playing often were Jin and Panda,” Guirao shared. “Jin was a new character to Tekken 3 and was a derivative character to Jun Kazama found in Tekken 2. What made these characters special was their ability to ‘counter’ or ‘sidestep’ an attack allowing you to set up your opponent. At the time, no other character in the game did that. As for Panda, that was really one of those, ‘I’m going to beat you with a character with a limited move set’ [situations], a very powerful but cute bear who shared the same move set as Kuma. The simplicity of the character just allowed you to play without overthinking your next move.” While Guirao loved Panda’s simplicity, he also appreciated the ingenuity of the people who played the game and essentially modded the experience to suit their gameplay styles. “The official move list that Namco Japan would always send us was always less than what many FAQs had on their list,” Guirao said. “Often, this was the case of hardcore players exploiting the game and finding new and unique ways to perform moves that the dev team never thought of.” Although Guirao believes his work on Tekken Tag was far less complicated than his work on other games, the lessons learned during its development played an influential role in his career moving forward. It’s safe to say that his work on the game helped make his more influential work possible. “This was my last game as part of the localization team before I joined one of the internal teams at Namco Hometek, Dead to Rights. I had learned a lot about the production side of games, which would benefit me in terms of staying organized to an extent and understanding all the moving parts outside of game development, such as working with sales and marketing, working with external companies such as ESRB and Sony,” Guirao said. “It gave me even more respect for what else happens behind the scenes as a publisher.” With its accomplishments coming in the dying days of the arcade but also the burgeoning era of the PlayStation 2, Guirao is completely aware of the game’s legacy. At the same time, he has his own way he’d like the game to be remembered. “As one of the first console games that gave a true representation of how arcade power had finally arrived on the home gaming console … the PS2 still had some technical limitations from arcade machines, but it just showed how far gaming consoles had come,” Guirao said. Once the PS2 launched, you started seeing the decline in arcades as gamers are now stuck at home playing games rather than going to their local arcades.” It’s also special because it closed out the localization era of Guirao’s career. Moving on to work mainly as a designer from that point forward, Tekken Tag was essentially a bookend to one part of his life in gaming. “The Tekken series has always been one of my favorite fighting games outside of the Street Fighter franchise,” Guirao shared. “Tekken Tag is special in the sense that it would be the last time I’d work directly with the Namco Japan dev teams.



Paul Guirao, Tekken Tag Tournament31

The yearly visits to Japan to finish games would end, and I knew I would no longer be seeing many of my Japanese counterparts moving forward. “I had a great time in the localization department. We were a very tiny team during my stint. There were about three [or] four of us on the localization side porting games from Japan, until the internal teams were ready to launch their games such as ­Pac-Man World and Ms. ­Pac-Man Maze Madness. You may not think localization is hard work, but there were a lot of long hours put into these games to be ready for the US market. Trust me, localization is not easy. There’s a lot of moving pieces on our end that really taught me some big lessons before I made the jump to an internal development team. If I could do it again, I would. It was really fun.”

Alan Flores, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Neversoft’s First Plastic Guitar Solo

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock may seem like the third volume in the acclaimed rhythm game franchise, but sometimes, the names of games can be deceiving. The first two games in the series, Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II, although published by Activision, were developed by Frequency, Amplitude and future Rock Band developers, Harmonix. After Harmonix was bought by MTV Games, Activision then enlisted Neversoft, the team responsible for the Tony Hawk games, to take over the series. The end result was a game that looked like its predecessors but featured more modes and is considered by many to be the most difficult game of the original three in the series. Ultimately, while maintaining the legacy of the Guitar Hero series, Legends of Rock marks the beginning of a new era for the franchise. Although Neversoft was new to the rhythm genre, their achievements with a myriad of other games made them a solid developer to take the helm of the Guitar Hero brand. While Harmonix went on to create Rock Band and enable all different types of instrumental peripherals, Neversoft took a bit longer to get there. Why? They knew the ­guitar-based gameplay had a hardcore audience. They saw Guitar Hero III as an opportunity to capitalize on the niche, rather than spread out to the full ­band-based gameplay. Selling nearly 5 million units on the PlayStation 2 (Rock Band sold less than 4 million combined units on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360) and more than 15 million overall, Guitar Hero III is one of the most successful rhythm games ever. The game’s lead designer, Alan Flores, was then known for his work on the Tony Hawk series and Neversoft’s original ­Spider-Man game on PlayStation, and Guitar Hero III was indeed a special opportunity. It was also one that came at the perfect time for him. “I had just finished up work as lead designer on Tony Hawk’s Project 8, and I was pretty burnt out. The management at Neversoft could tell, so they offered for me to take a leave of absence,” Flores reported. “So, I took off seven weeks, hung out with my kids, went on vacation. During that time, Red Octane, the publisher of Guitar Hero and GH2, … struck a deal with Activision and then was looking for an Activision team to develop future games for the Xbox 360. Over at Neversoft, we were playing tons of Guitar Hero II in the back room, so we were all big fans of the game. Neversoft pushed pretty hard to be considered for the project.” Already fans of the series, Neversoft was thrilled to land the gig eventually, but things didn’t go exactly as planned at the start. Neversoft’s efforts to increase the quality of the game’s music made things more difficult. 32



Alan Flores, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock33

“At first we thought we would be ­co-developing with Harmonix, so we assumed we would learn how to do things from them,” Flores recalled, “but that changed quickly, and we had to learn how to do things on our own. Figuring out how to note track songs, how to display the note highway, building up a team of note trackers was all extremely challenging. “Then we had to deal with music licensing. GH and GH2 had mostly cover versions of the songs, but that was no longer acceptable once we started working on GH3. There are still some covers in there, but it’s almost all original songs by the original artists. Licensing songs and tracking down the master recordings was always an adventure. We have Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones in the game, but you can’t play it on bass because the bass track is on the same stem as the drums.” However, amid all the changes, Flores found his way into the Guitar Hero world. “The initial plan was Harmonix would work on the PS2 version, and we would work with them on the Xbox 360 version, but turns out, they were working on a competing product,” Flores said.

Guitar Hero III may be the best game in the series.

34

The Minds BehindPlayStation 2 Games

“One day during my leave, there was a Neversoft party at the bar for some reason. That happened a lot over there, so I can’t remember the exact occasion. Anyway, Joel, the president of Neversoft, called me over and told me they were going to do Guitar Hero and said they needed me to work on it. I believe it was fate because ironically enough, Guitar Hero is one of the reasons why I was getting so burned out on the Tony Hawk games. GH is so original and deceptively simple, and Tony Hawk had become so complex. Also, I’m a guitar player and know a lot of useless ­rock-n-roll trivia, so it was a perfect fit for me, a dream project for sure. The last week of my leave, I was already writing gameplay and song wishlists for the game.” Reenergized and ready to work on the game, Flores felt the pressure of trying to make sure the game lived up to the standards of its previous entries. While you might think there would be a rivalry between Neversoft and Harmonix, Flores never saw it that way. “It was truly an honor to work on it. We loved the previous versions,” Flores noted. “So, we felt a big burden on our shoulders, especially since Harmonix has such a great legacy of making awesome music rhythm games. You know, the press always tried to pit us against each other, Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero, but I’ve met a few people at Harmonix over the years. Helen McWilliams and I talk every now and then. I couldn’t have more respect for them. “After we shipped Guitar Hero III, Harmonix sent us this big case that said to open in the dark. We were wondering if they were sending us a bomb or something, but it was this big case with three bottles of Jack Daniels that was backlit when you opened it, along with a card signed by their entire team. I remember one note from the card saying the Lars character from the game ‘needs boob physics.’” While there was respect between the two teams, that didn’t make the task at hand much easier. For Flores, going from Tony Hawk to Guitar Hero was a transition. “Yeah, it was super different. In Tony Hawk, you interact with the entire environment,” Flores observed. “Level design is so important. I think more so than lots of other types of games. If a player sees something, then he’d better be able to skate it. That, and there is Rock legend Slash graced the game’s front cover.



Alan Flores, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock35

this huge array of tricks that the player can use to express themselves. In Guitar Hero, the songs are the levels, and our designers need to be able to accurately express the music with a fun note track. It’s a completely different skillset, something that we weren’t set up to handle initially. We had to hire a lot of really talented musicians/designers to get those note tracks just right.” Some of the musicians Flores worked with on Guitar Hero III left lasting impressions on him. “Working on the Guitar Hero franchise was full of fun moments,” Flores said. “Meeting and interacting with rock stars was always a good story, sometimes good and sometimes, not so much. But on Guitar Hero III, I remember working with Slash on his boss battle recording. It’s funny. When I described the concept of it to him and Tom Morello, all I had to say is, ‘Do you remember Crossroads?’ If you didn’t know, it’s a movie where Ralph Macchio has a guitar duel with Steve Vai at the end. Anyway, just mentioning that movie to them … they instantly got the concept. So, Slash is in our studio recording his boss battle, and I’m in the room with him to give him some direction, but he didn’t want me to look at him while he did it, at least at first. I thought that was such a trip. I mean, who am I to judge your playing? You’re freaking Slash!” Flores’ interaction with one of the greatest guitarists of all time was just the tip of his Guitar Hero III experience. Truth be told, Guitar Hero III not only affected the video game landscape but the music one as well. “Living Colour and The Sex Pistols, minus Sid Vicious of course, both got back together to record music for the game. That was kinda ­mind-blowing,” Flores reflected. “In the new version of ‘Cult of Personality’ that Living Colour did for us, they changed the solo. You can hear a lot of cool subtleties on the isolated music tracks. On the guitar track, you can hear the guitar player grunt before he goes into the fast part of the solo. It’s pretty damn cool.” With all the added bells and whistles, Guitar Hero III ultimately ended up being extremely popular. Although it sold 150,000 fewer copies on the PlayStation 2 than Guitar Hero II, which sold 5.14 million units, those units were made up on newer consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. According to Flores, the cycle was a quick one with little margin for error. “What we shipped was pretty close to the initial vision,” Flores said. “We developed that game in under a year, and a big part of that was figuring out how to make a Guitar Hero game, so there wasn’t a lot of time to throw things out and start over.” All that considered, Flores is proud of his work on the game, but has a bigger soft spot for another game in the franchise. At the same time, he believes Guitar Hero III served a special purpose in the history of the series. “To me, the best Guitar Hero game that I worked on and the best one of all in my opinion is Guitar Hero Metallica,” Flores shared. “I think the music really lends itself well to the GH gameplay, and the models and environment themes were just such a good representation of the band. But, I would put GH3 right after that. We were still learning how to do it, but it was such a fun whirlwind of a product to work on. I’m so proud of it and of the team.” Going on to work on several other Guitar Hero games, as well as WWE 2K20 and indie rhythm game Drums of War, Flores has had a multifaceted and successful career. However, the time when Guitar Hero ruled the gaming world is one that will never be forgotten.. “I would like people to look back and go, ‘Do you remember that time when plastic instruments ruled the gaming industry?’ And, have Guitar Hero 3 be a big part of that,” Flores said. “For a few years there, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about it. It was pretty fun but ultimately not all surprising that it didn’t last.”

Luke Valentine, Mister Mosquito ­Blood-Sucking Fun from the Land of the Rising Sun

While the original PlayStation had a plethora of unique titles, like Aquanauts Holiday, Parappa the Rapper and LSD, that have endeared themselves to collectors and players, the PlayStation 2 had just as quirky a library. Developed by Zoom, which was known for their work on the PlayStation classic fighter Zero Divide, and published by Sony in Japan and Eidos Interactive in the United States, Mister Mosquito follows the main character, who’s on a mission to survive the harsh winter ahead. That means he’ll have to suck as much blood as he can, without being killed. Selling over 170,000 copies worldwide, Mister Mosquito is the most successful Mosquito simulator of all time, but along with its the sequel Mosquito 2: Let’s Go Hawaii, they appear to be the only games in the genre. Despite that, it’s hard to argue this game’s cult appeal. Known for its offbeat story but fun objectives, solid control, and amazing soundtrack, together with its overly serious ­voice-acting, the game, upon its release, resonated with the used game and video store rental market, eliciting a ton of fond memories. To this day, it remains one of the console’s most unique games. For the game’s associate producer Luke Valentine, being a part of such an intriguing PlayStation 2 game at the beginning of his career was a wonderful opportunity. Just like the game, he too had an interesting entry into the games industry. “As a child, I had an Atari 2600 and grew up playing games throughout the ’80s. I never actually identified as being a gamer, even though games have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I got my break living in Japan in the late ’90s. I had been teaching English there for a few years after university and wanted to do something else,” Valentine admitted. “I actually saw a printed ad in the Japan Times looking for native English speakers, who could also speak Japanese, to help with localization. I interviewed and got a job working at Sega of Japan for two years. “Apparently, 300 people applied for three positions, so I was really lucky. Dreamcast had launched already in Japan, and I worked with Sega of America and Sega of Europe to help with the localization of some cool Dreamcast games. While I was at Sega, I even actually got to be one of the playable characters in Virtua Tennis, a character called Davor Tesla from Croatia. When I started at Eidos in London after, my new colleagues were playing the Dreamcast version of Virtua Tennis daily, and I got recognized by them when I said that I had previously worked at Sega!” What’s more, Valentine has some credits on other cult classics you may have heard of another product of his time at Sega. “I had helped out on House of the Dead 2, and then there was this arcade, typing, ­spin-off called Typing of the Dead, and then it came to Dream36



Luke Valentine, Mister Mosquito37

cast,” Valentine said. “Once an English language version was needed, I was asked to help come up with interesting words for the original Japanese ones: not direct translations, but considering length, complexity and keyboard layout. It was a surprising amount of work, and I got a Word Editor credit for it.” Ready to return home after some time in Japan, Valentine’s skill set earned him a job at another ­heavy-hitting game publisher at the time, Eidos. This opportunity continued to put his translation abilities to the test, as well as challenging him in new ways, opening an important chapter in his career. “I returned to the UK in November 2001 after five years in Japan and got hired as a Japanese speaking associate producer at Eidos,” Valentine remembered. “My first job was to assist with the ­Japanese-to-English localization of Mister Mosquito and also Bravo Music, known as Mad Maestro in the US. Consequently, we needed to do French, Italian, German and Spanish versions and then the PS2 console submissions to SIEE and SIEA. These were titles that Sony Interactive Entertainment had funded for release in Japan, but that their European and American publishing offices did not want to release. Eidos thought that they would be successful, so [they] set up a ­sub-brand called Fresh Games, and these two were the first to be released under this label.” While far from a blockbuster release in the United States, Mister Mosquito definitely got some attention in the US before release, thanks to budding internet coverage and its cool premise. From Valentine’s point of view, it was a title worth taking a risk on. “It seemed to be an optimistic bet. I don’t think that we paid much to pick the title up, so the ­break-even on the cost of localization, testing and publishing in the West was low,” Valentine said. “Eidos’ fortunes at the time were made on Tomb Raider, Championship Manager, Hitman, Commandos, Timesplitters and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Mister Mosquito was a way to get some more revenue before the end of the financial year, while making the company seem cool and innovative by picking up a weird game like that.” Although different from Sega, Valentine quickly got acclimated to Eidos and absolutely enjoyed his time there. “Working at Eidos at the time was fantastic. It was probably the best office environment I ever worked in. I didn’t know it at the time, but Eidos was Valentine had a fun run in gaming, thanks to involvepast its peak and the glory days of ment with several different titles.

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The Minds BehindPlayStation 2 Games

the late ’90s but was still very fun when I joined in November 2001,” Valentine recalled. “I was part of a producer team … working with external developers and focused more on the publishing of games than the ­day-to-day tasks of game developers. There was a great ­post-work, pub culture, and everyone seemed to be in their 20s and 30s including all the management.” Mister Mosquito would still be considered a unique game today, but it was extra “out there” in 2001, a perfect title to get published by young and hip Eidos. According to Valentine, the climate was extra perfect for a game of its tone. If nothing else, Valentine’s time at Sega proved the game could be a hit. “I think that the late ’90s saw a period of enormous innovation and originality with games led from Japan,” Valentine said. “After games like Typing of the Dead, Samba de Amigo, Jet Set Radio and Seaman, a game about playing as a mosquito didn’t seem out of the ordinary.” Ordinary, Mister Mosquito was not. Valentine remembers the first time he played the game and not only being intrigued by its premise, but also by the control scheme as well. “I was amused. It’s a funny game,” Valentine admitted. “And the mechanic of rotating the PS2 thumbstick to suck the blood while trying to remain undetected was clever.” Now set to work on the English language version of Mister Mosquito, Valentine and the rest of the team had plenty to do. Their impact on the game would be a lot more than you’d expect. “When we got our hands on Mister Mosquito, the game was complete and had been released already in Japan,” Valentine said. “Our role was to prepare it for release in the rest of the world. The first task was to get all the Japanese assets and to get them translated into English. I believe that I did some of this translation work myself. We then needed to get an English cast for the English voice recording. There was a TV show in the UK called Banzai at that time, that was really popular, where Japanese voice actors would do voice over with exaggerated Japanese accents. One of these was Eiji Kusuhara, and we had him do the voice of the Dad in Mister Mosquito. “Beyond this, I was translating bug reports into Japanese to send back to Japan for Mister Mosquito is one of the weirdest games on the PS2.



Luke Valentine, Mister Mosquito39

the development team to fix, and then in turn, translating their comments to English. It was very manual work, and we did the whole project in a couple of months.” Despite the short cycle, the team was able to get their work done and ensure the game’s release. For Valentine, the work the team put in was reminiscent of the era, one quite different from the way games are made today. “The biggest single thing that stands out in my memory was that we would need to send physical discs to Sony QA when we were ready for submission,” Valentine recalled. “This meant that a motorcycle courier would literally ride a bike up to Liverpool from London with the version of the game that we wanted to be manufactured. This was in 2001, but now I feel like I am describing something from the 19th century!” After Mister Mosquito, Valentine went on to work on a plethora of memorable titles such as LEGO Star Wars, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: Legend and three games in the Hitman series, both as a Producer and Publishing Manager. Because of that, Valentine has plenty of memorable moments to share. Looking back, Valentine sees his time with Mister Mosquito as one of the most hectic of his career. “I was really busy after working on two other Japanese titles, Legaia 2: Duel Saga and Way of the Samurai, and didn’t look up to think about lessons learned,” Valentine admitted. “In retrospect, I am really glad that I was part of Eidos at that time and that I got to work on Mister Mosquito. But at the time, I took it for granted, and it seemed like an organic evolution from having worked at Sega of Japan previously.” So, while Valentine may not have lost as much blood, sweat, or tears to Mister Mosquito as you would have thought, he’s still fond of the experience it offered him and is happy for the legacy it has. “The world’s first mosquito simulator game,” Valentine laughed. “And most likely the last too!”

Yoshitomo Moriwaki, Spider-Man: The Movie From PlayStation Port to Polished Movie ­Tie-In

For a much of the video game industry, titles based on films or any other type of licensed properties, have been polarizing. Usually seen a way to connect more fans to the product, they’ve also been used as marketing tools or as cash grabs by gaming publishers. Because publishers force game developers to design products in less time than usual, it can be tough to create a game that is any good, even though it is based on a comic book character or a film that was successful. In the case of ­Spider-Man: The Movie, the team at Treyarch had to do both. Based on one of the ­most-anticipated films of the time and one of the most beloved comic book characters of all time, Yoshitomo Moriwaki and his team had their backs against the wall the entire time. The end result, however, was the best console superhero game of its time, a game that set the bar for all other games based on comic book characters that came after it. Selling nearly 3.5 million units on the PlayStation 2 alone, the game was just as successful as the film, which ultimately grossed $821,708,551 worldwide and changed the face of comic ­book–inspired movies forever. But, don’t think for a second that the film was the only reason for the game’s popularity. Although using the plot of the film as a guide, ­Spider-Man: The Movie made sure to add in plenty of original content, including boss fights with Vulture and Scorpion. Make no mistake, Treyarch was out to do more than make a simple, ­movie-based game. They wanted to knock it out of the park once they knew what was at stake. According to Yoshitomo Moriwaki, the team had no idea what was going on behind the scenes, or how it would impact the game that eventually became ­Spider-Man: The Movie. Truth be told, no one had even imagined that the game would be based on the upcoming film. “I was already working at Treyarch,” Moriwaki recalled. “We were just finishing up a game based on the Max Steel property in 2000, and the team rolled onto a PS2/Xbox port for the Neversoft ­Spider-Man game. Given the project was a port, we didn’t think much about it other than a healthy respect for Neversoft and an appreciation of their PSX ­Spider-Man game. Seemed like a straightforward project. I was promoted to lead designer, and I was excited about that, though, that said, we had no idea what was in store for us.” With the original goal being a PlayStation 2/Xbox port of the beloved PlayStation ­Spider-Man game loosely based on the ’90s animated series, Moriwaki and the team weren’t worried about getting the game to where it needed to be to take advantage of the PS2’s advanced capabilities in comparison to the original PlayStation. Those sentiments changed quickly. This wasn’t going to be a port, after all. 40



Yoshitomo Moriwaki, Spider-Man: The Movie41

“Early on the expectations were minimal. We got it that ­Spider-Man was a complicated beast, but we were gonna replicate what Neversoft had done,” Moriwaki said. “Then, before we really got a chance to wrap our minds around a port project, it evolved into a game connected to the upcoming ­Spider-Man movie. This really just resulted in a ­team-wide groan at first. It’s not like licensed games connected to movies were regarded highly at that time. We were young and stuck in our own perspective. The potential for the project didn’t really dawn on us until pretty late into the project, which wasn’t a big deal. We liked making games, and we started to really dig what ­Spider-Man was capable of. Expectations didn’t significantly impact the difficulty of the project. I feel like no one was expecting anything huge because we were all conditioned to have low expectations from movie ­tie-in games.” Later known for his work on Boom Blox, Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Medal of Honor and ­Spider-Man 2, Moriwaki has more than a solid resume of hugely successful games to glean from. In 2002, however, Moriwaki was far from seasoned, making the adventure of working on a ­Spider-Man game a cool opportunity. His previous experience on games like Die by the Sword and Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm may not seem too connected to ­Spider-Man, but these underrated titles gave him plenty of experience building worlds. If you’ve ever played ­Spider-Man: The Movie, you get how important the game’s atmosphere is, something Moriwaki played a role in building. He was also a comic book reader, which added more polish to the game and what he was able to bring to the design table overall. “I wouldn’t say that I was a real Spidey fan at first, but that changed in a matter of

The combat system was fun but not the main draw of the game, according to Moriwaki.

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The Minds BehindPlayStation 2 Games

weeks. I grew up reading a lot of comic books, my uncle had collected thousands of comics from the silver age up to around the late ’80s,” Moriwaki remembered. “I always liked ­Spider-Man but was more of an ­X-Men fan back when I was a kid. It took the research at the beginning of the project to recognize the top spot the teenage scientist, ­universe-saving superhero occupies.” This newfound appreciation for the character not only affected the game but the sequels that came after. Make no mistake, what started out as a port of a PlayStation game was something completely different later on. “I don’t remember any significant direction changes during the project. On the design side of things, it was mostly improving on what was there both in terms of control systems and level design,” Moriwaki said. “As the months of the project passed, we made progressively more discoveries about what made ­Spider-Man tick. As the team’s understanding of the character grew, a lot of ideas about how to express his powers surfaced. Most of these ideas had to go on the shelf. Thankfully, we were able to come back to the shelf after the project ended. Specifically, we added a lot of attacks and animation canceling in the combat system. We got really into the idea of flipping between swinging and attacking. This started a process of breaking down barriers between different animation states, trying to implement a more general system to handle going from movement states to attack states. It’s hard to imagine this work wasn’t an important step in the lead up to the ­Spider-Man 2 control experience.” Despite all the changes and pressure, Moriwaki and the team chugged on. The end re-

Web-slinging around New York City is a blast but would get even better in future games.



Yoshitomo Moriwaki, Spider-Man: The Movie43

sult was a special one, but for them, it was also an extremely creative time in their lives that they took advantage of. “Overall, the project went well, neither the smoothest nor roughest of production cycles,” Moriwaki recalled. “The team was young; I was on the older side at 29, and no one was older than 35. We crunched way too much and didn’t know any better. We had tons of fun, behaved irresponsibly and caused a decent amount of damage at the office.” That doesn’t mean that there weren’t some tough spots or lessons learned, though. Luckily for Moriwaki and the team, they had energy to spare and were focused on adding as much polish as they could, even if the average gamer never saw it. That kind of pride and passion is one of the reasons why the game is still a special one today. Moriwaki admits there were things he did during the cycle that he’d probably never do again today. “There were three team members, myself included, that somehow managed to be responsible for about 30% of the total bugs on the project,” Moriwaki admitted. “For my part, the majority of those bugs came from a single weekend way too close to content lock where I added like 12ish, bonus/challenge levels to the game. These levels were like ­timed-speed trials and ­arcade-like ­mini-games. It was crazy fast and a crazy stupid thing to do. I remember having a difficult, pleading conversation with the artists to bring their visuals up to an acceptable minimum. Not fun. At the office, we designers enjoyed them as they were focused on challenges to the control scheme we worked so diligently to expand. But to this day, I don’t know if those levels had any positive impact on the audience’s experience of the game.” But regardless of the crunch, changes during the cycle and ­last-minute additions to the gameplay, Moriwaki stands by the game and sees it as a huge foundation of what was to come later on in ­Spider-Man games. “For anyone who has played the game, I hope they had a good time. That is ultimately what we’re all looking for as creators. I think the game stands on the edge of a precipice after which ­big-budget games based on big properties were expected to be good,” Moriwaki said. “It dramatically exceeded expectations when the idea of a movie game set the bar low. I’m in no way saying the game wasn’t awesome; we put a lot of good work into that game. I think the game stands like an important ancestor to the open city swinging experience that dominated afterward.”

Yoshitomo Moriwaki, ­Spider-Man 2 Webs Connected

How do you top your best work? That was the question for the Treyarch team following the achievements of the ­Spider-Man: The Movie game. For ­Spider-Man 2, the team knew the stakes were higher. With the massive success of the first film, as well as the release of Grand Theft Auto III changing sandbox games forever, the Treyarch team now had to step away from a more linear ­beat-em-up adventure that was the first game and dive into as much of an ­open-world quest as they could at the time. It was not going to be easy, not at all. However, the team had plenty of new tricks up their sleeves. Armed with the technology to dramatically improve ­web-slinging, the seeds were already in place to create a better experience in ­Spider-Man 2. According to the game’s creative lead, Yoshitomo Moriwaki, the team had little time between titles. That might seem stressful, but for a game developer, that’s usually the case when the first game in an eventual series hits big. “It felt normal. There was no real break between the projects,” Moriwaki recalled. “The rush of SM1’s success just pushed us into the deep end of getting into working on SM2. I don’t even remember contemplating the possibility that we wouldn’t work on a sequel.” While ­Spider-Man: The Movie was a game that surprised fans, critics and gamers alike, no one expected it to be as solid, polished or as fun as it was. Ultimately, the game sold over 3 million copies on the PlayStation alone. It also set the bar extremely high for the sequel that the world was waiting for. They would only accept an even better ­Spider-Man game. That expectation was never lost on Moriwaki. “We were just really fixated on getting that swinging experience to feel better and better and better,” Moriwaki said. “Before we knew it, we were full steam ahead on an ­open-world gameplay design having never done it before.” The pressure was obviously there from the start for Moriwaki, moving from lead designer on ­Spider-Man: The Movie to ­Spider-Man 2, but he felt at home at Treyarch. That made the stress of recreating a ­quarter-scale virtual model of Manhattan for ­Spider-Man to swing through a bit easier. It’s fair to say that while there was pressure on him internally, the public still didn’t know what to expect in terms of gameplay. At the time, games based on films were rarely great, and comic ­book-inspired games were usually hit or miss. As a result, not everyone expected ­Spider-Man 2 to be perfect. A good (enough) game would have sufficed and would have sold well. Moriwaki and the team had other plans. “I started my career in games at Treyarch and by the time ­Spider-Man 2 started development, I had been there for almost five years,” Moriwaki observed. “The credits themselves didn’t matter much, but everything I knew about making games was compressed into my relationships with friends and coworkers and the projects we worked on leading up to that point.” 44



Yoshitomo Moriwaki, Spider-Man 245

With the thought of a sequel always on the mind of the team, the development of S­ pider-Man 2 began even before the first game was completed. As a matter of fact, fans of ­Spider-Man 2, always connect the game’s revolutionary ­web-slinging technology to its eventual success, but even that gameplay feature predates the game entirely. “It was maybe three or four months before ­Spider-Man 1 hit beta and Programmer Jamie Fristrom brought us into his office to show us something he’d been working on,” Moriwaki said. “He’s got the beginnings of a real ­physics-based swinging system with web attach points and freedom of movement constrained by the web working. It was super exciting to see and sparked much thought. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that it needed a lot more work, nothing in the game was built in a way to accommodate that kind of movement, so it wasn’t an option for SM1. But a couple months later, we got to see a ­pre-screening of the movie, and it seriously changed our outlook. “One, the movie was awesome, and we all knew it was gonna be a big hit. More importantly, however, we got to witness the exhilarating and dynamic movement of ­Spider-Man on that web. At least for the design team, suddenly bringing that experience to the controller was all we could think about. When the project started, we didn’t know what the story of the movie was going to be, and there were other projects at the company that were in crisis mode, so no one was paying attention to us. This created the perfect conditions to pour every ounce of my life into ­Spider-Man swinging. We had total freedom and an extremely attractive problem space to explore. It was a ­25-person R&D team spending six to seven months primarily focused on cultivating the system of player controls. There really is no end to all the stuff that went into making it all happen.” With the seeds to replicate Spidey’s movements on the big screen on the video game console in place, thanks to Fristrom, the rest of the team got to work perfecting it. That process took up a big part of the cycle. “Initially, the prototype for the ‘physical swinging system’ as we called it, had points that needed to be placed in the world for the web to attach to,” Moriwaki said. “At first, the top corners of buildings had those points. It was a reasonable way to start off, but the feeling was way off. But, while you jumped around and hit the swing button, there was just one at first, you could find little slivers of ‘right’ in the

There was a huge cast of characters in the game that didn’t appear in the film.

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The Minds BehindPlayStation 2 Games

experience. The thing we were trying to figure out but didn’t know was that we shouldn’t define where the web can attach to, the player should be doing that. We went from anchor points on the top corners of buildings, to anchor points all over, to anchor lines from the top to the bottom of buildings, to anchor lines in a grid over all surfaces, to just all surfaces for a couple months. “That was an essential, early step in the process of getting to what shipped in ­Spider-Man 2. It meant that the only thing you couldn’t attach a web to was the ­open-air itself, and there was no ­labor-intensive process to populating a world with web attach points. “In parallel to this sequence of developments was tuning up the web attach point assignment logic. The theory that there was an ideal attach point in the world for any given player movement intent was being tested. Imagine a ­25-meter pole protruding from Spidey’s chest with an inclination of between 30 and 45 degrees depending on the left stick. Then put a big sphere around the tip of that pole. The closest surface that intersected with that sphere was where the web was going to attach. After that, momentum and gravity were gonna do most of the work. Moving the left stick moved the pole around, within some constraints. “Once we homed in on a good feeling in a sterile, regular forest of ­100-meter-tall, rectangular solids, the next steps were clear. This created the conditions that allowed us to rapidly iterate on the kinds of shapes in the environment that would produce the best feeling controller experience and also understand some of the rules we needed to build a New York City while keeping the movement feeling good.”

The combat was vastly improved over the first game.



Yoshitomo Moriwaki, Spider-Man 247

After all the work on ­web-slinging tech was complete, Moriwaki and the team knew they had created something special. “It was really positive and that was really gratifying,” Moriwaki reflected. “I still think there are very few games out there that deliver an exhilarating vehicle for a player to express themselves in the moment like the player controls for ­Spider-Man 2. It reminds me of Jenova Chen’s mission statement around the flow state and ThatGameCompany’s sequence of projects. Flow states are discussed a lot in the context of what intrinsically leads to happiness, so maybe that’s part of it. That said, supposedly the whole idea of flow state starts with some premise that there are clear goals at every step and that doesn’t appear to be necessary. You only need a space to explore in to get the ball rolling.” While the ­web-slinging aspect was easily the most important part of the project, it wasn’t the only element of the game that needed serious attention to detail. “We did so much research on New York City,” Moriwaki said. “We broke the map into ‘districts’ and really homed in on how every part of the city felt. Sure, there are tall buildings everywhere, but we thought about how the sun felt in the area and how pedestrians felt walking through each area. We also thought of ways to make it fun for Spidey to swing through each area without making it feel repetitive. It was extremely time consuming, mainly because we knew hardcore players were going to spend hours upon hours just swinging all over the place.” In actuality, there was even more terrain in the game that will sadly never be seen. “At one point, we had a whole underground sewer area,” Moriwaki recalled. “We got to use some really fun shapes and designs down there. We were really excited about it. But, it got to the point where we had to focus on what was done and finish up. Sadly, it didn’t make the cut. It’s hard when that happens, especially for the designers. Because, at that point, they know how these areas are going to feel and play even if they aren’t finished.” With the open world being built and refined as they went, Moriwaki understood that combat and story progression had to be polished as well. “We focused on what we knew we were doing a great job with and that was the ­web-slinging mechanic, but we knew combat was important,” Moriwaki admitted. “I feel like it’s always important to make sure the things you know you can do well, you do to the best of your ability. We knew the game wasn’t going to be perfect, but we were so focused on making sure webslinging was the best it could be. At the same time, we knew our attention to the story wasn’t great or even as mature as it needed to be, but we made sure that combat was fun and intuitive. Nailing down that control scheme was a process, but it was fun seeing all of the moves used together performed on enemies.” Even with all these pieces coming together, one more critical piece of the puzzle remained, being able to stream the environment around Spidey throughout the one ­quarterscale New York City they had created. That, for Moriwaki, was the constant challenge. “The streamer had to consistently be able to build the city around ­Spider-Man as he ­web-slinged around,” Moriwaki said. “If that wasn’t fast, the game would never feel right. There are great players out there, who have played the game over 80 hours or more, that can break the streamer, but for most gamers, it works the way it should. It was something we were constantly thinking with throughout the development process.” Because of all this work, after the project was shipped, Moriwaki admits that the cycle had an effect on him. There were some big questions that needed answers: Would gamers be invested in the open world format? Would the new ­web-slinging mechanic be well received? Would the game live up to the feats of the film? These were all firmly pressed upon Moriwaki’s conscious once the game hit shelves.

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“It was a really intense project, and I was 100% invested,” Moriwaki shared. “When the game was shipped, it actually felt terrible. ­Spider-Man 2 was my whole life, and not in a good way, so when it was over, I had to deal with losing my raison d’etre. I was also scared that too many people would find the swinging too difficult, and the game would perform below expectations. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. “The team all worked incredibly hard on this one. It took us almost two and a half years to make it, and nine months or so of that was insane crunch, the type of crunch that doesn’t happen anymore and probably should never happen. But we were a homogenous group. We were all around the same age and in the same place in life. We worked as hard as we could on it.” While players’ reaction to the new ­web-slinging mechanics was the biggest concern ­post-release, there were other things to worry about as well, even if they seem trivial nearly 20 years later. “The Mary Jane kiss, while using the cheat code to play as Mary Jane, was a huge concern at the company,” Moriwaki admitted. “Recalling truckloads of discs was considered. In hindsight, it seems so ridiculous.” Despite these tribulations and minor blips, ­Spider-Man 2 was everything Moriwaki and anyone else could have anticipated. Selling 3.41 million copies alone on the PlayStation 2, the game is considered one of the greatest comic ­book–inspired video game adventures ever. All that, however, was only one part of the experience for Moriwaki. “There are a lot of reasons why this game is special to me,” Moriwaki said. “I was promoted to lead designer for the first game, and for ­Spider-Man 2, I moved up to the creative director role. I think of the first one as my intro to leadership roles and the sequel as my first real test. The team was a really big group of friends, and spending all that time together was really cool, even if we lost our minds a couple times along the way. We built something bigger than the sum of the team, and it was a privilege to participate and witness.” At the same time, Moriwaki and the team had even bigger plans for future ­Spider-Man games, ideas that sadly were never implemented. For Moriwaki, they remain as huge ­What-Ifs. “The majority of the team from the first two games got split up for ­Spider-Man 3,” Moriwaki lamented. “I got put on a team to help out with Call of Duty: Finest Hour, and when Spider-Man 2 may be the best comic book–inspired I came back, the team had changed. We were excited at the start of the game of all-time.



Yoshitomo Moriwaki, Spider-Man 249

cycle because we wanted to continue to work on the ­web-slinging system and continue to develop the combat system. But with new people onboard, things changed. I think that’s the reason why it took a while for future ­Spider-Man games to feel the same way as ours did … probably until Insomniac took over, and boy did they ever do a great job.” However, while the experiences the game gave him were special, and the thought of what else the team could have done if they stayed together still intrigues him, Moriwaki is humbled by the fact that the game is still beloved today. “How it is remembered presently works well for me,” Moriwaki reflected. “I’m really proud of having worked on the game, and I’m humbled any time I Moriwaki has done plenty in the game industry folmeet someone who was influenced lowing Spider-Man 2. by it. Between the pressure, the solutions, the collaboration, the failures and friendships, it really defined the future course of my life.”

Glen A. Schofield, Blood Omen 2 Long Jumps and The Fog

Four hundred years is a handful of lifetimes for the average human being, but for Kain, the vampire, in the iconic Legacy of Kain video game series, it’s just a drop of blood in the bucket. While just six years had passed since the original game in the series graced the original PlayStation, 2002’s Blood Omen 2 advanced Kain’s story 400 years. Eager to reclaim his throne after he damned the world, Kain’s objective is a deep and dark one that simply wouldn’t have been possible on the PlayStation. Requiring stealth and speed, Kain becomes a more proficient killer with each victim, unlocking new powers and advancing the deep and intricate storyline that fans of the original game will absolutely eat up. While not as heralded as the Soul Reaver sequels for PlayStation, Blood Omen 2 attracted fans of the original title and those desperate for more Kain. The true sequel to the original game, this Kain is a different vampire than the one seen in the Soul Reaver games in the series. Unflinching, angry, chaotic and pure evil in a way that can only be described as fun to play, this Kain is a celebration of the character. It’s fair to say that this version of the ­now-iconic villain struck a chord with plenty of gamers. Selling nearly 400,000 copies on the PlayStation 2 and around 650,000 combined units on the home consoles of the day, it was a welcomed addition to the franchise. Known for his art on the 8- and ­16-bit cult classics Swamp Thing, Super Battletank: War in the Gulf and Goofy’s Hysterical History Tour, as well as Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko and Akuji: The Heartless, Glenn Schofield served as director of the game, despite not being directly involved in prior editions of the series, though he did receive special thanks in the credits of both Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. Schofield was more than happy to take the lead for Blood Omen 2. “I started out as an artist doing 2D art,” Schofield said. “I moved up to art director and then started moving up the corporate ladder so to speak. As an artist, I worked on about a dozen games. I was actually directing games then, and they asked me to direct it. I was thrilled by the opportunity.” Known for its darker, brooding story when compared to other 3D games in the franchise, Schofield has no problem saying that’s the way he envisioned Kain. The game’s stellar story, which mixes stealth, action and even horror, has Kain ironically awoken to help Umah and the vampire faction The Cabal, defeat the Sarafan Knights. Using a bevy of unique skills and powers, Kain eventually becomes stronger than ever—as he receives “Dark Gifts” from defeating major enemies. These “gifts” hugely change the game and enable Kain to do everything from jump incredibly long distances to turn into fog. The result is a 3D adventure that adds an almost sandbox element to the fun. Simply put, there is no shortage of ways to 50



Glen A. Schofield, Blood Omen 251

defeat enemies. If that wasn’t enough, the game’s blood management system reinforces the fact that Kain is a vampire—in a way that most vampire games today don’t come close to. It’s never an afterthought that Kain has to kill to survive, and then add in a bevy of cool weapons like small knives, long swords, giant cleavers, axes, and clubs, just to name a few, and the ability to carry only one at a time. These are some of the ­old-school adventure elements mixed into the technological advancements the PS2 offered over previous versions of the series. Mix all of this together, and you’ve got a pretty deep experience, especially given the time of its release. For Schofield, getting the game to be both dark and fun was important from the beginning. “Since I directed it, my mark is all over the game,” Schofield said. “From the art direction to game and level design.” What’s more, the idea of creating dark fun wasn’t lost on the team during the development cycle, either. “We used to try and scare each other,” Schofield recalled, “hiding behind doors, under desks, however we could [to] make one another jump.” With a clear direction established early, Schofield admits the game didn’t change much throughout the development cycle. However, the team was focused on making the game feel unique and different from prior entries in the series. “I don’t really remember it changing that much,” Schofield admits. “We set a direction for the game and marched that way. I’d say the character designs were the most challenging, and they changed along the way. I think the look is different from the other games. It has its own distinct flavor. I also thought the long jump was new for the times.” Once all the pieces began to come together, Schofield knew the team was on to something. “Exciting,” he said. “The game did well for Crystal Dynamics, and I remember doing many interviews for the game. I think people were really excited by it. I remember having a very good E3 with lots of kiosks for people to play.” Going on to serve as a director for two Call of Duty titles, as well as an executive producer on Dead Space and 007: From Blood Omen 2 gave the gamer more control over Kain than Russia with Love, Schofield ever before.

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The game’s gothic atmosphere was perfect in capturing Kain’s lust for blood.

has worked on far bigger projects and ones that sold more than Blood Omen 2. However, Schofield admits the lessons learned on the game served him well throughout his career. “I learned to be a better director,” Schofield shared. “I think before that if I didn’t exactly like something, I might have been talked into letting it go. But with Blood Omen 2, I had a look and direction I wanted to follow, so I would change things I didn’t exactly think were right or fit the game.” Despite his uncertainty at the time as to whether or not all of the new elements in the game fit the series, it’s hard to argue with over 600,000 units sold and a Metacritic score over 7/10. Any way you look at it, Blood Omen 2 was a success. Nevertheless, the humble Schofield hopes the game is still fondly remembered today and that people were able to have some fun with it. “I also thought it had a pretty good story at a time … that story wasn’t as important as it is today,” Schofield said. “I had a great time making the game. We had a very talented team who really enjoyed working together. I felt like we were on a mission to make a very cool game and in many ways, we succeeded.”

Chris Zimmerman, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus The Origin of Samurai Tails

Although known the world over because of their work on the ­modern-day classic Ghost of Tsushima, as well as the critically acclaimed inFamous franchise, once upon a time, Sucker Punch Productions was just a group of Microsoft employees who wished to forge their own legacy in the video game industry. Years before the Xbox was a thing, the developer initially tried their hand at creating games on the Nintendo 64, their first title being the innovative Rocket: Robot on Wheels. While far from a ­mega-hit, the game earned the development team heaps of professional praise and eventually a shot at their own IP on the PlayStation 2. That game was Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. The first of four games in the series, the stealthy platformer earned critical praise and over 1 million units sold—establishing the brand and making their future work possible. A winner at The Game Developers Choice Awards and Academy of Interactive Arts Awards for “Original Game Character of the Year,” “Outstanding Achievement in Animation” and ”Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction,” Sly Cooper managed to successfully blend stealth, action and adventure gameplay seamlessly, with beautiful ­cel-shaded visuals and a story filled with characters that players still remember. The road to completion, however, was never certain. Always a team effort, Sly Cooper was the product of several amazing people, one of whom was, Chris Zimmerman. Like many members of the team, his love of gaming began at the beginning of the industry’s rich history. “Well, when I was a kid in the early ’70s, [being a gamer] wasn’t an option, because there weren’t games,” Zimmerman recalled. “I must have been eight or nine when our family got a Pong game. I remember handheld Mattel games, playing Atari at my friend’s house, eventually an Intellivision for me and my brother, [and] arcade games, once I had quarters to spend! Missile Command, Centipede, Asteroids, Ms. Pac Man, Galaga, Q Bert, all the classics. So, yes, I was a gamer once there were games to play.” Zimmerman was more than your average gamer, though. There was something inside him that yearned to create. “I was also lucky that we had an Apple computer at home. We played games on it, of course—I think I spent more hours playing Wizardry on it than anything else,” Zimmerman said. “Maybe more importantly, I taught myself to program in BASIC and 6502 assembly language to write games. It was a simpler time—the games you could buy all seemed like something I could build … which was wrong. I was much less capable than I thought I was. All of the games I wrote in those years are lost to time—and it’s probably for the best, none of them were that great.” 53

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Fueled by his love of the medium, Zimmerman ended up creating different types of software before he got into the gaming industry. “After college, I moved to Seattle and started working at Microsoft. A decade-plus passed where I wrote lots of code, but didn’t make any games,” Zimmerman noted. “Eventually, though, I was ready for something new, and in 1997 I left Microsoft with some friends to start Sucker Punch. Two of them are still at Sucker Punch: Brian Fleming, who’s the other studio head and Bruce Oberg, who’s on our programming team.” Leaving a ­full-time job with over a decade of experience might seem reckless to some, but Zimmerman and the rest of Sucker Punch were ready. Although they weren’t in Sly Cooper’s sights just yet, the foundation for the company was built years before the PlayStation 2 hit series was realized. “The structure of the game business at that time made this seem like a reasonable plan—most game studios were pretty small, which sounded good. Games are software projects, which we knew how to do. Typically a publisher took care of all the ­nitty-gritty business details, [which] also sounds good, plus we get to be more creative, which surely couldn’t be that hard,” Zimmerman reflected. “Again—and, yes, I’ve recognized the pattern—we overestimated ourselves and underestimated the problem a bit. But a couple of years later, we’d finished our first game, a Nintendo 64 game called Rocket: Robot on Wheels.” Although Rocket: Robot on Wheels was far from a monster bestseller, it was a gem that earned the company both professional and critical praise. Even though it was only their first game, Sucker Punch sold an impressive 120,000 units on the Nintendo 64. Their decision to leave Microsoft was confirmed. However, ask any game developer, and they’ll tell you—one game does not a career make. Sucker Punch was now focused on the future. With software improving and the days of ­cartridge-based home consoles ending, they began to pivot. “After we shipped Rocket, we developed a couple of game pitches to take to publishers. One of the pitches was what turned into Sly, and the other one was a superhero game,” Zimmerman said. “Luckily for us, it was a lot easier to get publishers interested in building on the relative success of Rocket, which was a little rough around the edges, but was creative and technically competent.” Their creativity earned them a meeting with Sony, but Sly Cooper’s initial promise almost landed him with another publisher—which could have changed the story entirely. “We Zimmerman’s impact on Sly cannot be understated. talked to Sony early on, but being idi-



Chris Zimmerman, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus55

ots, we decided that they already had enough cuddly mascot games and probably wouldn’t be interested in Sly. So in that meeting, we pitched the superhero game instead. They were not interested in the superhero game, as it turned out, so we turned to other big publishers,” Zimmerman remembered. “We were close to having a signed deal with EA to work on Sly when through a circuitous sequence of events, Sony heard that we were about to sign a different game with EA and asked if we could show them. So, we flew down to San Francisco and pitched Sly. They were interested; we signed with them, and they’ve been our partner on all of our games since Rocket.” Now with the deal with Sony complete, Sly Cooper began to take shape. Even though it was over two decades ago, Zimmerman still remembers when the character truly came to life. “I remember the inception of Sly pretty clearly. Brian, Dev Madan, our art director at that time, and I were sitting in my office, and I had two ideas for him,” Zimmerman recalled. “One was making a platform game starring a thief—originally the hero was going to be Jojo Raccoon, the bad guy in Rocket, though we pivoted away from that before too long. I think the biggest reason Dev was excited about a raccoon thief is that he could wear a mask, which he could then whip off to reveal the mask in his fur.” Even though the general design of Sly was nailed down rather smoothly and intuitively, that’s not to say everything about Sly was set in stone, either. According to Zimmerman, these were some of the moments where he had a big impact on the game. “In our earliest versions of the Sly model + animations, we were animating his tail by hand, and it looked atrocious,” Zimmerman confessed. “More like a sausage hanging off Sly’s butt than a tail. It didn’t move like a tail at all, especially when you were stringing moves together. I ended up replacing all the animations with simulations—a simple spring rotational model for each of the seven or so segments of the tail, with the animator typically only animating the first segment of the tail. With this change, the tail became fluid and responsive. It’s a cornerstone of the sense that The cel-shaded graphics took the stealth platformer to another Sly himself is agile and fluid. level.

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We still use this tech today, and we still call them ‘tails,’ even when it’s bits of samurai armor flopping around and not an actual tail.” Making sure Sly performed the role of an agile, ­smart-aleck thief was an important job for Zimmerman, but that’s not where his responsibilities with the game ended. “We were a pretty small studio when we started on Sly, so everyone wore multiple hats. I ran the programming team, was the lead architect for how all the code worked, wrote a lot of code, helped out with game design and helped Brian run the business,” Zimmerman reported. “I also did most of the programming for Sly himself, so I’m responsible for most of the ‘feel’ of playing as Sly—running, jumping, grabbing things with your hook.” The initial attraction to the game was due to the charisma of the main character, but under the hood, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus was far deeper than anyone expected. Although draped in classing platforming action, there weren’t any other characters that moved like Sly and few that looked as good. At the same time, the game could have been even more ambitious from a gameplay standpoint. “The first Sly game originally had three big sections: the platforming that we kept, but also puzzle rooms and driving sections,” Zimmerman said. “The idea was that you snuck in, solved the puzzle to get the treasure, then made your getaway with a vehicular chase sequence. Our first prototype had all three of these. In the puzzle section, you moved around on a giant labyrinth board, tilting it to get a giant ball to roll around and eventually into a hole. Of these three sections, though, the platforming one was the only one that felt like it could evolve into a good game, so that’s all we kept. Sucker Punch has always been pretty iterative, so most of the gameplay wasn’t really planned. We’d just try something, and if it worked, we’d do more of it. So, in the first level of Sly 1, we added a ­top-down, ­twin-stick shooter, and it was fun, so we added ­arcade-y games to all the worlds.” The additions and takeaways to the gameplay formula made the development cycle a difficult one, as Sucker Punch tried to find the sweet spot that would put Sly in a league of his own. “More painful stories than fun ones, I’m afraid,” Zimmerman admitted. “The first couple of years of development were pretty rough, as we tried to hit the quality bar Sony had for games like Sly. The creativity and technical competence we’d shown with Rocket were still there, but getting the right level of polish on everything was a struggle. We were lucky that our friends at Sony stayed patient with us, because canceling the project must have looked like the right decision for those two years. We were relatively small and cheap, though, and things did keep improving, so they stayed the course, and we ended up with three pretty good games.” Pretty good games indeed. Zimmerman is as humble as he is talented. After the original game sold over a million copies, Sly 2: Band of Thieves sold over 1.8 million units on the PS2. Sly 3: Honor Amongst Thieves, released near the end of the PlayStation 2’s place as Sony’s lead home console in 2005, also sold over a million units. That type of success happens for a reason. Despite taking place in a ­lavish-cartoon world, Sly and his friends were grounded and cool. They had souls, and they were relatable. That duality was Sucker Punch’s ­one-two punch. “The characters were really good—distinctive, unique, appealing. We were making a game targeted at kids, but we wanted it to be something we could be proud of. The dialog in the games is pretty funny, but it’s not because the characters are telling jokes. They’re just who they are, and the interactions between them are entertaining. There are no fart jokes in a Sly Cooper game,” Zimmerman said. “The visuals also stand out. We did our own spin on



Chris Zimmerman, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus57

­cel-shading, with dark character outlines and a funky lighting model. Each of the worlds in the game had a consistent, ­art-directed look and feel as a result.” But, despite the fun gameplay and everything the team did right in the original Sly Cooper game, as well as how much it meant to Sucker Punch, Zimmerman admits the character truly found his gameplay footing for the sequel, Sly 2: Band of Thieves. “My favorite feature from the Sly games is the ‘pickpocket’ ability we added for Sly 2. Our mantra during Sly was, ‘Whatever is ­thief-iest wins,’ and pickpocketing guys are a great example. It’s in the spirit of the game to relieve foes of their coins using guile instead of force; outsmarting your enemies is a core part of the Sly character fantasy,” Zimmerman shared. “We doubled down on this by adding a random chance for a ‘special’ reward for some enemies. You get coins for pickpocketing anyone, but enemies with a glowing back pocket give you a bigger reward. Whenever I saw a glowing pocket while playing the game, I always made the time to go pickpocket the guy. “For Sly 2, we wanted to add more of a ‘heist’ feel to the game. Oceans 11 had come out while we were working on Sly, and it seemed like a great inspiration. The Thomas Crown Affair was also an influence. Our first idea was actually to have you play the same scene from the point of view of each of the characters. So, you’d play through some challenges as Sly. When you were done, you’d play through the same sequence as Bentley, seeing Sly do the exact moves. This was a cool idea, but we couldn’t figure out enough ways to make it fun, so we ditched it in favor of the looser structure of the heists in Sly, with everyone playing a part, but generally taking turns more than doing stuff at the same time.” His affinity for the sequel aside, Zimmerman appreciated the playful banter that encompasses the game and the team that made it. “If you look closely at the backgrounds in some of the animated cut scenes, you’ll see scrawled writing,” Zimmerman confessed. “If you read it, it’s people on the art team teasing each other.” That ­good-natured tomfoolery extended into Zimmerman’s personal life as well. “In real life, my lovely and talented wife got a Mini Cooper in 2014, and we got a personalized ‘SLY’ license plate for it,” Zimmerman said. “I didn’t expect very many people to get the joke, but she did get stopped a few times by people who wanted to take pictures of the ‘SLY Cooper.’” While the playful tones that surround the game and the passion of the people involved say a lot about how the game, and the series eventually turned out, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus was never a sure thing. “I don’t think we had any expectations. We had hopes, though. We hoped we’d sell enough copies of Sly that Sony would let us make another game,” Zimmerman recalled. “I remember when we showed up on our first magazine cover—that was a good moment. We have framed copies of many of the magazine covers Sly was on still floating around the studio.” Those moments were special ones, but there were others, too. Zimmerman still remembers the times before the team knew how the public truly felt about their creation. “[It was] a little ­nerve-wracking until the sales numbers filtered back to us … in 2002, there were no patches to build, there wasn’t a big ­pre-order channel, and you didn’t have online sales; so, you really were holding your breath to see how things turned out,” Zimmerman said. “My older daughter had a birthday right after Sly shipped, and we turned it into the world’s first Sly Cooper birthday party,” Zimmerman joked. “The kids at the party all had to go through thief training, they all got little Sly Cooper ­T-shirts, then they went on a heist together that ended with them opening a giant blue safe I’d banged together out of plywood.” The game’s success was enough to solidify Zimmerman professionally and continue

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to keep Sucker Punch in business.. Over the next decade, Sly continued to be one of the best platformers on various Sony consoles, while Sucker Punch created another trio of ­million-sellers in the inFamous series, and 2020’s Ghosts of Tsushima, all of which Zimmerman worked on. Again, that would be enough for Zimmerman and Sucker Punch to hang their hats on, but the developers have something else all developers dream of, a legacy. Because of its personality and fun factor, the series but especially the original, still have an audience, something that’ll never be lost on Zimmerman. “There’s still an active speedrunning community for Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. The current record is under 35 minutes, set last month, December 2020.” Zimmerman confessed. “It’s really bizarre for me to watch the speed runs because they all hinge on exploiting bugs, must of which are in my code … So, I’ll see something weird happen in the middle of the speed run and immediately realize exactly what was wrong in the code that I wrote ­20-something years ago.” For Zimmerman, those reminders of his work on the original Sly Cooper are important ones, but the game’s lasting impressions affected the entire team. It’s safe to say that without that ­safe-cracking raccoon, the badass ­anti-hero titles of inFamous that helped fully legitimize Sucker Punch as an elite developer and the romp through Japan in Ghosts of Tsushima, that may, in fact, be the best PlayStation 4 game ever created, could have never been realized. “Personally, I learned why I was making games—to put smiles on people’s faces. I’d felt a little bit guilty about leaving Microsoft, where I’d had a chance to work on software that was going to be used by tens of millions of people,” Zimmerman said. “Making games instead felt a little ­self-indulgent. It was talking to kids who were enthralled by Sly Cooper,

The animations in Sly were so good that they’re still used today.



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hearing stories about kids who were playing Sly Cooper on the playground, that helped me see the impact of what we were doing. “We learned a ton of lessons about how to make AAA games because that was the first time we’d done it. So many lessons it’s impossible to enumerate them. I think we learned how important it was to have a strong and trusting relationship with our publisher. We’ve worked with the same people at Sony for over 20 years now, and we never would have been as successful without the stability of that relationship.”

Jeff Merghart and Dan Mueller, The Mark of Kri Beauty by Brutality

Although not the most popular ­first-party PlayStation 2 game for a variety of reasons you’ll find out shortly—none of which have to do with the game’s quality, The Mark of Kri is a cult classic and easily one of the most influential and beautiful adventure games in the console’s history. Featuring the type of animation that would fit beautifully in any Disney film and the type of combat and storyline that would draw fans to titles such as Assassin’s Creed and God of War years later, it’s a special game with ­far-reaching appeal and influence. Selling nearly half a million copies on the PlayStation 2, it’s far from a flop as well. Infusing ­old-school ­beat-em-up gameplay with ­Polynesian culture, Maori mythology, ­Disney-quality art and an amazing lead character in Rau Utu and his raven Kuzo, The Mark of Kri represented a vastly different adventure than the other games Sony published during the PlayStation 2 era. Although beautiful, the violence was graphic; the story was intense and meaningful. Mark of Kri was absolutely unique. Developed by Sony’s San Diego Studio, the brand now synonymous with the MLB: The Show series, The Mark of Kri may seem like a step in the wrong direction for the development team, but back in 2002, it was their first game, a full three years before the initial game in The Show series was released. Twenty years before The Mark of Kri was even a glimmer of an idea, one of the game’s primary creative forces was getting his first taste of the industry. While his road from gamer to developer was far from a predictable road, by the time he was on The Mark of Kri team, he had proven his love for the art form. “I recall my Dad pulling me out of soccer practice as a kid. He had just bought the Atari and was ready to go home and start playing. I don’t think I’ve stopped playing games for any significant amount of time since,” the game’s associate producer, Dan Mueller said. “Regarding the industry, I started out playing in local Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter game tournaments with my friend Ben Cureton, he’s now doing big things in the game industry, just so we could win free tokens, which allowed us to keep getting better while playing with no ­out-of-pocket costs. It turns out that some newly budding game industry mags did an article on one of the tournaments where Ben and I were the top players. “As a result, Brady Games Publishing contacted us to write strategy guide books for them. This led to over a dozen books across three different publishers, as well as working with other game industry mags, writing articles, helping them get screenshots, supplying them with copy, etc. At the same time, Ben and I, along with many similar SF Bay Area locals, were working in various test departments, [which was] highly transient work. And 60



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in my case, all this led to writing guides for Sony ­in-house, which led to working in game development at Sony as a producer/designer with much of what would become The Mark of Kri team, by way of the Blasto team. That’s quite another story.” Featuring the voiceover work of the legendary Phil Hartman and programmed by Star Fox’s Dylan Cuthbert, Blasto was a special title for Sony. Although far from a mega hit, it sold over 350,000 units and helped prove they could sell ­first-party titles. The Mark of Kri, from the beginning, was a continuation of Sony being able to develop their own, unique adventures. Mueller, too, was ready for a bigger role. “I was a producer/designer on Blasto, and along with most of that team, I migrated over to what would become The Mark of Kri team in the same role,” Mueller said. “I’d say one of my bigger marks on the game was being part of the overall patented combat system, but more so, for designing the majority of the moves in the game. I say that concerning specific incidents, Different Strokes actor Gary Coleman telling me at E3 how much he loved the game because the killing made him feel powerful, the two Nintendo heads at E3 smiling while they stabbed a crawling guy on the ground several times and looking around to make sure nobody saw … I saw, and two guys talking about how real they found the martial arts aspects of the game. I have no training, [and] just made it all up based on what seemed to make sense with various weapons.” Like Mueller, the game’s creative lead, Jeff Merghart had his own special pathway into the game industry, one that explains The Mark of Kri’s beautiful visuals. “I was looking for sanctuary,” Merghart explained, “employment stability in my hometown of San Diego, a place to work that had security, benefits and ­long-term employment. Little did I know what

The Mark of Kri is underrated and underappreciated.

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I was in for. By now, it was the late ’90s. I had already worked a decade as an animator and artist for Don Bluth and various 2D animation studios. I heard a lot about artists working at SCEA San Diego, about how much they made and how secure it was. Problem was, they were strictly CG animation and art, but I took a chance and sent in my animation reel. At first, I heard it was gonna get rejected because there was no CG animation just 2D, but the lead animator there, Tom Tobey, another ­ex-Bluth animator, saw it and vouched for my skills and said I could learn to use a computer. Prior to that, I was strictly a Dad gamer: whatever our two girls played on their Nintendo.” Before anyone outside Sony knew what The Mark of Kri was, it was far from a beautiful ­beat-em-up adventure. Its origin, much like the game’s main character, was a ­coming-of-age story in a way. “It started out on the PS1 with the working title Sluggo. I still have revs I think,” Mueller said. “Anyway, Shuhei Yoshida took over the studio and migrated all projects over to the PS2, which is where The Mark of Kri really took shape. Most of the base concept remained from the PS1 version, but more system capacity meant more possibilities. We had more issues on the PS1 due to system limitations vs. the vision. Once we were on PS2, from my perspective, it felt like a whole new freedom.” That ­coming-of-age story was also reflected in Merghart’s responsibilities which grew as the project evolved. “I was an animator. The game was originally a Conan title. The art and animation direction were an attempt at realism, as much as a video game can accommodate anyway, especially in 1998,” Merghart recalled. “I was getting the hang of animating on the computer, but the model for Conan looked like Prince Valiant, and everything I saw of the game, ­art-wise, was ugly. There were some good initial character designs by Minoh Kim, but they got lost in translation. It seems most of the art and animation team in those days were programmers and people who scanned photo reference for textures, people who thought every line can only be straight, every space symmetrical and humans only look and move a certain way. And then there’s naive, Luddite me, thinking a computer is supposed to be able to do whatever you want. I started doing my own sketches and pinning them to my wall, sort of hoping it might inspire or appeal to anyone. I was already getting attention, usually negative, for breaking the rigs because of the way I was animating/­over-animating the characters, but now my art was being looked at as a potential, achievable visual direction. “I redesigned the main character who would become Rau, and the rest fell into place. I remained a lead animator, for Rau mostly, while doing all the other art and design stuff. After a while, I had to relinquish animation for ­full-time art direction and production design because it became too demanding as I was essentially doing it by myself, but now I also had to learn how to turn the drawings into the magically drawn cinematics and interstitials of the game. By the time we shipped in 2002, we had established an art style and a dynamic animation style for video games that wasn’t seen before. Whether SCEA liked it or not, we brought our 2D aesthetic to the world of video games and created a strong team who could pull it off. Most people in the video game industry, especially management, think realism in video games always looks great and that any character that moves in a way that’s too interesting or is too expressive, no matter how real it is, is ‘cartoony.’ I guess you could say, it affected me. I am cynical and critical, but I’ll get the job done.” Once Sony understood that Merghart believed in it, the game changed for the better. “At first everything felt very corporate to me, anyway, which was fine. But, as we got momentum and realized what we wanted to do, our producer and leader, Jay ‘el Presidente’ Beard, finally got the blessings from ‘on high’ to pretty much let us do our thing,” Merghart shared. “It was kind of like the monkeys were running the zoo for a minute, and we liked it.”



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The transition to the PlayStation 2 from the original PlayStation meant more work obviously, but it also meant more gameplay and storytelling opportunities. While their previous title, Blasto, garnered much of its appeal from Hartman’s voiceover work and the fun story, The Mark of Kri was a different animal entirely. Simply put, Merghart’s initial intentions proved vital. Gamers wanted more by this time, and he was a man who wanted to deliver more. Far more vicious and ­art-heavy, it represented a genesis in visual design for San Diego Studio at the time. Nearly 20 years since its release, Mueller still cannot emphasize how important the art was to the game. He also believes the team’s vision was a clear from the start. “It WAS the game! The look and feel are what made the rest of the game flow in every regard,” Mueller insisted. “And to that point, from my perspective, the team overall did its best to serve the vision set forth by Jeff Merghart’s concept art. You will notice that Jeff looks like Rau, so much so that an unlock in the game is the Jeff Merghart version of Rau, looking just like he did around the office, including the SPAM shirt. To that point, I was surprised that when I called the SPAM corporate office and explained our use intent, they were fine with it and at no cost.” The animations in The Mark of Kri were instrumental to the game’s success, but the soundtrack, according to Mueller, shouldn’t be underestimated, either. The music for The Mark of Kri was also a fairly different artistic endeavor, built to match the vision of the game, but born from chance. “I was invited to a lunch with the Sony legal team along with composer Ben Watkins of Juno Reactor, who was working on music for Jet Moto,” Mueller said. “He asked if I had any projects that would suit his electronic music, and my response was, ‘Perhaps, meaning it can use your electronica style, but it can’t include any electronica sounds. All the sounds have to be organic and heavy on tribal drumming.’ As it turns out, he had done tracks like that, which he showed me, and I watched some of it live at his show in San Diego, where he actually had several African drummers playing on stage with him. It was incredible and turned out to be a perfect fit for the game. From there, we sourced as many traditional, ­tribal-styled instruments as we could for source sounds. And, at the time, my girlfriend’s dad, who was Hmong, had some old, traditional instruments he brought to one of the recording sessions. None of the sound designers had seen anything like [them], and they were blown away. “All these unique instruments, blended with the Juno Reactor style, made for an amazing score, blending traditional instruments with modern musical composition. And, one of our level artists, Hong Hoang, belonged to a Buddhist temple in LA. I wanted to include the traditional throat singing, so he setup a meeting with myself and the temple. I explained the game, the violence, and the overall ‘heroic’ intent of the product, expecting them to not want to associate with the game. Instead, they said, ‘The people who would play this game would benefit from our message,’ and the next thing I know, the monks are all drinking tea at Hong’s house and preparing to record on site. For that session, we picked up the monks at the temple and were brought in to see a Lama, who dubbed Hong, our sound designer Chuck Carr, and myself ‘Dharma Brothers’ for life. That was quite a unique and unexpected scenario for us and deepened our bond.” Along with all the elements and events that went into making the music special, Merghart remembers plenty of other moments that helped shape the game into what it became. “Tati’s character was voiced by a young Hayden Panetierre and was based on our two daughters, Kanani and Kalena,” Merghart said. “All the cinematics were done by me using Painter software to record my drawings and paintings and play them back. They all had to be done in one take because I couldn’t erase, so I never really did get the hang of it until the

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end, and when I wanted to go back and redo them all, they wouldn’t let me because there was no time. “We wanted the cinematics to be CG at first, but we couldn’t find any studio to do it to our satisfaction or in our budget. It got so late, they said to draw them by hand. We actively looked for good 2D animators over game artists or artists from art schools because they would instinctively know what we were doing aesthetically and ­animation-wise. We were actually given boxes of flyers/pamphlets to hand out to promote the release of the game.” Merghart’s art and the killer score from Watkins and Carr were just two pieces of The Mark of Kri puzzle. According to Mueller, the other ways Merghart affected the team was huge. “Jeff Merghart made actual taiahas, a ­close-quarters staff weapon the Māori used. He let me use one to practice moves for the game. Once, while filming move practice, I broke the taiaha in two,” Mueller confessed. “I had to do the walk of shame back to my office holding the two pieces. I remember people staring at me with shock in their eyes. Jeff was, is, a big guy, known to pull trees straight out of the ground. True story. So, some people said, ‘When Jeff sees that, you will be dead….’ Fortunately for me, Jeff is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He laughed out loud when he heard the story.” The way Merghart got the weapon in the game is a testament to his dedication to the title. According to Merghart, the weapon is the only authentic Polynesian thing in the game. “I specifically got permission and blessing from a revered cultural and performance group from New Zealand to use a taiaha,” Merghart said, “as long as it was used with all the protocols.” Having those weapons on hand proved to be useful for a variety of reasons. Featuring

The Mark of Kri was as epic as a game could be on the PS2.



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a plethora of beautifully brutal animations, Merghart’s abilities transcended ­weapon-based combat. The end results were some of Mueller’s favorite parts of the game. “I loved Jeff ’s stealth kill move where Rau picks a guy up and slams him into the wall, bashing the guy’s head to death,” Mueller said. “That was a cute one. My guess is that Jeff was tired of animating my elaborate moves and wanted to take it out on the game characters. Other than that, I loved the kill where Rau takes a guy’s knife and buries it in the guy’s throat … the guy staggers around while trying to pull the knife out, but ultimately falls forward on his face and jamming the knife all the way back in. “For levels, I loved the first level the most. It was fun designing the way the leaves picked up into small whirlwinds and blew across the ground in that jungle temple setting.” The interactions Mueller had with Merghart were a microcosm of his time with the rest of the team, one that was ­hell-bent on making the game as polished as possible. “It was a pretty amazing time! Our team had done a great job while working on Blasto and because of that, our group was asked to run the San Diego studio,” Mueller said. “This brought on a lot of exciting opportunities besides The Mark of Kri, such as working with ­third-party developers such as Rainbow Studio and ATV Offroad Fury. The Kri team had a lot of good times with ­four-player ATV action during development.” Because of the trust the team had with one another, the pressure to make The Mark of Kri a realization wasn’t nearly as intense as it could have been. “My only expectations were that the team would do everything they could to make the best game they could, and yes, these expectations were met,” Mueller said. “For the game itself, and any game I make, I have no expectations for the product, rather, I enjoy what it grows to become over the course of development.” Merghart admits he set lofty expectations for the game, and considering it ran in direct competition with Sony’s God of War, he knew the game wouldn’t get the marketing push it deserved. Regardless of that, Merghart believes the team did an amazing job making sure he was satisfied with the product. “I think my personal expectations were too much for the technology and too high for the artists we had at the time. I didn’t truly understand the limitations until we were deep into it,” Merghart said. “I relied a lot on my brother, Steve, who was a lead artist and character modeler on it, and the rest of the animators that came from traditional 2D animation backgrounds, to help get the other artists ramped up and familiar with what we were trying to do aesthetically and communicate to the programmers what kind of voodoo we needed to do it. And a lot of the time, I don’t know how, they did it! In the end, even though I will always see my mistakes and unfinished art, we made a good game, a fun game, and a game that a lot of people remember fondly.” That fun game also allowed several members of the team to continue their own adventure in the video game industry. Going on to serve as lead designer on MechAssault: Phantom War, associate producer and designer on The Mark of Kri’s sequel, Rise of the Kasai and founding Judobaby Inc., maker of Jerry Rice & Nitus’ Dog Football, Mueller has had plenty of other experiences in the industry—and little time to bask in the game’s eventual accomplishments. “It propelled us straight into the sequel, Rise of the Kasai,” Mueller said. “I’d say the real lessons learned occurred on the ROTK project much more so than on Kri, at least for me.” The Rise of Kasai proved to be a different experience altogether for Mueller and the rest of the team. Selling nearly 200,000 copies, it was another beautiful game that garnered a big cult fan base, but its release essentially ended the team’s affiliation with Sony. Still in

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competition with other Sony products and never getting the marketing push they needed or deserved to be successful, proverbially, the band was ultimately broken up. “Much of the Kri team left Sony to form BottleRocket Entertainment, with the intent and eventual delivery to make the Kri sequel, Rise of the Kasai. This was done as a defensive move against competitors poaching key team members with exorbitant salary offers,” Mueller admitted. “The idea was, if team members had equity, that would offset some of the salary considerations with the added incentive of ownership. The benefit for Sony was that they could keep the core team at the expected costs, and if things didn’t work out, they could just cut the company loose, which did come to pass. Not because of the product quality or the team, but that is another story.” Despite the way things turned out for the series, the memories are still fond ones for Mueller. One thing stands out the most. “The team,” Mueller reflected. “It was an incredible group of individuals, working on something fresh and exciting, which is always special. For the game itself, the blend of cultures coming through as it did was pretty special.” As far as the impact of The Mark of Kri on Sony, as a game company, and the industry broadly, Mueller has no doubts. It did leave its own “mark.” He knows exactly how it’ll be remembered. “As playable game art, with innovative and exciting combat,” Mueller said. “Without it, you wouldn’t have God of War. The Mark of Kri was the original Sony title that started a whole new direction for Sony ­in-house studios.” For Merghart as well, The Mark of Kri is a special title that he’ll always remember. “It was my first video game,” Merghart shared. “We did it the way we wanted for the most part, and I think a lot of people in the industry at the time were watching us and being inspired. To this day, I hear from people, not just in the game industry but in the animation, film and comic industr[ies], telling me that The Mark of Kri inspired them or that they loved it.” As a result of those sentiments, Merghart has his own way he’d like gamers to think back on it: “As a groundbreaking, beautiful and fun game that people will always want more of in one form or another. And as a bar for other games of the time,” Merghart said. “It’s not only another game in their library; it symbolizes the potential of what it, and other games, could be if allowed.”

Lindsay Gray, Katamari Damacy Roll with It, Baby

There are plenty of “Japanese” styled games that have found ways to shine in the East, but Katamari Damacy may be the most successful. Colorful, wild, and beautifully scored, the simple gameplay immediately resonated with players of all nationalities and is still a popular franchise to this day, appearing on every Sony console except the PS1 and PSP. Selling over 700,000 copies on the PlayStation 2 in its debut year, it wasn’t a huge breakout hit, but it was certainly an accomplishment and became a massive cult classic, so much so that it earned remastering on the PlayStation 4, Xbox 1, Windows and Nintendo Switch, dubbed Katamari Damacy REROLL. All that achievement, however, was anything but obvious at the start of the game’s development cycle. According to the game’s localization manager, Lindsay Gray, Katamari Damacy’s rise as one of the PlayStation 2’s biggest sleeper hits surprised everyone who saw it in its initial form. A player rolling a ball into smaller objects, thus growing the ball until a certain size requirement is met, seemed novel at first. As a result, its expectations weren’t hard to meet—at least at the start. “The game was developed by a director with no previous game design experience, assisted by a team of student game developers, so I would say that expectations were not high,” Gray said. “As a Western release was not considered during development, a PAL version of the game was never released as it would have required a fundamental reworking of the code. Fortunately, the sequel, We Love Katamari, was built from the start with a worldwide release in mind.” But, before the game had a sequel, it was just a weird Japanese title. Gray admits he didn’t know what the final version would look or play like. “I saw the game at an early prototype stage, and although the basic gameplay was something new, I could not even begin to imagine how the final game would turn out. After seeing the finished game, it really became clear to me the importance of having a singular creative vision for the game—a vision that was fully supported by every individual component, from the character design, world design, story, sound effects and music,” Gray said. “These elements were combined to create a game that was greater than the sum of its parts, which really is a fitting metaphor for a game like Katamari!” Although the triumph that Katamari Damacy ultimately became wasn’t exactly expected, Namco’s track record at the time was excellent. A leading force during the PlayStation era, the developer had no problem churning out classics on the PlayStation 2, either. According to Gray, it was a great time to be a localization manager for the brand. “It was a golden time for Namco, as they had several massively popular and successful franchises in 67

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most genres, such as Ridge Racer, Soul Calibur, Tekken, Ace Combat and also RPGs such as the Tales series, Xenosaga, etc.,” Gray recalled. “New platforms were coming out every few years, so during my time at Namco, I worked on pretty much all of the platforms, including PS2, PS3, PSP, GameCube, Wii, DS, Xbox and Xbox 360. Although the basic localization process did not change, we had to be constantly aware of the specific technical requirements and submission processes that differed for each platform. “Namco was also starting to focus more on the Western market at this time, and many of the dev teams were trying to figure out how to appeal more to Western tastes without losing the fundamental appeal to Japanese gamers. And, they experimented to varying levels of success with games such as Urban Reign, Nina and the first ­Namco-developed FPS, Breakdown, an Xbox exclusive.” With his experience on other Namco games, Gray knew when he was around something special. Although an admirer of the total package the game ultimately became, Gray believes one element in particular put it over the top. “The first time I saw the game, it was just a very basic prototype, with a ball rolling around a flat plane absorbing smaller balls, with very little else,” Gray remebered. “I am a little embarrassed to say this. However, I was a little underwhelmed at the time. The next time I saw the game, it was complete and was about to be released in Japan. The moment I heard the now iconic, ‘Na, na na na na na na …’ opening song and watched the intro movie, I absolutely fell in love with the game.” That’s not to say Gray wasn’t impressed by the other elements that made up the game, though. Gray was enthralled the most by the innovative vision of the team behind Katamari Damacy. “The gameplay was original and very easy to understand, however, what really sets the game apart are the distinctive characters and overall visual design from the Director, Keita Takahashi, and the outstanding original soundtrack by Yu Miyake and the incredible sound team at Namco,” Gray said. “­Takahashi-san had no game design experience, and as far as I know, he wasn’t a big gamer, so he was not limited by any conventional game design ideas or conventions.” Takahashi’s lack of gaming knowledge could have hurt the game’s potential, but Namco managed to have several safeguards in place to maximize Takahashi’s ideas. “I didn’t see the game again after the early prototype until it was ready for a Japanese release, so the changes were quite significant,” Gray said. “As far as I know, ­Takahashi-san had complete artistic freedom Gray played a role in several huge cult hits on the Play- as director, however, some very experienced producers were Station 2.



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also assigned to the project in order to provide guidance and to help shape ­Takahashi-san’s ­out-there ideas into a viable game. In hindsight, this producer oversight was important to the success of the project, as I think [is also true of] some of ­Takahashi-san’s later projects, whilst still being quirky and original, with less gameplay focus, being more like digital toyboxes in which, the player made their own fun.” Although not directly connected with the project at this point, once Gray had an opportunity to get involved, he wasn’t about to shy away. “We showed off the game at E3 in 2004, and the response was amazing—it was by far the most popular game we had on display that year, with constant lines of players waiting to get their hands on it,” Gray said. “We were all surprised by this enthusiastic reception. And seeing this, Namco approved the localization on the US version for release as soon as possible. I had been with Namco for several years by this point, and as I had previously assisted with the preparation for the E3 showing, I basically called dibs on the project, as it was clear that this game was special. It was also going to be a lot more challenging to localize compared to the titles I had worked on previously, due to the quirky characters, bizarre storyline and generally weird presentation.” Now officially a member of the team, Gray had plenty of responsibility. Simply put, if you played the US version of the game, you’ve seen the impact of his work on it. “I managed the localization process, including assisting with text translation and implementation, bug translation and text fixes during the QA (Quality Assurance) process, etc.,” Gray said. “I also assisted with any marketing requests, such as translating ­Takahashi-san’s responses to interview questions and generally doing whatever was required to get the game out on schedule. I translated many of the object descriptions and other ­in-game text, as well as massaging the final English text to ensure that it was correct in context and was displayed correctly. “Fortunately, ­Takahashi-san gave us complete freedom to do what whatever we wanted with the English translation, and I also had a great team in Japan and enthusiastic support from Namco US.” Unfortunately, the project wasn’t a lengthy one, and there was almost too much to do

Even today, Katamari is a ton of fun.

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at times. “The entire English localization was completed in only 10 weeks, from the start of translation and text implementation, debugging/QA through to master submission. In order to achieve the tight deadline, we had to split the game text for translation,” Gray recalled. “The main text for The King of All Cosmos was sent to one of our most talented writers/translators, while we translated all of the remaining text ­in-house, including the several hundred object names and descriptions, ­in-game text and everything else. “We had to make changes to only one type of object that can be rolled up into the Katamari—the signs that indicated how large the Katamari must be in order to roll into the next area in the level. So, apart from translating these few signs and all of the other text into English, the US version of the game is exactly the same as the Japanese version. In the Japanese version, The King of All Cosmos’ text is written completely in katakana, instead of a mix of hiragana and kanji, which would normally be used. This made reading it much more difficult, as katakana is normally used to write non–Japanese words only.” Ten weeks later, as promised, Katamari Damacy was ready for release in the United States. The result was another success for Namco, one that sold well over a ­half-million copies and produced a slew of sequels. For Gray, that’s only one part of why the game is a special one for him. “Katamari is one of the most bizarre games I have ever played, and it is the game I am most proud to have been associated with.” Gray reflected, “It has an infectious and joyous soundtrack, a bizarre cast of characters and a completely ridiculous story, and a simple but addictive gameplay loop, which is all rolled up to create a perfectly unique and weird Katamari of a game, which will put a smile on the face of anyone who plays it!” Working on several other Namco hits on the PlayStation 2 including Ridge Racer 6, Soul Caliber III and two more games in the Katamari franchise, Gray has plenty to look back on fondly. The lessons learned from the quirky little Japanese concept Katamari Damacy began as and what it became, were never lost on him. “Games like Katamari are proof that great game ideas can come from anywhere,” Gray observed. “Sometimes we need to look at things from a fresh perspective, unencumbered by previous norms or expectations of what a game ‘should’ be.” The game’s success on the PS2 has led to a slew of sequels.

Benjamin Johnson, Dragon Rage Cael’s Forgotten Tale

Dragon Rage’s main character, Cael Cyndar, may not be the most renowned personality in the history of the PlayStation 2, but he is an unsung hero by former console ­maker– turned developer at 3DO that looked to bring back simple, fun and ­old-school gameplay. Taking place in a mystic world where dragons and sprites are being slaughtered by orcs and having their powers used against them to destroy the world, Dragon Rage was an epic journey most critics didn’t quite understand, and most players didn’t get a chance to experience. Simply put, Cael’s journey to bring light back into the world was a ­fast-paced, but ­retro-at-heart experience that managed to captivate in a variety of different ways. While the developer and publisher thrived with games in the Heroes of Might and Magic and Army Men franchises, they had several other titles. that were cut from the same mold, but didn’t resonate the same way with audiences (read The Minds Behind Shooter Games to find out about WarJetz, for example). This doesn’t mean they were awful games— they were just misunderstood. This was absolutely the case for Dragon Rage, an aerial adventure that had one of the best stories on the console with accessible control and gameplay that allowed anyone and everyone to get in on the fun. According to Benjamin Johnson, one of the programmers on the game, the company’s new mission absolutely influenced the final product that became Dragon Rage. “During WarJetz development, 3DO was in the process of transitioning to a strong ­PS2-centric focus. The company’s overall strategy was to create a category of simpler and easily accessible games for the new generation of ­less-hardcore gamers,” Johnson said. “At the time, there was this concept of ‘casual’ gaming that was bubbling up. Hardcore gaming was the way of the land, and anything moderately casual was seen as a curiosity or an exceptional oddity. But, those were usually weird and not at all mainstream. Our full focus was on the PS2 and this strategy, and it was being put in full effect on almost every title with possibly the exception of High Heat Baseball and the Might & Magic series. “Could we carve out this new ‘casual’ space on this new platform? With so many companies out to make ­so-called hardcore titles, we were literally banking the entire company on this strategy. Excitement was in the air because we could very easily be market leaders for the new era. On the other hand, we were tense because the company simply wouldn’t survive if the strategy didn’t work out.” Selling just 60,000 copies on the PlayStation 2, Dragon Rage was far from a commercial hit. But, armed with team members that went on to work on games in the Forza, Red Dead, Backyard Wrestling, ­Area-51 and World of Warcraft franchises, the talent was there to deliver a unique and fun adventure. Later known for his work on Red Dead Redemption 71

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and Rockstar Table Tennis, Johnson remembers the game as one that took place at a unique point in his career. “Dragon Rage was an interesting project. It was set to follow in the footsteps of Army Men: Air Attack, but in a fantasy setting,” Johnson reported. “At the time, 3DO was just getting their ­fast-development process on the PS2 tuned in. It was a phenomenal process of rolling people from one project to the next without missing a beat. And, sometimes you would be working on multiple projects at one time. It was wild, and its aspirations cannot be stressed enough. We were in the practice of making large scale games for the PS2 in development cycles as short as nine to 16 months. That’s insane if you consider how many similar titles at other companies would take two to four years to complete. So, if you were at work, you were put on an active game, and you kept the process going. “After my programming run on WarJetz, released May 2001, I was doing some internal consulting on Portal Runner, which was released in September 2001, but was quickly shuffled over to Dragon Rage, released November 2001 and Jonny Mosely Mad Trix, which was released Dec 2001.” Working on two games could have and should have been stressful, but Johnson credits a talented and veteran team for quickly getting him acclimated to the game’s goals. “Someone must have known that I had a head for design because when they wanted another level to be completed, they called on me to partner with AI programmer Lisa Ching and seasoned designer Sean Patten. That decision happened in like … a day. Amazing,” Johnson recalled. “While I thought it was a great experience, the team was a bit dispersed. Unlike most of the core games with more dedicated resources, Dragon Rage was more of an experimental development process. That meant that we became very resourceful, and 3DO was good at that. But, this was a good thing for my design and creative training. Unlike many game development situations, I was able to try out a lot of ideas quickly and get much more feedback than usual as the level developed. “For the particular level that I’d be developing, it had been decided that I would be partnering with people I was familiar with. I had worked with them on WarJetz, so we were familiar with each other. I didn’t see a lot of the team in the Despite meager sales, the game was an important one normal sense. We were all very fo- for Johnson.



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cused on making sure that our individual pieces were working according to specs. At times, we’d confer with production or more senior members of the project to make sure that we weren’t going too far in the wrong direction. “But honestly, we weren’t screwing up, so we were largely left alone. This is where I learned to stay ahead of production and the supervisors that are concerned with current progress. I wouldn’t have been able to get Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis to the market without this experience.” While those lessons learned were important ones for Johnson moving forward, other important moments in the game’s development cycle would prove pivotal for him later in his career. “Dragon Rage was great because I learned how you could leverage technology and branding to move forward in new directions. Watching the entire flow of the Army Men: Air Attack games being applied to flying dragons was interesting. They were the experts on that type of game and would advise everyone how to develop for this new version,” Johnson reflected. “Now that I think about it, the development could be seen as skinning a new game from an old one, but we were so concerned with speed and efficiency that the brilliance was to be found in the process more than the final design. To this day, I’ve never seen faster and more pointed development. With the right design ideals in place, 3DO could have been a major player. It boggles my mind to imagine what would have hap-

More people need to experience this one.

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pened to the industry had their strategy worked out with quality games that had a simpler premise.” Despite the game using gameplay elements from Army Men: Air Attack, it absolutely took on a life of its own. While the added story made sure gamers knew it wasn’t a reskin of an Army Men title, it forced the development team to make sure the world felt unique. This created situations, Johnson remembers, where everyone needed to get on the same page. “In such a situation of things moving fast with so many different people, it’s often hard to check the quality of what you’re doing. Communication is extremely important … things get lost and confused all the time,” Johnson admitted. “For example, blue fireballs might sound cool. But did the character artist run that past the effects programmer? Because the effects system just might use blue particles to mark checkpoints. Now your dragon can’t find the blue checkpoint because the fireballs left blue fires raging all over the landscape.” The added art and fantasy setting may have been the game’s biggest selling point, but it represented a huge sticking point as well. “We honestly thought we were doing a lot of groundbreaking things at the time,” Johnson said. “But, that awe quickly turned to concern as we realized we might be over our heads in making all of this work out in the end.” The team had bigger problems than actual development, however. Things that were far out of their hands. 3DO needed to find the game an audience, which proved to be the most difficult part of the cycle, one Johnson and the rest of the team had no control over. “We were marketing to families, ­first-time gamers, and whoever these ‘casual’ gamers were supposed to be. But we were in a field of hardcore games in 2001. No one was taking 3DO or our market strategy seriously,” Johnson confessed. “You must consider that we were being released in the same year as Grand Theft Auto III, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, Gran Turismo 3: ­A-Spec, Devil May Cry, SSX Tricky, Final Fantasy X, Twisted Metal: Black, Ico, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, NBA Street, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, Silent Hill 2 and Red Faction. While these may not have been direct competitors, it made acting on our strategy that much more difficult.” ­Post-release, Johnson and the rest of the team had little time to wonder how the game was faring at the market, either. “We moved right on to the next thing. Most releases featured parties, ­get-togethers, ­post-mortems, etc.,” Johnson said. “But those weren’t marked off on the calendar as some special holiday. They were just a part of the process, and we kept going. There was always a consistent flow of work at 3DO.” Although it garnered some praise from IGN and GameSpy, Johnson’s early sentiments about the game’s release remained. It’s something he never forgot over the rest of his career. “There’s a concept that is obvious but needs to be restated. Marketers aren’t designers, artists, or engineers,” Johnson said. “Their decisions simply don’t take into account what development needs. And development usually doesn’t have a clue of what marketing/sales are trying to do. We don’t often consider how these parts all need to come together to work well. After this game, I really started thinking about how games can have the proper ingredients and still go wrong if the situation isn’t stable. So now, I often consider development stability as something important to consider.” Regardless of the game’s lackluster sales, Johnson still sees value in his time with it and believes 3DO’s attempt at casual games on the PS2 shouldn’t be forgotten. Although he admits the game is far from perfect, it’s one that served as an important reminder to him moving forward. “A flying dragon shooter IS NOT a bad idea. It just didn’t happen the way we wanted it to. The final product just isn’t that exciting. Shooters need a lot of care, nuance and iteration to make them special,” Johnson shared. “It’s hard to fully appreciate the fine



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details needed to make that type of game work. The same goes for other genres like sports and racing, which were ironically other areas we trying to excel in. I hope people can look back at this game as an interesting point in game history where a storied company started working to craft a ­last-ditch strategy to alter the future of gaming. “But, let’s be clear: the game tried to do too much and ended up being bad at a lot of things. As with many 3DO titles released in this era, I hope it would be known for innovative and interesting game development and marketing angles. Dragon Rage also serves as a warning tale for creatives that try to take shortcuts, and adding more, without making what you have, better. Cutscenes, powerups, complex levels, etc., all could have been addressed to focus on core gameplay elements that would have set up strong building blocks for future iterations. Unfortunately, it’s hard to do that when everyone is moving so fast. If nothing else, the work of 3DO on Dragon Rage was indicative of a new direction the industry was moving in, that no one saw yet—not even 3DO. “While something might not have worked, it doesn’t mean the idea or the concept is bad. It often just needs to be reworked, retuned, or reduced. This is true of many game ideas we had at 3DO. We came off as attempting to create cheap knockoffs, but that wasn’t the intent. They were honestly attempting to try something new in gaming, and I respect that,” Johnson said. “Only a couple years later, we’d see the growth of Zynga on Facebook with Mafia Wars and Farmville. We’d see mobile and web platforms embracing a simpler gaming narrative. Were we ahead of our time? In many ways, yes. Were we foolish? Probably that, too. So, I look at this experience as something insiders and outsiders can both learn from.”

Diarmid Campbell, The Thing A Matter of Trust

Everyone who plays video games knows that there are plenty of titles based on films, but there aren’t many great ones—ones that you’d play regardless of your affinity for the flick. There are even fewer games that are just as good as the films they are based on. Developed by Computer Artworks and published by Vivendi Universal/Black Label Games/ Konami, the 2002 cult classic, survival horror romp The Thing, based on the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name, which is based in turn on the 1938 John W. Campbell, Jr., novella Who Goes There?, falls into both categories. It is just as scary as the film, and it is a game that is so good it’ll make you want to watch the film yourself. However, how it got to sell over 440,000 copies on the console was just as harrowing an adventure as the tale it was based on. For those of you who have yet to read the novella, watch the film, or play the game, The Thing is about trust. Think of it like the mobile game and now, a console game, Among Us, only with a gruesome monster that can be anyone in the room, seconds away from killing you. Revolving around a team of American researchers in Antarctica, The Thing takes viewers and players through a wild game of trust. The monster in The Thing is a parasite that initiates and assimilates, so no one is safe. In film form, this adventure is scary, but ultimately linear. In game form, there are far more possibilities. Now able to control the chaos to an extent, the team at Computer Artworks put together a gameplay engine based on the trust/ distrust of the people around you. Ahead of its time in depth and pushing the capability of the PlayStation 2 hardware, The Thing was something different and special when it was initially released. To this day, it remains as an experiment on the PlayStation 2 in survival horror and storytelling that wanted to do far more than the system was capable of. Despite that, it still has a legion of fans over 20 years after it first hit shelves. While the film’s narrative was evocative enough to facilitate a video game, the way The Thing’s lead programmer Diarmid Campbell got into the industry was just as interesting. “It was my mum that taught me how to program when I was around eight years old. It was on a BBC Micro, a very cool machine, built by Acorn, the precursor to Arm and had a staggering 32K of RAM,” Campbell said. “I used to do a lot of coding around that time, trying out different ideas, though they always remained very half finished, partly because I hadn’t really come across the idea of refactoring code. So, I would just keep adding to my projects until they became completely unmanageable, and then I’d move on to something else. I kept programming most of the way through my teenage years, always making my own project and trying to make little games.” Although programming his own games eventually became more than a hobby for 76



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Campbell, he was first bit by the gaming bug years before he wanted to get under the hood of them. “The first video game I played was when I was about five or six. It was a maze game on the Commodore Pet that my mum borrowed from her work. Then, we got a ­TV-based games console, probably around 1980. It had Pong and a ­light-gun based game,” Campbell recalled. “Our first home computer was called the BBC Micro, and I used play on that with my friends. These were mostly ­single-player games where you get three lives, and when you die, you go back to the beginning. So, my friends and I would take it in turns. My favorites were Defender (Planetoid), Repton, Chuckie Egg, Galaforce, Monsters. Now I come to write this list, there were just so many that I loved. I can’t list them all. However, two that really stood out for me were Thrust, where you had to fly a ship through tunnels in a planet to rescue a jewel, which would swing about under you, then get out before the planet blew up. And of course, Elite. This was such a revolutionary game—proper 3D graphics, line drawing only, and what’s seemed like thousands of planets you could visit, each with its own characteristics … All running in 32K, remember!” As Campbell got older, his love of games only intensified. It was becoming obvious that he found an art form he wanted to contribute to. “During my ­late-teenage years, my friends and I spent a lot of time on the SNES playing Mario Kart and Street Fighter II,” Campbell said. “Micro Machines on the Mega Drive was also a favorite. There was also an arcade game in our local pub called the Snow Brothers. It was a ­two-player platformer. £1 would buy half a pint of lager (80p) plus a game on the Snow Brothers (20p), which would last about half an hour, and we’d then do it again. We spent many days doing this when we should have been at school. At University, it was Command and Conquer/Red Alert. Even after years of playing it, I was still finding new strategies for attack.” By the time Campbell finished his studies, he put his programming use to work, but he didn’t get to work on games initially. “My bachelor’s degree was in math and after university, I got a job as a programmer at a company making digital chart recorders for researchers. This gave me my first signal processing and commercial programming experience,” Campbell shared. “After two years there, I saw an advert for a job in London wanting someone with graphics and signal processing experience to build a music visualizer—this is the pulsing evolving patterns you see when you play music on some music players now—but at the time, it was a fairly new idea. The company, Computer Artworks, had already built a screen saver called Organic Art, which was based on William Latham’s ­evolution-inspired, digital Campbell’s work on The Thing was impressive.

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art. They wanted it to move in time with the music that was playing. They also mentioned that they were building a video game. “I sent off my CV and didn’t hear anything back, so eventually looked up William’s email address and sent him an email directly saying something along the lines of, ‘Thank you for considering my application. please, could you let me know how I could improve it, as I really think I would have been good at the job.’ “From that I got a phone interview and eventually got the job. Though in the interview, they asked me, ‘So … do you like computer games?’ I thought, ‘Yeah of course, everyone likes computer games,’ but I also thought that if I said this, they would think I wasn’t really interested in the music visualizer job and was just trying to get into the games side of it. So, I was very nonchalant and saying, ‘Yeah they’re OK, I like some….’ “It turns out that they just really wanted me to say, ‘Yes I love them,’ as, at that moment, they needed people to work on the game. Anyway, I got the job and got put on the game team. It was a PC title called Evolva, a ­squad-based shooter, where instead of finding weapons, you could absorb the DNA of enemies you had killed and then grow various appendages for breathing fire or spitting goo. I mainly worked on the collision detection and character movement systems for it. I was way out of my depth but got something working in the end.” Cutting his teeth on that project, Campbell was ready once Computer Artworks got the opportunity of a lifetime. Turns out, it was just as big a chance for him. “Towards the end of that project, we were approached by Universal Vivendi, who were looking to leverage some of their existing film IP,” Campbell said. “They saw we had the ability to make innovative games. Actually, just being able to make a video game at all put you ahead of the pack. This was before the times of Unreal Engine or Unity, and each games company made their own game engine, editor and tools—this was quite an undertaking. We also had a background in organic warping. Evolutionary artwork seemed like a natural fit for The Thing. We knocked up a quick demo, just taking the Evolva game and adding some snow, a human player character, and a warped ­Thing-style boss to kill. Vivendi liked it and gave us the contract.” Although having a contract from Vivendi was an accomplishThe Thing was published by Konami in the United ment on its own, the hard work for Campbell and the rest of the team States.



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had just begun. Fresh off his first experience with Evolva, The Thing was much different. “My whole time at Artworks was a rollercoaster ride,” Campbell confessed. “I felt very privileged to simply be making video games and living in London. The whole dev team was mostly people in their 20s and we would often be working through the night to hit deadlines—but at other times, we would go to the pub around ­lunch-time and then not leave until the early hours of the morning. I was also in an ­electro-punk band at the time. None of us really had any responsibilities, so it was an ­all-consuming lifestyle, and I can’t imagine a better way to be spending my 20s.” Surrounded by other young game developers at Computer Artworks, Campbell enjoyed working with the members of The Thing team immensely. Going on to work on several other imaginative projects on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 in his career, involving The EyeToy and PlayStation Move, you might even say that the tremendous pressure the young team was under on The Thing made everything else they did later, simpler. “The team itself was great, and I’m still friends with many of the people I worked with back then. There was a load of very clever, creative people on the team,” Campbell recalled. “Though, after the game Evolva finished, the lead programmer, lead artist and producer all left to go and start up their own company, so we were lacking experienced people on the team. This was both a blessing and a curse. I suspect if we had had more experience on the team, we wouldn’t have attempted something so ambitious as The Thing turned out to be. There is a saying of, ‘If you are going to do something new, try one, not two.’ We were trying to do

The squad system wasn’t perfect, but it was a cool innovation.

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about 20 new things all at once, which made for a very inspiring, but also very stressful and chaotic development process.” Those late nights were his initiation into the industry as every developer manages crunch time during their career. Being able to keep projects secret, many at a time, while contracts are being worked out, or ­non-disclosure agreements are in place is another huge part of working in the video game industry. This is something Campbell learned about early in his career as well. “I remember once … the video card manufacturer ATI took the whole team out for a meal at some posh Chinese restaurant,” Campbell said. “This was a restaurant in a different league to anything I had been to before. We had own personal chef cooking the food on a hot plate in front of us, chucking live lobsters onto it. We had been given strict instructions not to mention that we were working on The Thing. It was a very sensitive IP, and the announcement had to be carefully managed. After a few glasses of wine, I overhead the technical director, Mark, discussing with the ATI guys about mutating human models, and I blurted out, ‘Oh, are you talking about The Thing?’ The whole table stopped talking and stared at me. You could have heard a pin drop. Mark’s eyes were wide open at me saying, ‘What the ef are you doing?’ I managed to salvage the situation by saying, ‘Yes … you know, the er, … thing … that we’re working on.’ I was very grateful that the name of the game was so generic. I don’t think the ATI guys cottoned on.” Wined and dined by video card companies was one thing, but Campbell saw even cooler things at that point in his career. Still, just in his 20s at this time, he was effectively living his dream. “It was also at this time that the PS2 was launched, and I went to the PS2 launch party in London. That was the first industry party I had been to, and it was the best,” Campbell recalled. “A free bar all night and Jamiroquai played—and oddly, Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones was playing guitar with them, though I think they turned his amp down because he was just stumbling around the stage, and I suspect, not playing anything coherent.” For those reasons alone, The Thing will always hold a special place in his heart. But, truth be told, there’s a huge piece of his heart in The Thing as well. “For me, every game has been a unique experience. What made The Thing special for me is it was the first game I had been on from start to finish. It was also probably the most ambitious game I’ve worked in from a game design perspective and my first game in a management position. I was lead game programmer, so I was having to actually solve the problems that the design was throwing up, rather than just doing tasks given to me by the lead,” Campbell said. “I remember a few weeks into being the lead programmer, I was given a bollocking by William Latham, the CEO, because I wasn’t leading the team at all. My assumption had been that if you just let everyone do what they thought was best, everything would be OK. Like I say, we were all inexperienced. I was then given my first ever project management book to read, and I realized that managing is a thing you have to learn how to do. It’s not a personality trait. “It was also a game that I did quite a lot of the actual game programming for. I did the player motion, the UI, the flame thrower and fire effects and the ­lip-syncing system. Later in my career, I worked much more on ­back-end technology and technical management. It was missing this kind of ­experience-programming that drove me back into game programming more recently [with] www.wiredthegame.com.” Learning how to manage a team would be enough of a hassle for any young programmer, but Campbell and the rest of the team quickly came to the conclusion that pulling off their initial ideas for The Thing was going to be an adventure in itself.



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“There were a number of aspirations in the original vision, which were in tension with each other,” Campbell said. “A completely immersive experience, so no GUI/HUD. Most interactions should be communicated through the facial expressions of NPCs and visual effects. “A dynamic infection system where anyone could get infected, and part of the game was to figure out who had been infected and then using the blood tests to expose them. “Trust and fear being fully dynamic systems where players would find creative ways to get the NPCs to trust them. “A compelling story with great ­set-pieces perhaps involving thousands of ­Thingmonsters attacking you at once.” All of this sounds amazing on paper and would have done the 1982 film justice on the PlayStation 2. The problem was, it just wasn’t possible, for a variety of reasons. “The story aspect was in conflict with the dynamic infection system as we couldn’t let key characters get infected, and also, if an NPC was infected and about to be involved in a big ­set-piece ‘burst out,’ we couldn’t have the player test them just before, and then spoil the ­set-piece,” Campbell admitted. “This conflict was never really resolved, and in some cases, you could test a player, find they were negative, then the next minute they would burst out into The Thing. At the time, I felt this was pretty unforgivable, but I’ve made my peace with it now.” Obviously, the element of trust was essential to the film, and while it’s incorporated into the game, Campbell is at odds with how it was implemented. Regarded as ahead of its time by several gaming publications of the time, Campbell wanted to do even more than the PlayStation 2 hardware would allow. “The trust system was never as dynamic and creative as we had hoped. It ended up being ‘there’s an injured guy who doesn’t trust you—so you heal him and then he trusts you’ kind of scenarios,” Campbell said. “The trust was a nice way to frame and visualize the puzzles to solve and did also tie the mechanics nicely to the key atmospheric elements, but you didn’t have much flexibility in how you solved the puzzles.” While the trust system, for better or worse, works well enough in the game to make the player feel like they’re a part of an Antarctica rescue team, Campbell acknowledged that the game’s User Interface was never as intuitive as it could have been. “The UI in the game, rather than being invisible and immersive, was pretty clunky and was rightly criticized for being complicated,” Campbell confessed. “This was about the fourth iteration of the UI that we eventually created, and what we shipped was much better than all the previous ones, but it still wasn’t good. The complexity of the UI was a result of the complexity of the game, as well as the standard things like: chose weapons, checking your inventory etc., there was squad control, go over there and fix that, or heal him, then giving items to other team members, requesting items from team members, and then communicating why such a thing may not be doable, perhaps he wouldn’t give you what you ask because he didn’t have it, or because he didn’t trust you, or because he was too scared. Each system in the game was understandable and moderately simple on its own, but the UI was where they all came together, and all the interactions between all these systems ultimately made for a very complex game, which needed a complex UI to interact with.” UI issues aside, Campbell’s biggest issue with development was that they could never realize the type of horrific battles they imagined before starting development. While The Thing is still indeed a ­fear-filled feat on the PlayStation 2, Campbell and the rest of the

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team were limited by the console’s capabilities. “The vision of having battles with thousands of Thing monsters was limited by the technical limitations of the PS2,” Campbell said. “We had been rather seduced by the Sony marketing materials into thinking the machine was practically limitless in its capabilities. In the end, we had a hard limit of four humans and one large Thing monster, or three medium or eight small [ones],” Campbell admitted. “However, something which was in the original vision was to capture the atmosphere of the original film and the sense or fear and paranoia. In this, I think we largely succeeded, especially in the first few levels.” According to Campbell, while Evolva’s release on PC in 2000, could have emboldened them, The Thing was something different entirely, as their first PS2 title. This created its own dilemmas for the young team. “It was all challenges,” Campbell disclosed. “Not only was the game attempting all sorts of new things that ­no-one had done before, but we were also trying to build a PS2 engine from scratch and turn our existing PC engine into a ­multi-platform engine. I remember walking past our lead PS2 engineer a few months after receiving the PS2 dev kits and asking him how it was going. He proudly showed me that he had managed to get a triangle drawn on the screen. “The dev cycle was structured around monthly deliverables to Universal, which had a checklist of things and been planned out in advance. I think a lack of experience on our side and theirs got us into this situation. Looking back, the idea that you can plan out detailed monthly deliverables for a game over a ­two-year dev period in advance seems crazy—but the kind of Agile development techniques the industry uses now, were unheard of then. It was a real struggle to hit them and involved a lot of late nights. On many occasions, I worked all day and all night and all the next day to hit the deadlines. I would sometimes be woken up by the cleaner bumping their vacuum cleaner into me as I slept under the table.” While also released on Windows and Microsoft Xbox, the issue with the capabilities of the PlayStation 2 affected the entire schedule of releases. “From a gameplay point of view, I think all versions are the same,” Campbell said. “The PS2 was probably the least powerful of the platforms we targeted and also the lead platform, so we just made it work on that, and then all the other versions worked the same way. The PS2 had its own challenges. I was not so directly involved in this side of things, as Michael Braithwaite was the lead engine programmer on the team, while I focused on the game side. However, I remember memory fragmentation being a real issue and us having to completely rewrite how we handled memory in the game. And also, that virtual functions were much slower on the PS2 due to a very small cache, meaning that the extra step of indirection would also cause a cache miss, so lots of restricting there.” As if the issues with the PlayStation 2 weren’t enough, Computer Artworks had to deal with something many game developers have experienced. “On a few occasions, Universal didn’t ‘pass’ the milestones, which meant a week or so of fixing stuff in order for the company to get paid, which then had us playing ­catch-up the following month,” Campbell said. “I think one month the directors ended up paying everyone’s salary out of their own pocket as they waited on payment. It was this kind of experience that I think pushed the company to try and expand to ensure we had games with multiple publishers on the go at once, so we were not held for ransom in this way—which ultimately led to the company’s collapse. I suspect Universal were not being unreasonable. I think we just had a game that was beyond what could be developed with the time, budget and expertise we had available, and everyone was just too inexperienced to realize it at the time.”



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The development cycle wasn’t all dire and grim, though. As Campbell said before, the team was young, hungry, energetic and inventive, which created several interesting moments. “On one occasion we were getting an inexplicable ­slow-down in one of the levels when nothing much was happening,” Campbell recalled. “We finally tracked it down. One of the designers needed a timer trigger; the player goes through a door, and 10 seconds later, an attack wave comes. There wasn’t this functionality available in the editor and rather than ask for it, it would have taken a programmer 20 minutes to do, he spawned a massive Thing monster at the other side of the level, who would walk down a corridor for 10 seconds and then pull a lever, which would trigger the attack. “On another occasion, all the textures in the game got replaced by a picture of our AI programmer, Geraint Johnson. It was at the same time that the film Being John Malkovich had come out, and the game was reminiscent of the film’s poster.” The appreciation of the team’s hard work ended up being rewarded in an interesting way, but would you expect anything different from a group of ­super-talented 20 somethings? “There were a lot of human characters in the game—too many for the artists to create all the faces by hand,” Campbell shared. “So, we took photos of everyone on the dev team, put some filters on and used those as the face textures. That means that each character in the game is someone from the dev team.” Working on his first game as lead programmer, the lessons Campbell learned are ones many young programmers are ready for today. That doesn’t mean they still are memorable ones. “[The] biggest lesson is ‘Don’t put a massive team on a game until you have got the core mechanics worked out and understand how they interact.’ Now this is common industry practice, to make a ‘vertical slice’ the gameplay, but back then it wasn’t,” Campbell said. Professional lessons aside, Campbell also cites The Thing as a game that taught him a lot about how to be a better programmer and person because of the talented people around him that demanded he be the best version of himself. That’s an experience he appreciates more today. “During development, I was consistently infuriated by the fact that the design seemed to be so unmanageable that it was impossible to hold it in your head in any level of detail all at once—it felt like all the detailed interactions between the different mechanics and myriad edge cases were just left to the programmers to try and deal with, and this lead to a lot of heated exchanges between myself and the lead designer, Andrew Curtis,” Campbell admitted. “However, one of the things, which I think the game did really successfully, holds on to a unified vision of what the game was trying to be. I’ve worked on games since then where that has been a real struggle and with all the different competing aspirations the design had. It could have easily become a total mess. But, Andrew really held the vision together through to the end and that shows in the final product. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but this was very impressive, and I give him a lot of credit for that.” Going on to work on EyeToy Kinetic, EyeToy: Play 3 and Wonderbook: Book of Spells, Campbell’s career has been an imaginative one, filled with experiences that pushed the boundaries of what video games could be. Because of that, you wouldn’t be surprised if The Thing was left out of his favorite titles he’s worked on. However, the survival horror romp may be his best work to date, and he knows it. As a result, his memories of it and what it has meant to his growth as a programmer won’t soon be forgotten. If he had it his way, he’d like it to be remembered for the things it did right and not by the hardware that limited it.

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“As a very ambitious and reasonably successful attempt to translate one of the best horror films of all time into a genuinely fun game, it is definitely one of the games I am most proud of,” Campbell said. “Though I am acutely aware of its flaws, it was a unique and hugely ambitious game, and I’m very proud we actually finished it and got something out there that gave a lot of people joy.”

Amanda Tarr Forrest, Everquest Online Adventures When MMOs Came to the PS2

The game EverQuest is synonymous with the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online ­Role-Playing Game) genre, but its impact on the PlayStation 2 can never be overstated. Selling over 400,000 units on the PS2 and nearly 200,000 for its expansion, Frontiers, the PlayStation 2 version of EverQuest, dubbed Everquest Online Adventures, had a special effect on the console and its players and is still beloved today. Those sales numbers, although solid by PS2 standards, are misleading, however, as Sony shipped out a plethora of ­seven-day trial versions of the game, giving the game an even deeper scope. Simply put, Everquest Online Adventures was the game that proved the MMORPG genre and online gaming in general could work, and work well, on the console. In charge of the game’s artificial intelligence, pathing, server and gameplay, Amanda Tarr Forrest was responsible for a lot of the game’s, look, feel and polish. A ­life-long fan of the RPG genre, being a part of the Everquest Online Adventures was a natural fit. At the same time, a career in the gaming industry wasn’t originally in her career trajectory. “I was obsessed with games as a kid,” Tarr Forrest recalled. “Some of my best memories are from the arcade, playing games on my Apple IIe, or fighting over the NES controller with my friends and siblings. I first learned how to program computers from my mom, who taught at the local college. Somewhere around sixth or seventh grade, I started trying to write my first games. They were predictably terrible and unfinished. After briefly entertaining the idea of medical school, I decided to major in Computer Science instead. My senior project through the CS department was with a game studio, and they hired me afterward.” Working with several companies before Everquest Online Adventures, Tarr Forrest spent six years sharpening her skills. When she saw an opportunity to be a part of the EverQuest team, she didn’t look back. “The RPG genre always captivated me. It still does,” Tarr Forrest said. “When the PC version of EverQuest came out, I was terrified that I’d go ­full-gamer zombie and forget my daily responsibilities. I resisted playing for a few months, anyway. But eventually, I caved and started logging in. What fun that was! When I saw a job posting at the company, I sent in a resume. Fortunately, they liked me as much as I liked the idea of working there.” Now at Sigil Games Online, who were developing the game for Sony Online Entertainment, Tarr Forrest was in a situation few developers ever find themselves in, working on a game they already enjoyed playing. Not only that, but she was also bringing the experience to a ­brand-new audience. “The dev team for EQoA was run just how I like to work—we had just a few talented people who took on tons of responsibility and got things done,” Tarr For85

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rest reflected. “Lean and mean, I suppose you could say. Because of that, I got to write the lion’s share of the gameplay and AI. What that meant in practice was I worked out how the combat, spells, quests, equipment, and so forth would be represented and manipulated by the code. The designers then went in and put in the content to breathe life into the systems.” Don’t let Tarr Forrest sell herself short. She did plenty to give the game an abundance of personality as well. “My favorite part of the work was probably the AI behavior for the NPCs,” Tarr Forrest said. “I started by coming up with a pathfinding system. Back in the early 2000s, this was a problem space that didn’t have many good solutions, so that was a fun technical challenge. After that, I got to work out how they responded to players and each other. So much fun.” Fun, yes. But hard work, too. Everquest Online Adventures was anything but a copy and paste job. Tarr Forrest and the rest of the team were doing something that had never been done before. “The PS2 title was actually written from the ground up to target a console. I think we never would have succeeded if we’d tried to port the game directly,” Tarr Forrest shared. “Everything from the graphics engine to the server and network code was created specifically for the game. I think that internally, we were the oddball console title in a PC development house. People probably didn’t know what to think of us.” Being able to play an MMO was uncharted territory at the time, but what about updating it? That proved to be an interesting situation on the PlayStation 2 for Tarr Forrest and the team. “These days, updating a console title isn’t much different from patching a PC game, but back then, we had no idea how we were going to manage it. MMOs are so complicated and extensible on the back end, that it didn’t seem realistic to think we would ship our gold master and never touch the client code again. After worrying about that for a long time, we figured out how to patch to the memory card,” Tarr Forrest said. “It wasn’t easy packing everything into that small of a space, but it gave us the leeway we needed.” The hard work paid off, however, and Tarr Forrest has plenty of moments of validation. “My favorite moment during the whole development cycle was during beta, when I spent a weekend at home just playing the game. Holding a controller Being able to play this online, on a PS2, was huge at the and playing an MMO from my time.



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couch? It was my dream come true,” Tarr Forrest recalled. “A major thing I think the team should still be proud of is we managed to create a massive world that spread across multiple servers, but we managed to eliminate load times between zones by streaming the world in and out of console memory. This put us a step ahead of our PC cousin while running on much more restrictive hardware.” The team was so ­in-sync that they managed to not only pull off the impossible, but they did so in record time. “We shipped early! Somewhere around the time when we were expecting to have maybe nine months of development left, we were issued a challenge to move the release forward.” Tarr Forrest wondered, “In a world where games are almost always delayed, I don’t know how we managed that.” The ability to ship early also ensured that the game was able to connect with a clear audience. Often in a crowded market, some great games never get noticed. Shipping early had a hugely positive effect on the legacy of Everquest Online Adventures. “One of the things I remember strongly from the time was that Final Fantasy XI was out in Japan a few months before we launched, but we released a year before their NA PS2 launch,” Tarr Forrest said. “I think that gave players in North America a chance to experience the ­Western-style MMO before there was a competitor.” The team had little time to bask in their success, however. Once the game was released, making sure it could be played optimally by as many people as possible was another challenge. “After the release, the dev team focused hard on making sure we could handle the server load while adjusting any game balance or content issues that came up once we had a large number of players,” Tarr Forrest stated. “Meanwhile, the team started working on the content and code for the first expansion, Frontiers.” Frontiers’ solid sales and the outrageous number of people who burned through their Everquest Online Adventures demo discs alone proved Sony and Sigil’s efforts to bring an MMORPG to the PlayStation 2 were a success. So much so that the game, despite being offline for over a decade, still has a special legacy. “A big group of fans of the game still exists today,” Tarr Forrest said. “Though the servers haven’t been running for many years,

What character did you pick in the game?

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these dedicated players still talk about it extensively, and some have even been working on rebuilding the server code based on information they can find in strategy guides and their collective memories.” The lessons learned from Everquest Online Adventures continued to affect Tarr Forrest well after release and transcended her career in gaming. It’s safe to say there’s a little piece of the MMO genre in everything she does. “I went on to lead the programming team for another MMO called Vanguard: Saga of Heroes,” Tarr Forrest shared. “My experience on EQoA really helped me figure out the pieces we’d need and how to put them together. After that, I stopped working in the MMO space, but my work there still shows up in books that I write in the LitRPG genre under a pen name, Carrie Summers. For me, it’s the ultimate chance to design MMO games without needing to write a line of code! The time I spent on the team working with highly competent and creative people really established, for me, the idea that a small team of dedicated people can do amazing things.” The notion of a small team doing great things is something that’ll never be lost on the developer. The fact that her “lean and mean” team accomplished the arduous task of creating an MMORPG for a console is something that continues to empower her today. “It was a crazy thing to try at the time, I think,” Tarr Forrest considered. “Consoles just weren’t online gaming platforms when the project began, and even once we launched, it felt a bit early. I think we took a risk, and we managed to put a massively multiplayer game out there. The game had a lot of heart, I think, and I’m proud to have worked on it.”

Scott Campbell and Kellan Hatch, War of the Monsters A Unifying Vision on PS2

The idea of enormous monsters destroying civilization has been a part of pop culture for decades. While films based on popular Kaiju such as Godzilla and King Kong began the craze, TV shows such as Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and video games Rampage and King of the Monsters, in their own ways, continued it. However, games of this ilk were becoming scarce during the PlayStation 2 era. That was until Incognito Entertainment, the company founded by the developers behind several classics and cult hits on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 including Warhawk, Jet Moto, Twisted Metal and Critical Depth, jumped at the opportunity to revive the genre with War of the Monsters. Thanks to its sense of humor, destructive environments and deeper than expecting combat, the game is so much more than an arena brawler. It was the type of game that defined how much you could do on the PlayStation 2 console. Going on to sell over 500,000 units, the game was far from a flop and since its release, has garnered a ­cult-like following. With no sequel and a series of lukewarm Godzilla games released after it, gamers have yet to receive another ­Sony-published, gigantic monster game on a PlayStation console. However, considering how difficult the development process was for the game, with threats of cancellation throughout, gamers should be thankful War of the Monsters was released at all. For Incognito’s Kellan Hatch and Scott Campbell, who respectively served as lead designer and executive producer on the title, War of the Monsters was a special opportunity to create a new IP for a Sony console. For Hatch, however, unlike his other efforts on the PlayStation, this one gave him even more creative flexibility and allowed him to tap into his childhood fantasies. “War of the Monsters is all about the movies that inspired us when we were kids. Some of us older team members remember sitting in theaters, or in front of our TVs late at night, marveling at Ray Harryhausen movies and ­sci-fi classics like War of the Worlds and Godzilla. They were to us what Star Wars was to the younger members of the team,” Hatch said. “We wanted to capture that spirit of awe and mystery that you feel like a kid. I can remember one moment that crystalized that sense of wonder for me. It is that moment in Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts when the giant bronze statue Telos comes to life. That sent chills up my ­six-year-old spine, and I wanted to capture some of that sense of wonder.” War of the Monsters isn’t just a tribute to the visuals of Hatch’s favorite films, though. The sounds of a few other films played just as big a part of the recipe—something that Hatch believes was added thanks to Sony’s faith in the game’s creative vision. “We realized that we had to caricaturize the whole concept and pump it up with a lot of ’50s and ’60s ­sci-fi 89

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kitsch to give it some ­tongue-in-cheek charm,” Hatch recalled. “The soundtrack was mostly inspired by the work of Bernard Herman in movies like The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and I can never thank Sony enough for giving us the budget for Chuck Meyers and his team at Big Idea to compose some powerful themes and hire a live orchestra to really drive it home.” An homage to both the sights and sounds of his childhood, War of the Monsters was a game years in the making, at least in Hatch’s mind. Although known primarily for his work on Warhawk, those familiar with his resume see War of the Monsters as one of his crowning achievements. Considering how ambitious the game was for its time, it might have been a hard sell to Sony originally, but it’s fair to say that Hatch’s prior successes played a role in Sony being on board with publishing the title. “I had been wanting to make a game like War of the Monsters for several years. One night I was walking down the street in Santa Monica with Dave Jaffe of Twisted Metal and God of War fame, tossing ideas back and forth,” Hatch said. “It turned out that he had been thinking about a giant monster fighting game too, using iconic movie monsters. Dave did not end up working on War of the Monsters, and in the end, he told me he was very disappointed that we didn’t capture his vision of what he thought the game should have been, which was more of an ­arena-style fighter. I was sorry to hear that, but I was satisfied that we had been able to make the game that I was excited about. The ­free-roaming, ­brawler-style combat was a much bigger challenge, and I think it delivered an experience that was a better fit for the monster movie genre.” While Hatch saw the game as something that could capitalize on ­old-school pop culture, Campbell tried to connect it to a modern audience as well. With both their visions at play, War of the Monsters began to take shape. “Games that served as inspiration were the Rampage classics for the ­large-scale monster destruction and games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat for the ­close-range style of fighting,” Campbell shared. “We felt we couldn’t go neck to neck with the likes of the classic fighting games, but we could certainly create our own brand that spoke to the DNA of our studio.” Early in development, the team understood the game would ultimately be vastly different from Jaffe’s vision, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t extremely ambitious nonetheless. According to Campbell, War of the Monsters was a challenge from start to finish. Considering Hatch and Campbell’s experiences together on several PlayStation classics such as Warhawk and Twisted Metal, games that had extremely short de- Hatch made a huge impact on the PS1 and early PS2 velopment cycles but which defined titles.



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the early, original PlayStation experience and garnered massive fanbases, that’s saying something. “The high concept was to create a ­free-roaming, fighting game with ­larger-than-life classic monsters inspired by movies such as King Kong and Godzilla,” Campbell said. “This was a very ambitious project for Incognito as we did not have any experience creating fully animated 3D characters that could fight at close and far range and of course, totally destroy a 3D environment. We also wanted to ‘level up’ the experience by not only destroying the environment but turning this destruction into weapons—cars will be thrown, steel girders will be hurled and used as bats. “Expectations were high, but there was always this reality check and asking ourselves, ‘Can we really pull this off?’ We were definitely on the overconfident side of the fence, but this would push our game engine and gameplay to new heights not to mention present some interesting challenges for the development team.” Those challenges were welcomed ones for Hatch, however. He had no problem working with Campbell again. “I worked nonstop with Scott for my entire career in games. I spent more time with him than I did with my family! Scott is brilliant and is possibly the most motivated and ­hard-working person I have ever known, so it was always a challenge to keep up with him. But, we had a lot of laughs and good times along the way,” Hatch remembered. “Scott was the executive producer, so he wasn’t as directly involved in the ­day-to-day of War of the Monsters like he was with our other titles like Twisted Metal. I am eternally grateful to Scott for being our defender when there were people at Sony who were not entirely happy with the direction we were going. We were scrambling just to keep the project

The amount of destruction really sold the battles.

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alive, and Scott was constantly warning me that Monsters was ‘on the chopping block.’ But, we were very excited about the game and just kept our heads down and kept plowing along to make it as compelling as possible.” Despite being under the Sony knife throughout the development cycle and with cancellation looming, Hatch and the team believed in the project. Looking back, that’s what the designer believes kept the project alive, especially considering the fact the team had never tackled a game of not only the size and scope of War of the Monsters but of the fighting genre as well. “A major challenge for our studio was solving the technical and creative hurdles for a ­character-based game with ­hand-to-hand combat, two things we had never done. All of our games to this point had been variations of vehicle combat,” Hatch observed. “We had a small team of only about a dozen ­full-time people, with a few others that were straddling multiple projects. It was Dylan Jobe’s producing debut, but he was a natural. Fortunately, despite the tight schedule, and even though the team was small, we had an amazingly talented group of artists, animators, and programmers who were dedicated to making a really good product. And, of course, the constant threat of cancellation. “Like every other game I worked on, War of the Monsters was a daunting task on a schedule that was way too short. So, we were sprinting the whole time to pull a rabbit out of a hat. The real treat of working on a project like War of the Monsters is the opportunity to work with a team of gifted professionals. I could not have asked for a more talented and dedicated team of programmers and artists. Dylan Job did an amazing job as a producer.

The nostalgic characters made for engaging fights.



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Jacob English was a relatively inexperienced animator at the time, but his natural talent combined with Lars Devore’s technical ­know-how really made the monsters come to life. Eric Simonich tackled one of the biggest and most complex tasks, which was tuning the combat. His attention to detail gave us some really fun gameplay. “I was also excited that Sony let me include a little art book along with the disk that spotlighted Owen Richardson’s beautiful concept art. Like me, Owen is a huge fan of old ­sci-fi movies, and he really captured the look and feel we were looking for.” The team’s dedication to the project was its saving grace, but the developments that occurred in the ­real-world almost derailed the project entirely. “We were working on the game the day of the 9/11 attacks, specifically the New York level,” Campbell said. “The modeling team and artists were working on skyscraper destruction, and it was really making the team feel uncomfortable and sad. As a team, it was decided to stop work on the destructible environments and focus on all other aspects of the game. It did take some time before the team could return back to working on skyscraper destruction, and we ended up not including that level in the game.” That issue alone could have been enough to put an end to the development cycle, but they adapted and eventually got back to work. Another problem during the cycle had nothing to do with the current state of the world at the time, and yet it also had the potential to destroy it. “We had one very tense moment just before launch when Sony informed us that all of the names on our loading screen movie posters were the real names of movie stars, people like Tom Cruise, who work under a pseudonym,” Hatch said. “If that had gotten past the Sony lawyers, it could have been a real problem. So, we had to do a ­last-minute rework to all of the posters, and I had to give the angry dad lecture to Owen Richardson, even though I thought what he had done was hilariously clever.” Those changes to the game, however, were minuscule compared to some of the things Hatch and Campbell said almost found their way in. “Just as we were finishing the game development, our special effects programmer Pierre Dufresne came up with some amazing technology to play the game in 3D using the ­old-movie-style red and blue glasses,” Hatch said. “I would love to have shipped with a couple of pair of glasses and the option to play in 3D.” The thought of playing the game with ­old-school, 3D glasses was cool, but the team had even more retro ideas at one point. “There was a time during the development cycle that we were planning to make the game in black and white to really pay homage to the classic monster theme,” Campbell admitted. “This ended up getting shot down as it presented a risk many weren’t willing to take on both sides of the fence, Incognito and Sony. We always wanted to put it in as an ‘easter egg’ but ran out of schedule, and I’m pretty sure, budget.” Despite some trying situations and a host of changes and additions that didn’t find their way into the final version of the game, there were some ­light-hearted moments during the cycle, too. “There were many memorable moments, but the one I remember most was when our designer, Eric Simonich, was showing some fighting moves in the studio. The next thing you know, his boot is going through the wall,” Campbell recalled. “Nobody wanted to tell me what happened, so I think the plan was to see if I would notice the massive hole. Given that the hole was right next to the conference room door, I had one of those WTF moments. When Eric finally fessed up and showed me how it happened, I was in stitches—I couldn’t be mad as he had good intentions for the game.” On another project, for a different company, the end result of this situation could have been different. Campbell understood what the team was up against. He’d been there plenty

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of times in his career. “The schedule was typical Incognito, which was basically, create a ­brand-new IP on an ­18-month schedule,” Campbell said. “Because Incognito was always slated to do new IPs for Sony, it felt like we started the game development behind schedule on day one, and WOTM was no different. New IPs are very challenging throughout the entire development process as you struggle to find the game’s ‘voice,’ and every aspect of the game is new, i.e., visual themes, characters, gameplay, audio and SFX—it is really a challenge to make that happen on a tight schedule, but when it does, it is pure magic.” Regardless of the limited time frame, Hatch was happy with the way War of the Monsters turned out, even if there were some sacrifice involved. “I think our team did a fantastic job of capturing our initial vision of what we wanted the game to be from the very beginning,” Hatch reflected. “Our challenge was getting and keeping Sony on board with it. We had Owen Richardson creating fantastic ­on-point concept art on our side, but we were getting stuff from Sony that totally missed the mark, things like a gigantic Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein, and Creature of the Black Lagoon, etc. One designer from Sony wanted to limit the fighting to judo moves. At one point, we were told to implement an alternative concept document that replaced the monsters with giant Samurai robots. For most of the project, Mike Giam was our designer from the Sony side, and he contributed a lot of great ideas, especially regarding gameplay mechanics, but we didn’t always mesh on some aspects of the game’s vision. In the end, most of our monsters remained on the roster, although a few ended up on the trash heap.” Upon reflection, Campbell sees the game as a special one, for what ultimately ended up getting into the final product, rather than what got left out. “There were many things I liked about this game, but the one that stands out is how the team was able to create both close, medium and far range attacks for the monsters, and it ended up very well balanced. Kudos to Kellan, Dylan and Eric and the phenomenal development team,” Campbell said. “We actually patented a ­split-screen behavior that merged the ­split-screen into one screen when the monsters were nearby for close combat battles. It worked surprisingly well. All of the monsters were also really cool and reminiscent of the classic monsters and the animations turned out amazing.” Because of what they got right, Campbell sees the game as a missed opportunity of sorts for Sony. “Biggest regret was not doing a sequel,” Campbell confessed. “There was plenty of buzz and excitement around WOTM, and it sold pretty well considering the limited marketing budget, and it was a new IP on an already crowded console. The sequel could have really established the game as one of the top ­stand-out franchises versus being the ‘greatest game you never heard of.’” For Hatch, the deep combat and fun gameplay was important, but the sense of wonder the game created was exactly what he wanted all along. The ­six-year-old that got chills up his spine approved as well. “The real star of War of the Monsters is the massive destruction. The one essential component of the design was that the monsters were just the right size to pick up a car and throw it as a projectile weapon,” Hatch said. “And it was important to us that you could generate weapons in the form of rubble from buildings that you knocked down. We turned down the opportunity for a Godzilla license for exactly those reasons. The contract would have required that our monsters were 400 feet tall, which is way too big for the kind of interaction we wanted. We didn’t want to step on buildings. We wanted to climb them, snatch the radio tower off the top and use it as a javelin. “War of the Monsters did a good job of delivering on its fantasy, which I think explains why it is so memorable to the small audience who still look back on it with fondness. There



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was a solid balance of gameplay and variety, which is very difficult to achieve, especially when you bring together such diverse combatants as ­ground-based characters and monsters that can fly!” Nearly 20 years since the game’s original release in 2003, War of the Monsters is regarded as a sleeper, cult hit. One of those games that if you know, you have fond memories of. While not as big a success as his other games, Hatch is happy it still has a dedicated audience and is happy Sony never pulled the plug. “I would like to thank Sony for letting us make War of the Monsters, even though there was a lot of trepidation and second thoughts in a time when publishers were very shy about making anything new and different. I really have no idea how well the game sold in the end. I hope they look back on it as a success,” Hatch added. “I am just so glad people liked the game. I’m still amazed to come across people who have fond memories of War of the Monsters from their childhood, and how many have told me it was their favorite PlayStation game. These days, I do archaeological surveys with drones, and a couple of years ago, I met a grad student on top of a mountain in Peru who was overjoyed to meet someone who had been part of one of his favorite childhood memories. I’m just happy that it is remembered at all. There are so many games out there, and they have such a short shelf life, that it’s really something special to have your work remembered fondly almost two decades later.” As an initial designer and eventual producer of War of the Monsters, Campbell has a fondness for the game only Hatch could share. However, while Hatch’s heart is forever connected to how well the game was ultimately executed, Campbell’s favorite memories are of the passion behind the execution. “Of course, I would love for WOTM to be considered as one of the PlayStation 2 classics,” Campbell admitted. “This game was both a visual and technological marvel that was super addictive and a blast to play. It really combined many elements such as close combat, ­medium-range with destruction used as weapons and ­long-range as the monsters could throw projectiles. It’s still hard to think of any game that has attempted that. Sony always gave us a creative license on new IPs, and as a developer partner, they were always the best. The design team of Kellan Hatch, Dylan Jobe and Eric Simonich was top notch as you could feel their passion every day. I was lucky to work on the initial design with Kellan and was able to work as the executive producer. I would also like to call out the amazing development team that brought the characters and game to life—one of the best team experiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Scott Henshaw, SSX Tricky Run D.M.C. For Eight Months Straight

Sequels are “tricky” business, pun intended. Gamers expect more of the second game in a series, and it’s for that very reason that most franchises don’t get past their first sequel. Too much can go wrong, and in many cases, the sequel’s hype doesn’t live up to the reality of the original. But, of course, there are exceptions, ones where the second game manages to dwarf the original in nearly every way, shape, or form. Nothing against the original SSX, a game that sold over a million copies on the PlayStation 2. Originally envisioned for the first PlayStation, before being transitioned to the PS2 and missing its initial deadline as a PS2 Japanese launch title, the earliest SSX was an adventure in development that absolutely resonated with fans. What SSX Tricky did, however, was not only sell more copies than the original, but it expanded on the gameplay, adding six more characters and two more runs. The result was a title that was far from a letdown. The main reason SSX Tricky didn’t suffer from a sophomore slump is easy to pinpoint. A part of EA BIG and Electronic Arts, Canada, the game was immensely important to Electronic Arts, alongside the titles in the Street series. Attracting more than hardcore sports gamers, the BIG titles were a throwback to the early days of EA Sports, where fun and great gameplay—and not realism and presentation—mattered most. According to Scott Henshaw, who served as the game’s development director, the team knew they had something exceptional in the original SSX and wanted to take it to the next level. “That was all internal pressure, the best kind,” Henshaw said. “It was a really special team that endured a lot to get that game made, and we all loved it. Tricky was about rescuing all the things we felt we had to leave behind on the first game, by us for us.” For those who know little about the game industry, and maybe those who think they know everything, it’s rare that an initial game design gets completely realized. Easier to do when teams were smaller during the Atari 2600 era and almost impossible to do during the reign of the PlayStation 2, no game was ever “perfect,” at least not to developers. While SSX was a ­million-seller on the PS2 and earned a plethora of praise, the team knew they could have done more. Now, they had that opportunity. “I think there are always new goals. This particular one had a couple for us and the company,” Henshaw noted. “Releasing a launch title like SSX gets lots of attention, especially when it’s something new and not a sequel, but it doesn’t really generate a lot of revenue and getting it done close to the time a new console launches has a ton of technical and time pressures that make you make choices. Some of our babies didn’t make it on the lifeboat. So, SSX Tricky was about a couple things; showing it could be a profitable franchise 96



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was one, including many of the features and feel that we had in our brains in the first game but couldn’t really deliver on was the second. “The project was short, the goals clear, the tools well defined, and for the most part, existing. Yes, they were adapted, added to and improved upon, but we were able to plan it. Most of the features were things we had had to let go of the first time around.” Regardless of the leaner cycle, Henshaw was happy with the final product for a variety of reasons. “I do think it delivered on many levels. It was interesting. … As we added folks to the team for SSX 3, we asked everybody to play the original and Tricky ­back-to-back,” Henshaw recalled. “Do that and it’s easy to see where the first SSX felt rigid and clunky in many areas. For Tricky, the animations improved, the engine got better, smoother, faster, the tracks came into their own.” While Henshaw, as well as Jon Spencer in his account of the SSX development cycle in The Minds Behind Sports Games, admits the original SSX wasn’t an easy game to make, the lessons learned there absolutely impacted Tricky. At the same time, Tricky expanded the core gameplay enough that the team had new hurdles to navigate. “We started making a racing game. We ended with a trick game, and we learned that the compulsion loop was everything,” Henshaw said. “Do tricks to gain boost; use the boost to gain speed; use speed to do bigger tricks. The sequel Tricky embraced this, amped it up and focused on it. I think of this as one of the few projects that went relatively smoothly. Most of the challenge was the time frame. The first SSX had a long dev cycle that wound its way in ­pre-production for more than a year, switching platforms and feel until we got to a place we really liked. That was followed by many teething pains and finalizing that first game three times. By comparison, Tricky was a breeze.”

Starting a race was always thrilling.

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Those “teething pains” were somewhat alleviated by the fact that Henshaw was able to keep the majority of his team together. Unbeknownst to most gamers, it’s rare that sequels in a franchise have the exact same team in place. For example, ever wonder why Twisted Metal 3 plays so different from the first two amazing games, or how a series like Crash Bandicoot could go from a ­Sony-exclusive to a title that appears on a ton of consoles? Well, those games end up being designed by different teams than the originals and because of a variety of reasons, the overall quality suffers. Truth be told, there are many times when sequels are continuations of a series in name only. This wasn’t the case for Tricky. Henshaw had his band together. “The core team returned…. We added key designers, programmers and artists, but the leads were the same. With the core team together leveraging the engine they built, they took control of the game and focused on all the things they wanted to improve,” Henshaw noted. “One of the best teams I’ve ever worked with. This is what happens when you leave the core of the team together. They gel like a team, feed off themselves and collectively trust each other with honest feedback and constructive ­What-Ifs. “So much so that, to his credit Steve Rechtshaffner, our EP, had a ­20-year reunion of the team and all but three of the original team were there. When do you ever have a workgroup that connected? What we delivered was much more in the long run. Many years later, the core 25 of that team were responsible for, in no particular order: SSX, Tricky, SSX 3, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Skate, Blu Castle games (later Capcom, Vancouver), The Coalition (Microsoft Gears of War).” Having the right team together was pivotal for Tricky’s ripening, but the gameplay

The game’s visuals still stand up today.



Scott Henshaw, SSX Tricky99

­fine-tuning was what put it over the top. “­Real-world ski slopes range from about 10° to 45°. This never worked well as our game physics was based in reality and no amount of tuning ever made it play well and gave us the right sense of speed,” Henshaw said. “One night, a couple of our world guys tipped the world up to 70°, then tipped the trees the opposite way so it didn’t look crazy steep. It worked, and we shipped the game with tracks at insane angles.” With the right team in place and the gameplay formula nearly perfected, SSX Tricky benefited from an extra layer of depth when compared to the original. That allowed the developers to make sure there was something unique there for hardcore players. “Easter eggs abound in the tracks. Specifically, there are/were two coyotes going at it that the world team moved around every night,” Henshaw confessed. “They were looking to make sure a bug about them being inappropriate and their location was logged to make sure the QA team were seeing new parts of the tracks every day. They may have found a hidden resting place in the final build. All shortcuts are ­well-marked, something we learned from SSX because people didn’t see many of them.” While things were largely under control for most of the development cycle, there were some interesting moments. Ask any gamer about Tricky, and they’ll immediately cite the soundtrack as one of the best of the era. While Electronic Arts was absolutely thrilled to have such a killer selection of tracks for the game, they are not about to add any of those songs to their Spotify playlist today—and for good reason. “As part of the dev cycle, at some point, you start to get daily builds,” Henshaw said. “This happened early with Tricky because we largely had the same engine. One of the game focuses was on more/better music, and to that end, we added DMC and the ‘It’s Tricky’ track. First thing in the morning, every day for a year, I get a new build of the game, so did Larry LaPierre our producer. The first thing you hear is that track, that audio, two offices side by side blaring ‘It’s Tricky’ first thing in the morning, every morning for eight months straight. Seems humorous now, but if I never hear that song again, it will be too soon.” All joking aside, the level of polish in Tricky absolutely resonated with players and the world. For Henshaw, that’s all he could ask for. “It’s definitely better in the way it plays than the original, but not as refined as SSX 3, which I think of as the pinnacle,” Henshaw shared. “Its format was very old school: choose a character, choose a track, and go. And, I don’t think we see a lot of that anymore. It was also really the first time I can recall that a game made use of film, TV and music personalities to lend their voices to a game, which was definitely a trend.” Although he’s no longer technically in the game industry, Henshaw’s career was far from over after Tricky. Serving as a development director on SSX 3, Def Jam: Vendetta, Def Jam: Fight for NY, Need for Speed: Most Wanted and as the franchise development director on Skate, Henshaw’s imprint on the industry has absolutely been an important one. His current occupation, however, means he’ll influence just as many minds moving forward as he did gamers in his heyday. “I am an instructor at Vancouver Film School. I teach production, ­dev-ops and computer science in VFS’s Game Design and Programming for Games Programs,” Henshaw said. “Kind of giving back, helping the next generation and going home at a regular time every day all combined.” Now able to share his wisdom with a new generation of developers, Henshaw’s goals are for the guiding ideologies behind the development of Tricky and the other games he worked on, to stay a fixture in the industry. “I think you do these things in the moment be-

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cause of the challenge and interest in the concepts and rarely think it will last long enough in people’s memory to worry about it,” Henshaw reflected. “Tricky, for me, was so tight in the time frame and so close to the original that it all blurred together as one. Will people remember it? I hope so—[as] pure unadulterated fun you can play with your kids. Most of us can’t say that about most of the games these days.”

Robert Leyland, Tony Hawk Downhill Jam A Lesson Learned for a Programming Master

Sustaining the relevance of a huge franchise is no easy task, but rather remains the main reason why there are fewer professional sports games available now than there were at the start of the millennium. Coming out far more frequently than your usual series, sports games are tough to keep fresh and cool. Even a killer franchise the likes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater falls into this dubious category. While it’s enjoying a wonderful resurrection, thanks to the remaster of the first two games in the series, in 2006, the franchise needed something fresh. Developed by Toys for Bob, the team later responsible for the amazing Skylanders franchise, Tony Hawk Downhill Jam put a new spin on the series, swapping the ­open-world skateboarding experience for something far more arcade in nature. While optimized for the Nintendo Wii, which used the ­Wii-mote in a sideways fashion to simulate the skateboard, the PlayStation 2 edition featured the same ­old-school, racing fun with a Tony Hawk twist—just minus the exclusive controls. While not as highly regarded as the original franchise or the Wii version, Downhill Jam on the PlayStation 2 proved to be a fun alternative and a great entry point to the series for younger players. At the same time, with an actual focus on racing, unique course design, and the ability to punch and kick your opponent, there’s some SSX and even Road Rash gameplay flavor, making it a unique title on its own merits. Contrary to the thoughts of many critics, it was never supposed to be a successor to the original Tony Hawk series. That’s the reason why it was so different. Players who truly embrace its differences were the ones who ultimately got the most enjoyment out of it. One of the programmers on Tony Hawk Downhill Jam was Robert Leyland, who by 2006, had been in the industry for over 25 years. Working on classics ToeJam N Earl, Star Control and the cult classic Ghen War, as well as games in The Simpsons, Star Wars and Skylanders franchises, he was plenty ready for the challenge the game represented. “I began making computer games when one of my friends said he was disappointed that he couldn’t get his computer to make good animations,” Leyland shared. “I wrote some assembly language code to page flip small windows on the microcomputer, a Commodore PET if I remember, and to show how it worked, made a little sword fight combat sequence. It was fun to do and that turned into a game—Dragon’s Eye—published by Epyx in 1981. I came to the US on the back of that and worked on a few titles, then detoured into computer graphics for a few years, before coming back to games.” But even before Leyland was involved in the gaming industry, he was always creative. Although not the inspiration for his eventual destination as a game programmer, his child101

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hood and even teenage hobbies certainly didn’t hurt his progress towards the field, either. “We played board games as kids, and I played chess at a ­semi-competitive level at middle and high school in New Zealand,” Leyland said. “It wasn’t until college that I really got involved in DnD and board games, a hobby I still pursue some 45 years later.” After Dragon’s Eye, Leyland worked on a pair of titles, Alien Garden and Murder on the Zinderneuf, but he then left the industry. When he came back a few years later, his career truly blossomed, as he earned programming credits on several classic and cult classic titles across various consoles. By the time he was on deck for Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, he had programmed on the Atari ­8-Bit, Apple II, Commodore 64, Sega Genesis and Sony PlayStation, for companies such as Epyx, Electronic Arts, Activision and Accolade. In spite of all of this experience, Downhill Jam was a project he was most excited about. “I worked on and off with Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford, Toys for Bob’s founders, several times, and by the time Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam (THDJ) was starting, I was ­full-time working for them,” Leyland recalled. “We had done a version of Tony Hawk (TH) for Activision to use Disney characters in Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure. That was oriented to a younger audience and a fun project. It used the Tony Hawk engine, but we extended the simplistic game design to create ­multi-stage tasks and more conversational interactions.” Already familiar with the Tony Hawk engine, Leyland was able to continue to modify it to make it play even more differently than Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure. “THDJ was a lot of fun,” Leyland said. “We modeled the ‘real world’ locations with a lot of artistic license and humor. Plus [we had] a few technical challenges and a new console to explore. I was primarily working on the TH engine to extend it for the odd needs of a racing game.” At the same time, the job was far from cut and paste. Getting everything to work properly was never easy. “First, a little about the TH engine,” Leyland began. “It’s an interpreted script system that contains data, code, etc., in a simple ­text-based script. Underneath a smallish C++ engine connects the script to the console. So, once you have the engine up and running on a new console, converting titles from one to another is usually straightforward.

The game definitely allowed you to capture some air.



Robert Leyland, Tony Hawk Downhill Jam103

There’s a lot of work on data and some scaling issues, plus the console’s own peculiarities. Some are a lot easier than others.” Being a downhill skateboarding game, Leyland’s ability to understand the Tony Hawk engine came in handy, but it didn’t make his job much easier. A racing game at its heart, with multiple paths on each course, its gameplay was different from the typical game in the series. Being able to differentiate the games, while using the same engine was a tough job—but it was Leyland’s. “In most TH games, the world is open in that as a player you can go anywhere, well anywhere the game lets you—which turns out to be a lot more limited than you might expect,” Leyland said. “Due to resource limits, the world gets divided up into segments/ zones, and these are loaded ahead of the player as the player moves around the world. Often two areas will be connected by a passage of some kind … a bridge, a tunnel, a subway, just somewhere that constricts the player’s movement and view, so the next locale can be loaded while the player is in motion. “The idea is that the player shouldn’t see it happen. Standard TH games would hold two locations in memory at once and A/B flip between them, overlaying data and scripts before transitioning to the new zone. At times, they would glitch a little between loads. Usually, the user would not see it because of the limited graphic view, but for THDJ we couldn’t have that as the game needed a constant flow of graphics at really high speed, and glitches became untenable as they disrupted the flow of the game. My primary job was to implement a continuous flow system so that the player could go through a lot of content at speed and ­glitch-free.” Thanks to over 25 years in the industry at the time, Leyland was able to maximize that experience and make sure that the player never knew what was happening under the hood. “Luckily for me, THDJ was a ­one-way game … you were racing downhill after all,” Leyland reminded. “So, we loaded two areas ahead of the player in a big, circular buffer and seamlessly flipped between them. We kept the zones fairly small so that they would fit in the limited memory of the consoles, which meant having many zones per level. A traditional TH game might have three to six zones; Downhill Jam had from 14 to 22.” Nevertheless, the experience of using the Tony Hawk engine isn’t one Leyland will soon forget. “I have to admit to being really happy with how well it worked, zipping down the favelas in Rio, under the castle in Edinburgh and on the streets of San Francisco—the designers doing level layout created some really great sequences, along with artists matching graphics and lighting as the levels progressed,” Leyland confessed. “Due to the peculiarities of the TH engine, there were a number of oddities about development. They had done so many games using the engine that it had become an octopus in a maze, with tendrils of code reaching across systems … tracking down bugs was extra hard. It really was an amazing product as it had served numerous Activision studios through many generations and product designs. We learned a lot from it, mostly to avoid the text scripting and arcane error manager. However, some of the better features moved along with us, mainly the heavy, ­data-driven builds, which allow the designers to make the user experience, menus, display screens, etc., go live without programmer/engineering assistance.” Another thing that won’t be lost on Leyland is his time with the team on the game. Ironically, many of the lighter and darker moments were actually due to working with the Tony Hawk engine as well. “We had 20+ people working on THDJ—artists, designers, scripters, programmers—all working on a common database. When anyone committed bad data or code into the system, it broke for everyone. For the programmers, we set up

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a system of ‘publishing’ a last known good version, signed off by the releasing programmer. We would internally beta test new features with designated designers, and it was fairly smooth. Sometimes, this meant that the designers wouldn’t trust the latest build unless it was a ‘Fred’ build. “The designers were not so lucky; the struggle was real, and fairly frequently, a ­check-in to the database would result in a build failure, and all the designers would be stuck until it was fixed. It happened often enough that we started joking about it, ringing bells and blowing whistles,” Leyland joked. “Someone brought in a giant sombrero, and it would be ceremonially placed on the head of the unfortunate designer, with serenades and good humor.” “One problem was that the error report would often trigger on one particular piece of data … some poor bird that had a sequenced, takeoff animation when the player came close by. When this started happening, the designer responsible for the bird initially took a lot of flack, but we soon realized that it was just a symptom. When those errors came up, it wasn’t the bird, it was deeper in the system, and we had to get out the debuggers. Designer Ray West didn’t have to wear the sombrero.” “We also had an excellent product manager and writer. Alex Ness’s sense of humor sometimes got us into trouble, particularly the naming of the characters. For some reason, marketing didn’t think Armando Gnutbahg was an appropriate name for a skateboarder.” While he’s happy with how the PS2 version turned out, Leyland believes the best version of the game is on the Wii. Featuring an exclusive control set for the console, it managed to capture the essence of the game better than its Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 counterparts. “In the case of the Wii, we had an additional factor of the controller,” Leyland said. “The Wii was the first console to include an accelerometer, which lets the game detect the angle the controller is held, and we wanted to use that to control the skateboard. This meant going to Wii school, to learn about the ­new-fangled devices, and of course, we got

There’s was definitely fun to be had in Downhill Jam.



Robert Leyland, Tony Hawk Downhill Jam105

some of it right and some of it wrong. The tilting part was easy enough, but we made players hold the controller sideways … it just felt better. That ran against the normal mode for the Wii, but really was a better fit for the game. In retrospect, we should have used the nunchuck controller in coordination with the primary controller, as that would have fit Nintendo’s model better, at the time though, it wasn’t clear that the nunchuck would succeed.” Although PlayStation 2 sales are not known, Tony Hawk Downhill Jam sold over 450,000 combined units on the Nintendo Wii and DS. It was far from a flop, but not the ­mega-success of the first three entries in the series. Happy with the way the game turned out, Leyland understood why the game was more of a cult hit than a mainstream one. “Downhill skateboarding never really took off the way its proponents wanted. There are some awesome videos and culture of downhill racing that still exists,” Leyland said. “THDJ is super fun, as it’s a ­larger-than-life representation of an unusual sport.” Continuing his work at Toys for Bob on three Skylanders games, as well as a movie ­tie-in game for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa on the PlayStation 2, 3, Wii, Windows and Xbox 360, it would be easy for him to forget about his video game exploits on a skateboard. However, he has his own reasons why the game is a memorable to him. “Before working on Tony Hawk, I knew nothing about skateboarding. Several of our designers were very keen skateboarders and took the lead,” Leyland said. “Development was very educational. I got to know what the moves were called and to some extent the physics involved. Now, watching competitive skateboarding and snowboarding is a different experience.”

Dan Mueller, ATV OffRoad Fury The Side Project with Legs

Games such as Final Fantasy, Crash Bandicoot, God of War and even the MLB: The Show franchise have played huge roles in Sony’s success in the console gaming industry at various times in their history, but racing games have been at the forefront of the brand as well. For instance, can you imagine the PlayStation console without a Gran Turismo title? That being said, nearly every Sony console has had at least one racing game draw ­side-eye. In the case of the original PlayStation, it was easily Jet Moto. But with that series not making the jump to the PlayStation 2, Sony jumped off their futuristic hoverbikes and onto quads. The result was ATV OffRoad Fury, a franchise that delivered a slew of sequels on the PS2 and the PSP. Although it lacked the online gameplay of the sequel that took the series to another level entirely, the first game in the franchise was a juggernaut, selling nearly two and a half million copies and delivered a singular racing experience that the ­sim-heavy Gran Turismo could not. A fun, ­arcade-style, racing title that early on achieved PS2 Greatest Hit status, ATV OffRoad Fury is still fondly remembered today. That accomplishment, however, was far from easily obtained. According to developer Dan Mueller, the development process was a fight between Sony and Rainbow Studios for a variety of reasons—all of which had their own distinct effect on the final product. “I was a producer/designer on The Mark of Kri (TMOK) when our studio head was having some issues with the ATV Offroad Fury project,” Mueller said. “Initially, my support, while still doing design and production on TMOK, was to help adjust the difficulty of the tracks and track progression, as well as the balance of the vehicles, which I also did on the sequel, but the real issue our studio head was having was with the studio head of Rainbow Studios, so I hopped on a plane and headed for Phoenix, Arizona. “The issue was Sony’s desire for the game to support ­four-player ­split-screen, which oddly enough, was in stark contrast with Rainbow Studio’s desire to have the best sounding ATVs possible, which stemmed from their studio head. The premise was that both demands were heavy on the builds, and something had to give, which from Sony’s position, meant favoring ­four-player action. So, as a motorcycle rider myself, I found common ground in discussion with Rainbow Studios, which led to enough compromise on the ATV engine audio to afford the ­four-player ­split-screen. This ­simple-sounding issue almost led to Sony dropping the game, and I’m glad I could help Sony to retain the franchise.” With his hands already full on the epic adventure The Mark of Kri eventually became, you’d think Mueller would be hesitant to take on more responsibility. However, being able to work on various things at once was the exact reason why he was brought in to help out on ATV Offroad Fury in the first place. 106



Dan Mueller, ATV OffRoad Fury107

“Sony was great about supporting those who supported their projects,” Mueller said. “I wasn’t expecting anything from my support on ATV Offroad Fury 1 and 2, as I was just helping out the studio from my perspective while still working on my main project,” Mueller volunteered. “In fact, I was used to working on ­two-three games at a time. For example, I externally produced Bust a Groove for the US market, wrote dialog for Cool Boarders and more that I don’t even remember, all while working on Blasto. But, I remember working on TMOK when someone brought me a royalty check for my work on ATV. Wow! Usually it’s some stickers, or buttons, or a Parappa Clock, or whatever, but cash in hand was quite nice! This became ongoing, and I appreciated that Sony was showing their support financially, all while I was just happy to be working on the games.” The amount of work Mueller spent on ATV Offroad Fury also played its own role on The Mark of Kri. “It was a pretty amazing time! Our team had done a great job while working on Blasto, and because of that, our group was asked to run the San Diego studio,” Mueller said. “This brought on a lot of exciting opportunities besides The Mark of Kri, such as working with ­third-party developers such as Rainbow Studio and ATV Offroad Fury. The Kri team had a lot of good times with ­four-player ATV action during development.” Mueller’s happiness obviously showed. Away from the initial struggle between Rainbow and Sony, the game eventually found its footing. That didn’t mean there weren’t a few course corrections during development, however. “The game started off as more of a sim than an action game,” Mueller recalled. “There was no balancing to the tracks, nor progression, and all the vehicles were basically the same. Sony wanted an arcade feel, not a sim, so that’s where I was brought in to address these issues. From the start to finish of development, the game looked effectively the same, but the gameplay was night and day.” Mueller appreciated the game and the level of competition it fostered among the team. “It was a fairly straightforward project,” Mueller admitted. “The most fun we had internally was, while still working on our respective games, for several studio members to get together in Jay’s, Jonathan Beard’s, office and talk loads of smack while competing on the tracks. It’s always nice when your boss encourages gameplay sessions. Too bad he could never beat me.” A vastly different game from the beautiful adventure that was The Mark of Kri, Mueller embraced the wildness that ATV Offroad Fury eventually became. For him, the bevy of extra modes was Dan Mueller learned a lot working on the ATV series.

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a huge selling point. “For this product, the art wasn’t the big draw. It was the ATVs, the tracks, the multiplayer and the soccer! Soccer with ATVs turned out to be a lot of fun and a great ­side-diversion when taking a break from the intense racing action,” Mueller said. “That and the quality of the track buildouts. A lot of time and fun was to be had for anyone who sought to optimize their lap times and shut out the competition on all of the tracks.” That level of depth was important, but it wasn’t the game’s biggest selling point. From the start, even with all the disagreements between Sony and Rainbow, the game’s heart was always in the right place. “The early expectations were simply to produce a fun, multiplayer, racing game centered around ATVs,” Mueller noted. “This could have very easily just led to a ‘that’s fun’ racing game, as many did at the time, but ATV Offroad Fury was a LOT of fun. It well exceeded my expectations from when I first got pulled onto the project, but as we injected the arcade action and ­four-player ­split-screen, it just became more and more fun until it was time to send to gold master.” So, while his role in the game didn’t earn him credit in the game’s instruction manual, or even credit on video game website Mobygames, it’s still a distinctive one that played a role in his career. “It was a side project for me, but my main takeaway was that diplomacy in development can be critical to the success of a game, a studio, and even keep a game funded through development,” Mueller said. “This lesson still resonates today, both in my projects, and those I hear of from my fellow developers. For me, [it was] instrumental in making the game a ton of fun while also being key in making sure the game wasn’t dropped by the studio during development. For a ‘side project,’ that’s pretty big.” Considering his body of work on several PlayStation and PlayStation 2 classics, for Mueller to have such a soft spot for ATV Offroad Fury is proof enough of how extraordinary a title it was. As a result, he has his own way he’d like the game to be remembered by players. “As one of the most fun racing games of the time,” Mueller said. “Sony needed that game at the time to fill out the portfolio of available products, especially in regard to ­first-party ATV OffRoad Fury wasn’t supposed to be a huge success, influence on ­third-party development—successful in all but it was.

regards.”

Dan Mueller, ATV OffRoad Fury109

Scott Campbell, Downhill Domination A New Blue Dart Recipe

When you think of fierce, fun and frenetic racing games, titles such as Jet Moto and Road Rash quickly come to mind, but definitely not a game featuring mountain biking as the main source of inspiration or acceleration. However, thanks to some ingenious gameplay, wonderful visuals and an excellent sense of speed, Downhill Domination was not only able to deliver a killer and competitive racing experience, but it ended up as a cult hit on a PlayStation 2 console already stuffed to the brim with quality racing titles. The brainchild of Twisted Metal, Warhawk, Jet Moto and Rogue Trip producer and lifelong cyclist Scott Campbell, who served as the game’s designer, director and producer, Downhill Domination was a project in the works in Campbell’s mind for years. It wasn’t until the PlayStation 2 hit the scene, however, that Campbell had the technological firepower to actually pull it off. With over 470,000 units sold, it was a financial success—but wasn’t nearly as big a seller as Campbell’s previous work on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Regardless, it has a cult following and is regarded highly by many developers of the era. For Campbell as well, it captures a special moment in his career. From the start of the development cycle, Campbell was excited about the project. “I’ve been a serious mountain biker for over 30 years, and since getting into games in ’95, it was always a dream to do an extreme mountain biking game—call it a passion project. We started the prototyping for this game just prior to the Sony acquisition of Incognito and had a pretty decent bike dynamics model riding on some really extreme terrain. It was pretty fun at the prototype stage, so we knew we had something worth building on,” Campbell said. “Luckily, Sony agreed and greenlit the game that would become Downhill Domination.” According to Campbell, Sony’s faith in the project from the beginning was inspiring. “Downhill Domination spoke volumes of what kind of publisher Sony was to let us do our passion project—Sony really understands that the best games are born out of passion,” Campbell said. “The Downhill Domination team was also amazing and delivered killer bike and rider dynamics with fully animated riders, a super robust trick system, extreme mountain bike courses and of course the combat system because, who doesn’t want to smack an opponent?” Another reason why Sony agreed to bring the game to PlayStation 2 was that it felt so good to play. This was partly because it incorporated many of the elements that Campbell and Single Trac, and eventually Incognito, had been known for over the course of nearly a decade through a series of wonderful racing hybrids. Simply put, Downhill Domination was not a game to be judged simply by its cover, or even genre. 110



Scott Campbell, Downhill Domination111

“On the surface, one would think a mountain bike game would not really leverage off of our game DNA. However, when you drill in, there was actually quite a bit. Downhill was a racing game at its core, which definitely leverages our racing roots from Jet Moto. It would also have a combat element, again leveraging Jet Moto with a little Twisted Metal thrown in,” Campbell observed. “Downhill also featured a cast of characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, plus a ­semi-cheesy backstory—a Twisted trademark. The other thing to note about our studio DNA is that there were plenty of mountain bike enthusiasts at Incognito—being based in Utah, we have some of the best extreme, ­single-track, mountain biking in the world.” But while Downhill Domination had plenty of Campbell’s older projects in its blood, it was able to do plenty of new things those games couldn’t. It was far from being merely a resigning or reimagining of an older project. Because of Campbell’s ­life-long love of cycling, there’s just as much of him in this project as any game he’s worked on. The added power of the PlayStation 2 certainly helped, too. “The one advantage to doing a downhill MTB game was that we could dedicate more system resources into a fully animated character and bike, in addition to being able to create these super extreme racecourses that felt boundless,” Campbell recalled. “With a downhill style racing game, you can control and limit your visibility ranges easier by taking advantage of sweeping corners and severe course steepness, allowing you to concentrate more resources into a smaller region while still creating the illusion of a super vast and open terrain. One of our primary goals was to create ­super-extreme racecourses, where players had the freedom to pick any line while also discovering their own risk/reward shortcuts.” Thanks to all of Campbell’s experience with the sport and access to ­real-life courses, as well as his understanding of the PlayStation 2, early in development, he and the team knew the type of game they wanted to create but knew it wasn’t going to be easy. At that time, the PlayStation2 was chock full of extreme sports games and racing titles. Campbell’s job was to stand out of the crowd. “Like any Incognito new IP, Downhill also had plenty of lofty goals and expectations. We essentially wanted to create an SSX meets ATV Offroad Fury meets Road Rash combat racing experience with a robust trick system With elements of Twisted Metal and Jet Moto, Downhill set in these ­free-roaming, extreme racecourses—basically pick a path, Domination had a winning recipe.

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any path,” Campbell said. “The big challenge was making the bike dynamics realistic, but also ‘arcadey’ and supporting a robust trick system, where you can combo as many different tricks together as long as you were airborne and had time to land. Games like SSX, Tony Hawk and ATV really set the bar high for trick systems and served as our inspiration. We definitely had our work cut out for us.” Luckily for Campbell, he was flanked by an amazing team, who also loved the sport, which helped bring the game to life. While he admits the cycle was never easy because of the

The game was released by Codemasters outside of the US.



Scott Campbell, Downhill Domination113

game’s moving parts, as an extreme sports game, with racing, combat and trick mechanics all battling with and against each other, the team knew what type of game they wanted to make. “The dev cycle for Downhill Domination was challenging but one that we really enjoyed. Bringing a passion project to life is very satisfying,” Campbell reflected. “However, this dev cycle was not without its challenges. Getting the bike dynamics right was super difficult and required tons of iteration. It’s tough to make the bike and rider feel connected to the terrain while also being totally intuitive from a controls standpoint. Luckily, Konrad Behrens, our senior physics and dynamics programmer, was a rockstar and an avid mountain biker himself. We were always on the same page because we spoke the same language when it came to biking. “The rider animations and trick system were also a huge challenge because you always had to account for the bike. Many of the tricks required separate bike behaviors independent of the rider. Again, thanks to Konrad and our amazing senior animator, Jacob English, for bringing this to life. The environments also presented big challenges as we wanted them to feel like they had no boundaries and making them as extreme as hell—this was achieved with the wizardry of Karl Loveridge, our rockstar technical artist.” With plenty of divergent elements working together to complete the entire package that ultimately became Downhill Domination, Campbell thinks the end result stands out. At the same time, he is partial to one part of the game. “It’s really difficult to pinpoint my favorite thing in Downhill Domination, but if I had a gun to my head and had to choose, it would have to be the trick system,” Campbell confessed. “We spent countless hours tuning this to make it as smooth and cool looking as an SSX or Tony Hawk game. I would always find myself spending hours just trying to better my best trick score when I was supposed to be tuning the game. I found it really satisfying stringing together a handful of tricks and just barely nailing the landing. You basically had to start mashing the buttons the millisecond just before getting airborne to get that killer score.” Having all of a team buy into the game’s core concepts was important, as well as nailing down the game’s integral trick system, but Downhill Domination also features several pro riders in the game. The interactions Campbell and the team had with one of them, in particular, made for a hilarious moment he won’t soon forget. “It was really fun working with the pro riders we sponsored in the game, especially Eric Carter or ‘EC’ as he liked to be referred to,” Campbell recalled. “We brought on EC as both a pro rider and consultant to a relatively new race format called ­Four-cross (4X) or Mountain cross, a mode that we wanted to support in the game. Not only was EC super talented and knowledgeable on everything biking, but he was also a total crack up. During one of these consulting sessions in Salt Lake City, we were in the conference room discussing the topic of ‘blue darting,’ the act of being able to light one’s farts on fire with a lighter or a match, and whether it was real or myth. After debating it briefly, we came to find out that EC was an expert on the art of ‘blue darting,’ and was ­hell-bent on proving to us that it’s real. Hell, he even had a recipe for what to eat to maximize the art of ‘blue darting.’ In the absence of the key ingredients to his ‘blue dart’ recipe, EC had to resort to freestyling it by slamming a cup of coffee chased with some potato chips, lots of chips—and then we patiently waited for the coffee and chips to take effect. He wrangled a lighter from one of the guys in the studio, and we gathered back in the conference room, turned off all the lights and anxiously awaited EC’s ‘blue dart’ performance. “After a few minutes of ­BS-ing, suddenly, EC jumps up, assumes the position, fires up the lighter and BAM! The most amazing ‘blue dart’ anyone had ever seen! It was like a blue

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shooting star rocketing out of his ass. Lucky for us, he had his clothes on! We all sat there in total amazement, noses plugged, as EC turned all of us into believers in the blue dart! The next day, EC handed me a piece of paper, and on it was his ‘blue dart’ recipe. He wanted us to make sure we had these ingredients in the studio for next time, so he could perform a ‘blue dart’ concert.” Although it had little to do with the product, the “Blue Darting” episode was a microcosm of Downhill Domination’s development cycle. They knew the ingredients needed to make a great game and followed the recipe, before adding a few more of their own. As a result, the final product became a special one. “Surprisingly, the game stayed true to its initial vision. Every game we developed at Incognito first started with a design doc to capture the vision of the game down to every game component,” Campbell said. “Our design docs tended to be very ambitious and usually required a sequel or two to capture the full vision and goals of the game. I always liked going back to the design doc after finishing a game and seeing how close we came to the original vision. We typically would hit 60 to70 percent of our vision. With Downhill, we hit more like 80 to 90 percent of the original vision, which I was really proud of. The team did an amazing job of achieving this level of vision.” Selling nearly half a million units on the PlayStation 2, Downhill Domination was hardly disappointing, but wasn’t the ­million-seller that the Jet Moto, Tony Hawk, SSX or Road Rash games had been. Looking back, Campbell believes the implementation of another mode could have helped its legacy. “Overall, we were extremely satisfied with the final game.” Campbell reflected, “In retrospect, I would have loved to add a Freestyle Trick Competition mode. I remember my son Jake and his buddies spending hours upon hours on the first big cliff in the Mount MiDuole course and doing tricks to see who could get the high score. This was the only way they wanted to play the game; nothing else mattered.” In spite of not having that mode included, Downhill Domination still earned solid scores from outlets like IGN, Total PlayStation, GameSpot and Gaming Age. There were also some special “fringe benefits” from working on the game that Campbell especially enjoyed. “In the process of making Downhill Domination, I made incredible connections with the major bike and component manufacturers and enjoyed a ­long-standing relationship of trading games and consoles for bike frames and components,” Campbell said. “I’m a ­die-hard equipment junkie, so it really enabled the addiction.” Downhill Domination was far from Campbell’s last ride in the industry as well. Later serving as the producer of the PSP classic Twisted Metal: ­Head-On, as well the executive producer of the PlayStation 3 edition of Warhawk and the senior producer of the PS3 edition of Twisted Metal, Campbell’s legacy is a brilliant one. Regardless, the speedy, gritty and fun cycling adventure known as Downhill Domination will always be a special experience for him. “I would like Downhill Domination to be remembered as the first biking game that delivered! It really was an SSX on a mountain bike—just wish it sold as well as SSX,” Campbell confessed. “Biking, in general, was such an odd choice back then because conceptually, it sounded really boring and uncool, but with the rise of the downhill mountain biking scene in the early 2000s, it was really establishing itself as a cool hip sport much like snowboarding. Now, mountain biking is hugely popular with ­high-end mountain bikes costing as much as $10K.”

Jeff Johnson, RedCard ­20-03 Two Meals a Day from Midway

Midway’s offerings in the arcades in the ’80s made them legends, but their fighting and sports titles in the ’90s took them to an entirely new level. Powered by the triumphs of games the likes of Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and later NFL Blitz, Midway could do virtually no wrong back. While the end of the arcade era hurt them as a company, they were able to port their best titles to home consoles—and even expand their arcade sports library—adding the wonderful NHL Hitz franchise and the ­one-off RedCard ­20-03. While not as stylish as FIFA Street, EA’s arcade soccer title, RedCard was a tough as nails and ­smooth-playing soccer title that some inside Midway believed was their best console sports title. Although it sold just 70,000 copies on the PlayStation 2 and a little over 100,000 total, it’s garnered a cult fan base and is considered a more than worthy entry in the Midway sports library. This doesn’t mean there wasn’t a bit of a risk involved with the game, however. With a team consisting of some of the company’s youngest developers, it was a game that could have gone horribly wrong in development. One of the reasons why it didn’t was Jeff Johnson. With programming and design experience on games in the NFL Blitz, NBA Hangtime, NBA Hoopz and NBA Showtime: NBA and NBC in the five years leading up to RedCard ­20-03, he had proven himself at the brand. Those years were just the tip of the iceberg for him, however. “I’m actually a ­second-generation game developer,” Johnson said. “My father, Frank Johnson, was a designer/developer for games developed on the Intellivision, Colecovision, TI994a, just to name a few. During the summers and on weekends, I would create art and test his games for him as well as get mentored in the wisdom of game development in the old days. To that end, I have been playing video games since Pong. Being fortunate enough to have a father who worked on games, we had access to all the game consoles and computers at the time. So naturally, I would play games pretty much whenever I could.” Between his childhood ensconced in the industry and more than a handful of titles at Midway, Johnson was ready for something new. That’s essentially how RedCard ­20-03 was born. “After working on the sequels to NBA Jam and the NFL Blitz series of ­coin-ops, I wanted to do my own game,” Johnson recalled. “And the one sports game that Midway never tackled was a soccer game. So, I pitched the ­over-the-top soccer game to the ­higher-ups who all really liked it and so began the journey of hiring the team.” Luckily for Johnson and the team, Midway didn’t know how a soccer game might perform on the market, so expectations were low. “The company didn’t really have any expectations because they really didn’t know how to sell the game or how to position the game,” 115

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Johnson shared, “This being their first game that was really catered to an overseas market. But in the end, the game was on three consoles and did fairly well.” The biggest reason why the game did well had a lot to do with the fact that Johnson had previous successful experiences with the other Midway sports titles. He just had to learn how to do the same thing with a new sport, soccer. The intention was always to make their game feel different from the other soccer games on the market but still maintain what made Midway sports games unique. “We stood apart mainly due to our ­ill-regard to the actual rules of the game. We really didn’t aim to create a simulation game,” Johnson confessed. “Our pitch, for example, was smaller than regulation; the nets were smaller, fewer players on the field, more contact, more kicks to the face, more harsh tackles and more red cards!” Johnson set the bar high for himself despite the limitations he had to design under. He always pushed to innovate. Besides being the person who made the initial pitch to Midway, Johnson had other significant responsibilities working on the game. “I was the co–team lead. I really wanted to stay in the design and development portion of the game, so I had to have a ­co-captain to do the actual project management duties,” Johnson said. “I was responsible for the game design, keeper AI, general gameplay and some of the UX. That sounds like a lot, ’cause it was. When I had to let someone go, or we couldn’t fill in the position promptly, I took those tasks upon myself. I was also in charge of the other developers— making sure they did their part, correctly and on time.” That job was crucial for Johnson, one he took seriously. Midway was all about their NBA and NFL titles at the time, and Johnson knew he and his team had to prove themselves. Ultimately, that’s exactly what they did. “Our team was known as the ‘that soccer team,’ ’cause we didn’t come up with a title for quite some time during the project.” Johnson added, “We were also the only team that was able to ship a game on time and under budget!” The game managed to get released both on time and under budget thanks to Midway making sure the developers’ most basic primal needs were always met. “The company really wanted this game to ship to meet some quarterly time slot, and I kept saying that it would take a miracle because most of my team was made up of ‘green’ developers and artists,” Johnson recalled. “But the company insisted that it could be done with enough motivation. Well, their motivation came in the form of food. They basically Johnson made soccer tougher than ever in RedCard fed us every day, two meals a day, 20-03.



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for about five months. Their thinking was: if they don’t leave their desks for lunch and dinner, we can make the deadline.” Not only was the deadline met, but the team managed to ­fine-tune the experience entirely. While an ­over-the-top soccer experience, RedCard ­20-03 is polished and deep. According to Johnson, that was an ongoing effort throughout development. “After getting most of the actual gameplay complete, we did a few focus groups overseas and were told again to tone down the violence, add more special characters and teams and more play modes. So that’s what was worked on that last half of the project. Like any game, once the game becomes playable, we were able to prove out game ideas and art. The early versions of the game were rather violent,” Johnson admitted. “We had players ­drop-kicking each other, fighting for the ball, crazy reactions to getting hit, etc. But, as a team, we decided that it was a little too ­over-the-top and toned it down 15 notches. Then as we played more, we decided that we needed special power kicks and more stadiums and crazy player characters … all in a typical Midway game.” The tight schedule, tons of testing and polish and long days, however, absolutely had an influence on the team and Johnson. So much so that it was his last game for the company entirely. “Right after we shipped submitted RedCard to Sony, I quit. The grueling schedule and fattening food that was fed to us led me straight to the hospital. I spent three days in the hospital having them run all sorts of tests on me to determine why I was so pasty, fat and sluggish,” Johnson said. “Turns out, stress, lack of sleep and more stress will do that to a person. And, the kicker, no one, called or came by to see how I was.” Although no longer connected to Midway by the time the game was released, he managed to understand its effect on the video game development community in a different way.

David Beckham in RedCard 20–03.

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“I was in Austin, Texas, having to start another studio,” Johnson said. “The interesting thing there was our office was above Renderware’s office. And, guess what game they were playing? You guessed it—RedCard!” After parting ways with Midway, the achievements of RedCard ­20-03 wasn’t as bittersweet as you might expect. Johnson left the company with plenty of important lessons learned. “After RedCard, I vowed to never work on a game with that type of hellish schedule, ever again. And, I never have,” Johnson added. “Making games is supposed to be fun; that wasn’t fun by any stretch of the imagination. I also learned to fight back more often when it comes to others dictating schedule, design, or any aspect of the game creation I have issues with. I didn’t speak up enough, mostly because I was so busy working on the game. The other thing I learned is don’t take on so many tasks within a project. Delegate more and be tenacious about finding and working with the right people. The team really does make a difference.” Still in the industry today—Johnson’s love of the arcade experience has taken him away from the soccer pitch and into the pool. His newest game, Smash Boats, is a tribute to the Midway games he worked on earlier in his career, but for home consoles. The objective of Smash Boats is simple: smash everything and unlock all the pools. Add in relentless enemies, Mayday events and water hazards, as well as 16 distinctive boats, and it’s definitely a game his dad and fans of his previous work would enjoy. For Johnson, it’s a completely different experience than the crunch RedCard ­20-03 was. “I have been working on Smash Boats for the last few years. It started out as a ­game-jam side project, but once we started playing it, we knew we had to see this game through to the end,” Johnson said in April of 2021. “So, four years later, the four of us, have released Smash Boats on the Nintendo Switch and later this year, on the Xbox.” But despite the happiness working on Smash Boats provides, Johnson doesn’t have any sour grapes about Midway or RedCard ­20-03. If nothing else, he sees it as a series of events that have made his current place in life possible, one that has given him an opportunity to impart his wisdom to a new generation of developers. “I’d like RedCard and any game I create to be remembered as FUN,” Johnson stressed. “For anybody trying to get into game development, I have a few pieces of advice. First, build small game demos using the latest game engines. This is vital in this day and age, with so much competition out there. When I look to hire someone, I always ask if they have any games they designed/built. Second pieces of advice—games are a passion—show your passion about any games you’ve made and/or played. We want to know that you will give it your all, not some.”

Bill Harrison, FIFA 2005 A Glimpse into the Future of Virtual Soccer

If sales alone told the story of FIFA 2005 on the PlayStation 2, it would be considered an unmitigated blockbuster. Selling 3.70 million units on the console, more than 200,000 units than the year before, Electronic Arts’ most important franchise, even with the release of FIFA Street and the continued rise of a highly competitive Pro Evolution Soccer series, continued to show the gaming world they could raise the bar. Sales figures, however, only tell a shallow tale regarding the legacy of this entry in the heralded series. Although it sold more copies and faced tougher competition than ever before, FIFA 2005, more importantly, was a better football game than its predecessors. It added more teams, including the Mexican League for the first time in the game’s history, and improved gameplay features, such as first touch, which made it more intuitive and fun to handle the ball than ever before. Add in the return of the ­create-a-player mode and an improved career mode, and FIFA 2005 laid the foundation for many of the innovations that continue to fuel it as the elite football video game in the world. As the franchise producer of three different FIFA games and a producer on three more FIFA/UEFA soccer titles, Bill Harrison had a ­front-row seat to the genesis of the series. Unknown to many, however, his history with the brand started long before his work on his first FIFA game, FIFA Soccer 2002: Major League Soccer. “I was originally tasked with programming the game logic for FIFA on the 3DO in 1994. This was the year after its initial release on PSX and SNES,” Harrison said. “Years passed before I asked to join the production team in 2001 and was placed as the game’s line producer. I stayed with the game for six years, becoming exec producer along the way.” Although Harrison didn’t intend to spend over two decades in the industry, that was indeed what happened. As they often did in the early to mid–90s, Electronic Arts had no problem bringing in someone they thought could support the cause. Armed with the skills they coveted, Harrison was given a crash course on game design and quickly adapted. “I was a university ­co-op student in cognitive science, and EA recruited me to be a game designer,” Harrison shared. “My major was artificial intelligence, and they thought it was the kind of discipline that gaming would need as systems got more powerful. I was lucky to have started in a time when roles on teams were more flexible and organic. This meant I got to be a designer, programmer, project manager and producer in my early career.” Considering the adaptive nature his educational background provided, the opportunity to serve in a variety of capacities in the industry has been an important part of Harrison’s career for a plethora of reasons, but there is one that stands out the most. “I’ve played games since they were invented,” Harrison said. “I think I still have a callus from playing 119

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Pong. I have a shrine in my garage, a collection of every gaming system I ever owned. At some point, I’m going to need a bigger garage.” As a lifelong gamer, Harrison understood the impact of FIFA on the gaming world. The 2005 edition of the series, he admits, was even more ­pressure-filled than previous years. “It was a tremendously important time for FIFA,” Harrison said. “In addressing the public’s desire for a more realistic, authentic ‘football’ game, we were well into a significant refactoring of the core gameplay engine. This is much like renovating a hotel while you’re still open for a busy summer season. It takes longer, and you have to be strategic about what and when you rewrite components. We wanted to showcase some of the game improvements we were developing, and so we adopted first touch control as a major feature.” Essentially a series of button presses using the right analog stick and the right trigger buttons on the PlayStation 2, first touch control allows players to dribble the soccer ball, and pass and shoot in some situations, in ways never before seen in a soccer game. While many sports games touted “killer features” every year—and still do—first touch’s innovation was key to the success of the title and still play a role in its popularity today. Not only did it make the game more realistic, allowing highly skilled players the opportunity to perform more realistic maneuvers, but it also made pulling them off difficult, yet satisfying. Crazy enough, this amazingly intuitive gameplay feature has also affected the NHL series. Those who have fallen in love with the implementation of the “­skill-stick” since its inception in NHL 08, should know that feature is essentially adapted technology, only fashioned three years prior. It’s absolutely safe to say that first touch, in its own way, inspired the skill stick. According to Harrison, the solid foundation made it easier for the team to focus on the feature and therefore, made it a huge part of the game. “The game was actually very well designed upfront. 2003 and 2004, when the major work on the game engine was first planned and started, had furnished us with a refined punch list of things to focus on,” Harrison reflected. “The things that did evolve as we developed were the game tuning and

The action in FIFA 2005 was fantastic.



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the final execution of that year’s major feature, the first touch control. These are visceral things—no amount of design on paper can capture what it feels like to play. You have to immerse yourself in the gameplay to have any hope of getting it even close to right. It’s as much tactile as tactical. The team really supported that notion and applied themselves. There must have been over a hundred ‘this could be it’ tunes … each one slightly better than the last.” This quest to get gameplay just right wasn’t new for the FIFA team. If nothing else, it was an integral part of what drove them. “Typically, making a FIFA game was like planning and executing a massive royal wedding. There are so many moving parts and a core team, in those days, of about 200 artists, programmers, and designers,” Harrison said. “Everyone in the world knew it was coming, and a date had been immovably set in concrete. The magic came in getting all the bits and bobs done in time and synthesized into this massive firework that went off around the world on the set date. The 2005 game, however, had a very different kind of focus. It had to be great to play, first and foremost. This was more important than all the leagues and licenses, more important than star player body renders. More important than … well, anything. Not just for FIFA, either—in some parts of the world, this was the most important thing the entire company could do. The drive for the most authentic football game we could make, given that we couldn’t miss the ‘wedding’ date and only had a few months to make massive adjustments to a very complex game engine, meant that we worked incredibly hard to push as much gameplay improvement into the release as we could. Typically, developers are professional—ramping up effort where and when needed. With this FIFA, people had an extra drive. Many, many weekends and ­late-night play sessions went into tuning the game by folks who already had a ­more-than-full-time day job. It became an obsession for the team.” But despite their usual added passion for the franchise, the FIFA team understood that the 2005 edition was something different. Truth be told, not many outside of EA know how different it actually is and how influential it ultimately became to the legacy of the series. “The most important thing about the game that isn’t common knowledge isn’t in the game,” Harrison revealed. “It’s the parallel game engine development that started that year and first shipped in the ’08 game. This was a completely new way of designing a football simulation and control schema, one that wasn’t possible with previous platforms. It was also very ambitious. Very quickly, a decision had to be made: should a modified, ­scaled-down version of the new engine be included in 2005, or should a completely new engine wait until it was more robust? We chose the latter, and the franchise is the better for it. This was also unheard of. Sports games are such a ‘live for today’ offering that deferring any feature you might have simply isn’t done. A small ­need-to-know group of developers, working with two or three ­well-placed marketers/publishers, colluded to build the new engine in secret. Without FIFA 2005 making the advancements in gameplay that it did on the ‘old’ engine, this covert ­next-gen heart of the game would likely have been either rushed into a mediocre implementation or scrapped.” Despite using an older engine and simultaneously working on a new one, EA wasn’t calling in FIFA 2005. The fans wanted more, so they had to deliver. With the added pressure of trying to appease a worldwide audience, Electronic Arts continued to pack in content, while still trying to improve gameplay. It was never an easy process. But according to Harrison, there was no such thing as an easy way to make a FIFA game. “FIFA dev cycles were always short, as in ‘under a year,’ and intense, but while there was always a sense of pressure to develop, this cycle had extra mustard on it. In many parts

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of the world, FIFA was the most important game the company made, and this came with need/desire to get bigger in the market,” Harrison said. “This meant more licenses, more content … this was the first year of the Mexican league, which was vital to the NA market, more platforms, more localization and these things, coupled with the ­self-imposed pressure to refactor major parts of the core gameplay engine, meant a kind of ‘perfect storm’ of pressure. We worked so hard to get the nuts and bolts of the game, including new league and player content, into shape so we could focus on what we felt was our moral and emotional goal—the best gameplay possible. “In many ways, the desire to get to tuning the gameplay provided the carrot to plow through all of the other responsibilities in a very complicated cycle. The team found the energy to take on and complete all the technical tasks related to additional platforms and content because getting them accomplished provided the most time and space to get the gameplay dev and tuning in the best shape. In terms of effort—the raw ­person-hours applied to the game—it was brutally demanding, but it was also very personally rewarding to the team. There was a sense that what they did today would change FIFA, the most important sports game in the history of the world, for the better. They were doing that. It was a personal connection.” The accountability each member of the team had to perfecting the new gameplay features is something that Harrison believes made the game extra special and the development cycle a rewarding one. “You cannot make games if you don’t find the fun in making them. It’s too mentally and physically demanding,” Harrison said. “That year, the team had a special skip in their step since the focus on gameplay felt good to them. This created a camaraderie that’s actually quite rare in game development. We were committed, heart and

Did you create yourself in FIFA 2005?



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soul. Countless ­late-night game tuning sessions fueled by Red Bull and loud music further solidified our unity.” But would that ­feel-good energy be enough? FIFA 2005 was made even more complicated by EA, being released on not only the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox and Windows, but also for the first time, the PlayStation Portable, ­N-Gage, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Gizmondo and mobile phones. The ratings for every version ran the gamut of 73/100 (PSP) to 81/100 (Xbox/PS2) on Metacritic, a testament to the polish that went into every version of the game. Harrison acknowledges that the PlayStation 2 version was always the one that EA had their eyes on. “In many ways, the PS2 version got the most love from both the team and the company,” Harrison confessed. “It was the dominant platform in terms of sales and was used as the lead SKU for development. This meant that the game was primarily built for the PS2 and ported to other platforms. In some cases, other engines had to be used [like the] PSX and handheld versions, but any platform that could use the main engine inherited [from] the PS2 build. Because of this, the PS2 version was the most polished, certainly when it came to gameplay. It was used for 98 percent of development playtesting and even things like the controller layout—a very important thing for that year’s core first touch control feature—was obsessed about the PS2. Even rendering techniques and interface design were planned around the PS2 first and foremost. It was the darling platform of the day. We knew it, marketing and sales knew it and certainly, the reviewers knew it, for it dominated most discussions or reports of the game.” All the time and effort put into the game, enough for two development cycles, was worth it as the game sold nearly 3.7 million of its total 4.5 million units on the PS2. Harrison and the rest of the team had little time to relish in their accomplishments. “­Post-release for the team began with a ­well-earned period of decompression,” Harrison said. “From a development perspective, very little was actively being worked on, and many took vacations. For us producers, however, it was an intense burst of media engagement that took each of us literally around the world. It was an interesting time for us as Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer was a legitimate football game, and the press really wanted to examine each, relative to the other. As a result of what they wanted to cast as a ­head-to-head competition for the champion of the world, they were emotionally engaged to a level they weren’t typically. Football and gaming combined will do that. As critical reviews and sales numbers came in, it became apparent that the game was going to break its own sales records, and there was much debate and discussion of the game’s new features and tuning. This did not last long, however—within weeks, design began for what would become FIFA 2006.” Continuing to work for Electronic Arts on FIFA through 2007 and then on two Need for Speed games, for which he served as executive producer, Harrison’s resume is a unique one that spans three decades and several console generations. Simply put, he’s seen and done a ton. In the case of FIFA 2005, the impact the game continues to this day. “For me, 2005 was part of a tryptic, with ’03 and ’04 as its predecessors. This is almost entirely because of the gameplay adjustments, which started with the ball physics of the ’03 game and continued with the ­off-the-ball controls of ’04,” Harrison said. “A complete rewrite of the gameplay engine—one that would not be seen in a shipped game until 2008—was also started during this cycle. This special ‘skunkworks’ project turned out to be incredibly important to the franchise, so I have a fondness for having initiated that. It was also the last year we produced a PSX version, the platform that launched the whole franchise. “I have worked on several other franchises in the gaming industry, but none involve

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the passion of FIFA. It’s modeled on a sport that claims ‘football is not life or death … it’s much more important than that.’ Within that rarified air of fan interest and sense of importance as a game maker, 2005 was a special achievement for us, a significant statement about the authenticity of our game.” Because of everything which led up to FIFA 2005 and all that came after, the game has a special place in Harrison’s heart. “I would like it to be remembered as a game that was, at the time, the best FIFA ever made—the high bar for an immersive, authentic football experience, something that treated the biggest sport in the world with respect,” Harrison reflected. But regardless of his affinity for the game, Harrison, always “a big picture” thinker, realizes his opinion of the game, while significant, is second to the impact the game had on the series. Having worked on his share of soccer games, Harrison understands that FIFA 2005 did so much more than give fans what they wanted. It provided a glimpse into what they’d want next. “I think of FIFA as having ages,” Harrison said. “The first age was the birth of a gaming movement, a licensed football simulation in your living room. That was revolutionary. The second age was about broadening the appeal of the game through accessible controls and content, content, content. That was evolutionary. The third age was the development of a ‘just like real humans playing the game’ experience. While fans might say that that, too, was evolutionary, it most definitely meant revolutionary technology. 2005 saw the emergence of some of that technology. The fundamentals that the FIFA engine was built on were challenged for the sake of a new gameplay paradigm. In doing so, FIFA 2005 augured in the next age of sports gaming, giving you a glimpse of what could be.”

Kerry Whalen, FIFA Street Anarchy in the UK

When you think of Electronic Arts’ Street franchise, your mind may initially go towards the classic titles featuring NBA and NFL stars. However, with four games in the series, EA’s FIFA Street games have a legacy all their own. Born from the ashes of the MVP Baseball series, FIFA Street was anything but your typical soccer game, under the hood and in terms of gameplay. With a short development cycle, a displaced team at the helm and virtually nothing in common with the action FIFA series, FIFA Street was never a sure thing. Selling over a half million units in total and over 300K on the PlayStation 2 however, FIFA Street was a hit, one that eventually became a bit of a cult classic in the United Kingdom. How it all came to be is more like an adventure you’d see in a Squaresoft roleplaying game than a soccer game. For the game’s producer, Kerry Whalen, FIFA Street will always be an interesting product that began under auspicious circumstances. That didn’t mean Whalen wasn’t prepared for whatever came his way. Although he hadn’t worked on a game in the Street franchise by the time FIFA Street began, he was no stranger to the FIFA brand. “Based on my background of seven years of working on the FIFA series as a producer—having started on FIFA ’96,” Whalen started, “I was the guy that designed the original set of skill moves that appeared in FIFA: Road to World Cup ’98, so I was known at EA Canada to be ‘the FIFA guy’ at that time, even though I had moved on. I was working in the newly formed EA Sports Online project group when the executive producer of NBA Street asked me if I’d be interested.” He was, but there was a catch, one that many gamers to this day still don’t quite understand, though it is necessary to appreciate fully what FIFA Street’s goals were from the beginning. “It was quite simple: take the concept of NBA Street and apply it to soccer,” Whalen said. “Only one problem—the game was to be made by the EA Sports Big group, which was known for NBA Street and SSX. Contrary to popular belief, FIFA Street really had nothing to do with the FIFA team, which was busy just trying madly to ship FIFA along with the ­bi-annual, ­event-based soccer games every year. There’s a lot of incorrect assumptions that FIFA Street is a FIFA game in any sense except for the name. There was literally NOTHING from the FIFA team except for me, not the engine, not the assets, not the team. Nothing but the license.” Originally an attempt to bolster their BIG brand of games, FIFA Street was also a title created out of absolute necessity. The marketplace was changing dramatically. EA’s once stronghold on the sports genre was a different one now, thanks to the arrival of 2K Sports and their line of popular titles. With no competition in the soccer genre, EA knew they had to take advantage. It wasn’t going to be easy, and they knew it. 125

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“It’s important to note that the story of FIFA Street really starts with EA’s exclusive signing of the NFL license for Madden. This in turn caused Take2 to retaliate by acquiring the exclusive license to Major League Baseball. What this meant was that in 2004, EA Canada had the entire MVP Baseball development team with no game to make, at least for a few months until NCAA Baseball got going. So, we had a tiny team at first, a designer newly moved from the UK, a few management staff who were newly hired or recruited from the NBA Street team. We had no prototype, but it seemed like we would either start from NBA Street or from FIFA because that would make sense,” Whalen recalled. “Think again. The ­small-ish FIFA Street team was merged with the majority of the now unemployed team from MVP Baseball. It was a cultural fusion, to say the least, and one that resulted in the decision to use the MVP Baseball engine because that was what the lead programmer was most familiar with. “We were given a small window, less than a year, to make the entire game out of the baseball engine! It was completely surreal at first, watching the prototype start to evolve out of a baseball game. It was like some sort of bizarre evolutionary process, day by day watching all the artifacts of baseball slowly morph into soccer. For me, it was truly horrifying to see this happen in the early stages—players throwing a ­soccer-sized baseball on a placeholder baseball diamond with goals. It would not be able to achieve any realistic type of ball physics, but because of the ­fast-paced arcade gameplay target, it would be acceptable. As it progressed though, I gained more and more confidence that it would be OK in the end as we shifted the emphasis away from that and onto 1:1 encounters, and ­game-breaker mechanics. So, in some ways, fans can thank Take2 for making FIFA Street happen the way it did.” Now tasked to develop a ­brandnew soccer game in less than a year, using a baseball game engine, the team always understood the odds were stacked against them. According to Whalen, the team’s resolve was their ­X-factor. The fact that they’d go on to create many more memorable experiences on a plethora of other consoles after Street was proof that the collection of people on the development team understood their collective, creative chemistry. “We all knew we had quite a challenge ahead of us with incredibly short time frames, big expectations, and a bit of a ‘dirty dozen’ vibe as the team was assembled by merging together two Whalen’s contributions to FIFA Street helped make it very different development teams,” special.



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Whalen reflected. “As with almost all games projects, it’s important to acknowledge upfront that these types of games require monumental efforts by many people, and FIFA Street was no exception. So many artistically and technically gifted people worked on the project, and for this reason, I think I have really great memories of that time and felt a bit privileged to part of it. I still have many great friends and acquaintances to this day from that team. “After FIFA Street, the same team went on to spawn three different and highly successful AAA studios. Action Pants, which became Ubisoft Vancouver; BlueCastle, which became Capcom Vancouver; and BigPark, which was acquired by Microsoft. That’s a testament to the quality of the people that were on that team.” For most teams, not being able to leverage the main EA FIFA game could have been seen as a detriment, but if anything, it just gave them another opportunity to shine. “Since nothing came from the FIFA game, we ended up having to remake all the players ourselves,” Whalen said. “What was great was that our art team was just amazing at creating the best likenesses in a football game at the time, and in fact, would even hold up in modern games. All our players had custom faces, where FIFA only had a few and mostly used generic faces. Players could even play ­bare-chested, and we modeled everything down to David Beckham’s back tattoos. We even had deals with major sports clothing brands to get the styles of both pros and street footballers when they were off the pitch.” Despite the game’s original art, however, the gameplay was initially different from the other games in the Street series. “The early vision was really to make something comparable to NBA Street. There was already a lot of pop culture around street basketball from movies to games. Street was already renowned for its ­in-your-face moves and the ­game-breaker mechanic. But, soccer didn’t really have this equivalent,” Whalen reminded. “Initially, there was no sense of the style of the game or its connection to street soccer cultural phenomenon that we know today from Nike commercials since only traditional ­11-a-side matches and ­seven-a-side was known to the team. There were a lot of cool moves we’d seen in standard format matches to draw from, but really nothing truly different that would set it far apart.” It wasn’t until Whalen saw something online that the entire creative trajectory of FIFA Street changed. “I spent a fair amount of time researching moves, and I came across a video of a young man called Soufiane Touzani, who had posted a video of himself through some football forums I came across. There was no YouTube at this time,” Whalen added. “This was my first glimpse into the street football scene in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and I had never seen anything quite like it. At that moment, I knew what FIFA Street was going to be.” If you’ve never seen Soufiane Touzani dribble a soccer ball, a quick Google search will show you the virtuoso in action. Now with a clear understanding of what the game needed to be, Whalen wasted no time adding the necessary charisma to the gameplay to make it stand out from the pack of other games in the Street family. “I managed to track Soufiane down and invite him to Vancouver. He was the first of many street footballers from that scene to visit Vancouver,” Whalen said. “We started the process of motion capturing all their different moves and styles. Many of the moves had names like ‘panna,’ which is commonly known as ‘nutmeg’ in the UK, and we started also making sure we used the right names or made up our own names in that style for moves that didn’t have names. “The whole idea that style and humiliating your opponent were of primary importance, and scoring goals was secondary was a big inspiration for the tone of the game. We wanted never before seen ‘beat moves’ and huge tackles that would send players flying head over heels.”

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Those motion capture sessions also served another purpose for Whalen. “I managed to recruit our motion capture talent for several games, sneaking them on to my own soccer club’s team. It was pretty fun to watch them continuously ‘panna’ the stunned opponents,” Whalen joked. “They weren’t interested at all in scoring goals, so I think we actually lost 1–0, but they probably nutmegged the other players 100 times in that game. Later, we took them around Vancouver on photoshoots, while they attracted crowds showing off all their amazing moves.” While the game gets a lot of love from players for its assortment of moves, the game had another trick up its sleeve. “The commentary in the game was done by DJ Harvey of So Solid Crew,” Whalen said. “The commentary was actually designed to playback to the tempo and beat of the music tracks, ­real-time commentary in a lyrical style. For maximum publicity, he managed to get himself arrested right as we were shipping the game. As a follow on the colorful commentary that was full of English slang was localized into different languages. Some of the translations turned out to be absolutely hilarious; some had to be edited out. One of the French lines got translated as, ‘I’m through—there are arses, arses everywhere,’ which caused our ­French-speaking team members to kill themselves laughing every time it played.” These small touches of detail and the amount of time Whalen spent with some of the most unique street footballers in the world ultimately went a long way once the game was released. “After the game shipped, our biggest audience in the UK were awestruck by the huge compendium of named moves—many had never seen before in a football match. For youth in the UK and Europe. and to a lesser extent North America, it was a dictionary of supercool, new moves they could emulate themselves on the playground,” Whalen shared. “Word of mouth spread like wildfire, and FIFA Street made its mark on modern pop culture. I’ve heard many anecdotes of soccer players pulling off moves they saw in the game, and their teammates yelling, ‘Oi, FIFA Street!’” Despite having the tools and the vision needed to make the game a success, the short development cycle made every issue a large one. Because of that, the team was on their toes the entire cycle. “The biggest challenge was really time. Because of its unique circumstances of inheriting a full baseball development team on loan, it was done in about seven or eight months, with maybe two to three months of concept with just a few people. Most teams couldn’t make a mobile game in that time, never mind a console game. So, the team worked its share of OT and had to make various compromising design decisions to meet the market opportunity,” Whalen said. “One thing I was acutely aware of was the design challenges specific to ball physics. In all other sports games like hockey, or basketball, or American football, the ball or puck can be manipulated while in transit, or else it’s just attached directly to a player/stick. Even in basketball, when a player changes direction, the ball can come back to the player’s hand through the air, which conceals a lot of the cheating the ball needs to do to keep controls responsive. The up and down movement through the air makes this possible. “However, in a soccer game when the player dribbles, he kicks the ball ahead on the ground. If the user is to turn at the moment the player kicks the ball ahead, then the player must catch up to the ball before they can turn, which can feel unresponsive. It’s quite a technical challenge to solve this, something the FIFA team had been working on for years, trying to get that balance of real ball physics and responsive feel—a ­soccer-specific domain problem. In the end, the technical team did not want to have to deal with this problem, and so the ball would move magically in front of the player when they turned. And so, the de-



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sign team did their very best to conceal this limitation, and shift as much of the focus onto the strengths of the other game mechanics.” Considering all the obstacles thrown in their way and the passion they put into the product to make it stand on its own, you might think their ­co-workers would have been thrilled. Not exactly. The truth is, FIFA Street was almost canceled. “On one hand, there was excitement and optimism of knowing we had a truly special idea, and on the other, there were real challenges in getting the team to gel because of the diversity in backgrounds, strong personalities, and leadership clashes in the newly blended team,” Whalen reflected. “Not everybody in the studio supported the game. Near the end of the project, the team asked the leadership team on FIFA to help give feedback. This did not go according to plan because they actually didn’t like what they saw at all and tried to get the project canceled, worried that it would hurt their product! Talk about supportive neighbors! Luckily, they did not succeed, and the world got to see FIFA Street.” Although not nearly as a big a seller as SSX or NBA or NFL Street, FIFA Street won over a selective, hardcore fanbase. For that reason alone, EA knew they were on to something. With a trio of sequels, the FIFA Street legacy is an important one for Whalen. “The game was #1 in the UK for weeks at a time despite critical reviews being less than perfect,” Whalen said. “The word of mouth and playground banter was very positive and made it a hit. Its persistent #1 spot created some chatter in the reviewer community about how a ­60-rated game could perform so well. We really grinned to read these reviewers had a bit of an existential crisis over the game. “The game sold amazingly well, outstripping all expectations. Word of mouth really drove sales, and in the UK, the game became part of pop culture at the time. It certainly wasn’t a technical or gameplay achievement, but it did offer something novel, incredibly fun and accessible to soccer gamers around the world. As a team, we gained a lot of confidence— pulling off this amazing feat in limited time with so many risk factors. We were able to build upon that success and plan for FIFA Street 2.” At the time of release, however, the team didn’t think a sequel was going to be possible. Although they knew they were hindered by several factors during the development cycle, they were eager to continue the brand if given an opportunity. “We were concerned The PAL cover of FIFA Street.

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the limited time we had, and the limited scope of the game would mean FIFA Street would only be a ­one-off. EA expected very high ROI and high review scores. We really wanted to do a sequel. It was a pleasant surprise to see people loved the game, even if critics rightly pointed out its lack of depth,” Whalen confessed. The critical assessment of the game—and its success despite of it, was just one of the lessons learned by Whalen, who eventually served as the producer for FIFA Street 2 and games in the MechWarrior, Driver and Company of Heroes franchises. “Working in the games industry you realize that each company has its own culture and ways of doing things. EA were the masters of timely production. So, after working there for 11 years, I really knew what it took to ship games,” Whalen said. “I learned from and was supported by some great people. I also learned how to work with people that can be difficult and how to earn consensus without authority. Moving onto ­non-sport projects was a big change, and a big part of my later success was that ability to transition teams and projects successfully between early stages of R&D and the more disciplined stages of production and finishing.” That ability to “finish” titles under tough circumstances obviously served Whalen well throughout his over ­25-years career in gaming, but his ability to innovate on FIFA Street, and a clear understanding of what he wanted the game to be, was what made it stand out of the EA BIG crowd. “The Street brand was really defined by NBA Street. In many ways, the concept for FIFA Street was to follow the brand template set by that game and emulate the look and feel and the feature set of that game,” Whalen observed. “FIFA Street managed to strike its own place in pop culture, not by trying to apply that exact formula to soccer, but by finding its own original, core based in real, street soccer culture.” FIFA Street’s connection to the skill and passion of a real, street soccer contest is something Whalen believes is core to its legacy. While he’d like the game to be remembered for the level of fun and accessibility it provided, he believes it served a larger purpose as well. “FIFA Street was really about tapping into a cultural phenomenon, as it was emerging, and helping it blossom. It was a great reference for aspiring soccer players—showing them how soccer could be more beautiful, more skillful than they ever had seen or experienced through other mediums,” Whalen reflected. “I love that when someone does a sick move in a ­real-life soccer game—often you’ll hear someone chime in ‘Yo—that’s FIFA Street.’” The ­real-life effects FIFA Street had on players is important to Whalen, but the longest lasting part of the cycle was the relationships made throughout. “At the time, it was the most fun I’d had on a project,” Whalen said. “It was the first time I’d participated in the creation of a totally new IP and really been one of the more influential people on the team. I went on to work at Ubisoft, Relic and Piranha on much more ­highly-rated games, but FIFA Street stands out as the most iconic and memorable. “A big shout out to everyone who worked on the original FIFA Street 1 and 2, especially Carsten Myhill, who helped me write this by sharing a few beers and reminiscing. Also, to all the Street footballers who helped make FIFA Street such an aspirational experience for young soccer players and gamers everywhere.”

Dave Warfield, NHL 2002 A Hero’s Journey

Ask any game developer and they’ll tell you—taking a proven franchise to a new console is scary. While maintaining gameplay fidelity across a new console, often with a new controller with different features, is hard enough; incorporating a new graphic engine to a proven commodity is equally petrifying. Such was absolutely the case for Electronic Arts’ NHL series, which was a mainstay on the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, PlayStation and every other console it was released on before the PlayStation 2. While NHL 2001 was a huge hit for the console, selling 960,000 units, it was undercut by the fact that the original PlayStation wasn’t quite dead. With proven gameplay on that console, the PS1 version sold 630,000 copies, proving gamers weren’t quite ready to move on to the PlayStation 2 version. NHL 2002 changed all of that. If nothing else, it proved the NHL series was ready to leave the ­32-bit era completely and embark on a ­brand-new experience altogether. The only EA Sports hockey game released on a Sony console in 2001, NHL 2002, which featured Pittsburgh Penguins star and future Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux on the cover, went on to sell 1.2 million copies, thanks to an even more polished product than the year before, as well as a killer soundtrack that featured ­Sum-41 and a “Be a Hero” gameplay system, only implemented in NHL 2002, that made close contests cooler than any other game in the series. That wasn’t all though, as a sexier than ever ­create-a-player mode, a card system that allowed you to power up your favorite players and a ­super-cool breakaway camera all added to the showmanship and presentation. The result was one of the most critically praised hockey games of the era. That process, however, began with NHL 2001. “The first year working on a new platform is often a process of making sure all the systems work: AI/Controls/Rendering/Front End, then seeing if you have enough time to implement any new features that you feel would improve the game,” NHL 2002 Line Producer Dave Warfield said. “So much time is spent learning what you can or cannot do, that it limits how much deeper you can go. With the second iteration, we understood the system better, saw what caused problems during the finalizing process and certification through Sony and had a very stable base as a starting point. It meant we could focus more on general improvements and implementing new features.” With a better understanding of what the PlayStation 2 hardware was capable of, War­ field and the team had a clear idea of what they wanted to do. While they enjoyed the general look and feel of NHL 2001 and NHL 2002 maintained the general look of its predecessor, EA Sports wanted the player to feel even more powerful on the ice and to understand fully how one player could change the outcome of a game. While the implementation of a card collec131

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tion system and more gameplay modes added more beef to the overall gameplay system in NHL 2002, that collection of features wasn’t what the game was ultimately remembered for. “The initial vision was focused around ‘Be a Hero,’ and we had a long list of gameplay elements and features that we felt delivered on that,” Warfield reflected. “As a team, we spent a lot of time planning features and improvements and prioritized them based on what would most benefit gameplay and added the biggest bangs for the player.” Allowing a handful of players in the game to serve as “heroes,” NHL 2002 made the player able to put their elite performers on the ice during crucial times. Similar to the sport, this upped the ante in terms of anticipation and fun. For Warfield, it changed the feel of the game entirely. However, he loved it more for what it did for the most exciting part of the sport. Warifled knew immediately that new mode would be a special one. “Gameplay controls that allowed each type of player to be a hero in their own way, snipers, big hitters, with a focus on those players that can be ­game-changers, heroes. Building a team and playing through multiple seasons to make a dynasty, putting yourself in the game, trying to complete the collection of gameplay cards, the game story system that tracked key events to tell a heroic story and the ultimate hero moment … the breakaway. “Everything that we pushed the hardest had to fit the mold of the hero, and after talking to many NHL superstars, we heard a recurring description of that breakaway moment that could change the outcome of a game. Of course, everyone had seen The Matrix, and many had played Max Payne, so the idea of bullet time seemed to be something that matched up with that description…. Time slows, the sounds dull, and you become ­laser-focused on just you, the puck and the goalie.” When the executives at Electronic Arts finally saw this in action, Warfield knew the team was on the right path. “I talked about new features such as the season mode, card system, improved controls and making your own player, how they all tied into being a hero, then I showed them a ­mock-up prototype of our breakaway camera,” Warfield said. “There were open jaws, a few ‘what the ****’s,’ and then a huge round of applause…. I knew we were onto something good.” Working on previous versions of the NHL franchise on PC, PlayStation and PlayStation 2, in various roles, it was Warfield’s job to ensure Warfield has had a long and successful run in the that the vision the team wanted to video game industry.



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deliver became a reality. Considering his ­decade-plus involvement with the series at that time, he was a perfect candidate to help lead the creative charge. “The line producer was responsible for overseeing all the versions of the game: PS2, Xbox, PC, I had an assistant producer that I made responsible for oversight of each version,” Warfield recalled. “The producer role at EA is different than other companies as it is focused on game design and business management instead of other companies, which use the ‘producer’ title to mean they were ‘project managers,’ focused on time and budget. Our team of designers worked to flush out how features worked from front to back, how gameplay ‘felt’ and worked directly with the team members to implement and evaluate them. I spent a lot of time brainstorming and helpfully critiquing the designs, and a lot more time playing the game side by side with the development team. The stamp I feel I left on the game was to help everyone get the most out of an idea and ensure it felt good for the game players.” The impact Warfield had on the team was vital because it helped carve out how NHL 2002 would play, but the game’s evolution was different than other games he’s worked on. “We made a major change in how we planned and developed games for NHL 2002, and it centered around a mindset of prioritization,” Warfield shared. “Every week began with an evaluation of where we were with all the gameplay and feature elements. We would implement and test the highest priority items over the week, and then ­re-evaluate at the end of the week. As the new week began, we would ­re-prioritize what next steps would improve the game the most. Our programming group called themselves the ‘Gameplay Elite Commandos,’ and it turns out we were using the fundamentals of a development system that would become known as Agile.” The “Commandos” made sure they had something to show War­ field and the rest of EA every week. It was obviously a hectic process, as every ­yearly-released game team realizes, but Warfield tried to make it fun, too. “At the end of the week, ‘Burn Time,’ everybody checked in all their changes, ensured it worked and the game was burnt for disc reproduction, which went to the team and the QA department. Every time it happened, I cranked up my ghetto blaster with ‘Whoomp, There It Is’ by Tag Team … everybody laughed for the first few weeks.” The comedy wasn’t only behind the scenes, though. It also found its way into the game. Trading in the color commentary of ESPN’s Bill Warfield’s contributions to the NHL series can never Clement in NHL 2001 for Don Taylor made NHL 2002 sound and feel a be understated.

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lot more arcade in nature—and a heck of a lot more fun. The swap of the color commentary voices is a polarizing one for many, as some prefer Clement’s more newsie style over Taylor’s witty and Seinfeldian performances. Regardless of how you feel, Taylor’s work added another level of separation between NHL 2002 and the first game on the PlayStation 2 console. For Warfield, that was one of the deciding factors in why Clement was let go. “It’s such a core element of the player’s experience that we felt it was important to revamp the system so NHL 2002 felt separate from NHL 2001,” Warfield said. “Bill Clement was awesome, with a great voice and depth of experience, but he was also based out of Philadelphia, which made getting the recordings and any pickups done, in the year 2000, much more challenging. Don Taylor had been a sports voice in the Vancouver area for years and after doing some tests with several voices, he just felt like a good fit to bring a different style of entertainment to the game. There was a lot that was left on the cutting room floor, and a few comments that got us in trouble with NHL and Sony approvals and ended up being cut, but overall, I think it made the game stand out when compared to our other iterations.” The addition of Taylor’s voiceover work wasn’t the only alternation to the game’s sound, either. For NHL 2002, the game featured songs from ­Sum-41 and Barenaked Ladies; It marked the beginning of video games soundtracks “mattering.” That process was far from lost on Warfield. “One element that was a lot of fun was the selection process for getting

The goalie animations were excellent in NHL 2002.



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new music into the game, whether that was for the intro video, game openings, stoppages, or menus,” Warfield noted. “We finally saw a shift from ‘pay us lots of money to USE our song,’ to ‘Hey, your game could really help us expose our songs to your fans.’ I spent a lot of time working with our music department and listening to countless songs to find ones that I felt matched the arena experience in a variety of NHL cities.” With its “Be a Hero” gameplay system, which was scrapped in NHL 2003 entirely, by the way, a new color commentator, a killer soundtrack and sexy breakaway camera, NHL 2002 is one of the ­best-selling hockey games on the PlayStation 2, but only one of many Warfield worked on during his career. For it to stand out says something about its legacy. Warfield sees it as a title that managed to hit a sweet spot many games fail to meet. “When I look back on the versions of the game that had the biggest impact on my playing experiences, NHL ’95 had such fun core gameplay on the Genesis, NHL ’99 and NHL 2004 had their deeper gameplay and season features, but ultimately NHL 2002 had both a mix of features and gameplay that really made it stand out from the other versions of hockey,” Warfield reflected. “As with all the games I worked on, I just hope that people can look back fondly on their gameplay experience and feel that it provided many hours of escape and entertainment.”

Scott Henshaw, Def Jam Vendetta A Beta a Day Keeps DMX’s Dogs Away

Released on April 1, 2003, Def Jam Vendetta is anything but an April Fool’s Day gag— even if the thought of a wrestling game featuring the biggest stars in ­hip-hop might not have originally been the idea Electronic Arts had when they initially began the project. But, in what has become the blueprint for the way Electronic Arts does business, they were able to turn the demise of one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world at the time, World Championship Wrestling, into one of the flagship games in their ­uber-successful EA BIG brand. Selling nearly two million copies on the PlayStation 2 alone, Vendetta did the unthinkable and outsold EA’s last two PlayStation WCW games, Mayhem and Backstage Assault, by over half a million copies. While sales numbers are obviously important, they don’t tell the whole story. Mayhem and Backstage Assault were developed by Kodiak Interactive, a company that served as an offshoot for former ­16-bit powerhouse Sculptured Software. While they had a handful of proven WWF games during the SNES and Genesis era, they were unable to deliver a ­run-away monster grappling game on the PlayStation or other consoles of the early 2000s. While Mayhem sold over a million units on the PlayStation alone and had potential, its success was due more to the power of the WCW brand at the time. Def Jam Vendetta, or what began as a WCW game, was built by a different set of hands. Developed by EA Vancouver and Syn Sophia, AKA AKI, the developer responsible for the ­best-selling wrestling games in the history of the Nintendo 64, WCW/nWo Revenge, WCW/nWo World Tour, WWF Wrestlemania 2000 and WWF No Mercy, Def Jam Vendetta’s original blueprint had little to do with bringing a music genre to life in a wrestling game. By the end though, Def Jam remains as one of the best fighting/wrestling games of the era, a title that created more fans of ­hip-hop music than anyone would have guessed. For Electronic Arts, Canada Development Director Scott Henshaw, who made a name for himself in the industry on titles such as SSX, SSX Tricky and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 before Def Jam Vendetta, the grappler’s development cycle as one full of drama from the start. “Def Jam was a WCW license due to being outsourced to AKI in Japan. When the WWF bought out the WCW, that kind of died, but the company still had a deal with AKI to honor,” Henshaw said. “The game was really the brainchild of Josh Holmes and Daryl Anselmo and happened before I was added to the project. What they came up with is a fusion of ­hip-hop and fighting and the first ­M-rated story to drive the game along. Daryl provided pitch art, and I’m not sure how Josh landed on Def Jam, but he did. They pitched 136



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it to the brass, who said that if they could get Def Jam on the side, they could go. Josh made it happen, and the project got rolling. Note that I’m still not part of the picture; I’m happily racing away on SSX 3.” A combined effort between Electronic Art Canada and AKI, in Japan, Henshaw knew it was a situation not without its fair share of hurdles. “From the ­get-go, merging the music of Def Jam in New York with the art, animation, characters, environments was done in Vancouver,” Henshaw noted. “The game code being written in Japan by AKI had its time zone issues, and there were frequent stalls and coordination issues.” And, here is where Henshaw comes in. With two extremely talented teams in EA Canada and AKI—and one of the most prominent music labels in the world attached to Def Jam Vendetta—the game came with a load of expectations. Following his accomplishments with three different SSX games, Henshaw was enlisted to make sure EA was able to deal with anything that occurred during the cycle. “At the start of production, they were having issues making progress, and the time zones/logistics were killing them. I was tasked by our GM John Schappert with finding out what the issues really were. You can always tell, too, that when you are asked to audit something that you will likely, in some way, inherit ownership of it. That’s exactly what happened,” Henshaw said. “I guess I had a rep for solving problems and finishing things, so I inherited this beast. Most of the challenges were ­management-related on all sides and some processes that needed to be invented. So, from the inside out, that’s how I got attached to the project.” But, Def Jam Vendetta was a different beast than any SSX title, all of which were developed and published by EA. Having to share the reins with AKI, Henshaw and Electronic Arts had their hands full from the start. “I don’t think I can understate the challenge. The thing is, it was a different time and people approached projects from many different angles. AKI approached this project from a very arrogant, and at the same time, simplistic angle, which created a certain amount of friction,” Henshaw recalled. “AKI believed it was their game that EAC was just lending a hand. EA felt they were paying, publishing and providing half the development effort, so it was theirs. Yours truly got to stand in the middle and try Def Jam Vendetta was far from an easy development cycle. and make it all work.”

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Although not necessarily the biggest gamer, Henshaw had a unique set of skills that made him the perfect person to deal with different types of talented people. “Accident. Really,” Henshaw said when asked about his start in the game industry. “I spent the first decade working for a company called MPR, Microtel Pacific Research, creating the software for telephone switches and telephony related services. MPR was bought out and dismantled by Telus when they bought BCTel from GTE. I left MPR a couple weeks later, actually 90 percent of the R&D staff left a couple weeks later. Longer story. I went to work for a consultant and had a contract with NEC in Silicon Valley. I was there every other week, and at some point that year, we got pregnant with twins. My wife asked me to find something that didn’t have me traveling half the year, so I looked up some old work friends who were working at this company, Electronic Arts, that had just bought Distinctive Software. Sports games. I showed up to the interview with a broken collar bone from playing hockey, and they pretty much hired me then and there. Voila, my start in games. I think we all played off and on, never really a console guy, but work experience was always with enterprise systems and embedded software components, kind of like consoles.” Despite his experience at a plethora of different companies in Silicon Valley, as well as Electronic Arts, Henshaw admits nothing could have prepared him for some of the events that unfolded during the Def Jam Vendetta development cycle. For one, the musicians that appeared in the game proved to be just as challenging as the wrestling superstars who almost appeared in the original game. “More stories from this one project than any other, many of which cannot be repeated. The artists ranged from very professional and helpful—I’m talking specifically of Method Man and Redman here—to antagonistic. I got a call one night from Josh at Vancouver Airport about to board a plane to record DMX in a Chicago studio we had booked. DMX had apparently changed his mind, and wanted to stay in New York, and informed Josh as he was about to board. I had to get our folks to switch the ticket, cancel the studio, book a NY studio and get Josh there,” Henshaw remembered. “When Josh comes back, he tells me that the first test was that DMX released his pit bulls on Josh ‘to see if he would flinch’ or be worthy of working with him. So much stuff like this. Other stuff came with this, just to keep the ‘artists happy,’ much of which I cannot share. Really it was Josh himself, though that stepped up and jumped through whatever hoops we needed to get things done with Def Jam.” Luckily for Henshaw and the rest of the team, figuring out if DMX’s dogs did indeed “bite” was worth it, as their direct interaction with many of the “unique” personalities in the game was limited. “Of the big game areas that need to be constructed for a game, characters and animation are just one. All of the animation work is typically done on a single skeleton by a skilled group of animators or motion captured using a stunt person. The animators rarely, if ever, meet the celebrities that these animations may represent,” Henshaw added. “In the same way, skilled 3D character modelers create the meshes we wrap around those skeletons based on photos and images captured from the celebrity. There is no ­face-to-face interaction. Audio and speech are done in the studio, typically just one producer and one audio engineer spend less than half a day with each personality to record all their lines in one session. Music is provided by the record label. From the ­get-go, Def Jam was excited about it, and the relationship and contract were between EA and Def Jam Island Records. Def Jam was given approval rights on the music, the likenesses, and the prominence of each character. Our most senior producer for the project, Josh, got pulled in a lot to visit, present and convince each artist to sign off on various parts of the game.” While Holmes’ efforts to wrangle the game’s unique personalities was one of the things



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that brought that game together, AKI’s wrestling engine, immortalized on the Nintendo 64 years prior, was just as important to the overall formula. As fate would have it, however, AKI was just as difficult to deal with as DMX’s dogs. “On the AKI front, it was the tech director Jorge (George) Freitas and myself. We had to have an evening call with AKI every night, late, to catch them in the morning in Japan,” Henshaw said. “AKI did not believe in source control, nor did they ever create a bug in their software. Any issue with the software not working we had to delicately talk them through … how to reproduce without insinuating that they did anything wrong. When they found the error, they fixed it. We received one version a day, so really, we didn’t get much chance to test any integration we did. On one occasion, we phrased this incorrectly, and subsequently, their lead programmer was sick for the following two days. Of course, with no source or version control software, only their lead programmer could create a build. This continued until we apologized for insinuating that they had made a mistake. “When we got to alpha we had had enough. We recruited an associate producer who was originally from Tokyo. Great guy and the plan was to send him there to speed up the communication process from alpha to beta, and maybe persuade them to deliver builds faster. What I remember most about that trip was listening to him work with our PC to coordinate his trip, and he asked for a ticket there and back, two weeks later. I had to step outside my office and correct him; it was a ­one-way ticket. He could come home when the project was over. I told him to visit friends, family, have a good time on our expense account, just make sure that all day, every workday … he was our eyes and ears at AKI. AKI never let him past the lobby. They brought a console out to him once a day to play the day’s build.” Getting the game from alpha to beta was far from easy. The process, according to Henshaw, was stressful for everyone involved, but it had a lot to do with the way AKI conducted business. EA continued to do their best to make things work. “Alpha to beta is all bug fixing, and a QA team relentlessly, but necessarily, finds bugs as fast as you fix them,” Henshaw stressed. “The more builds you do, the more chances you have to get ahead of the curve. In the early parts, every fix often generates two more bugs. Def Jam was an exceptional grind; the timeline didn’t change, but the nature of the product made the fixes very, very challenging. We couldn’t help, didn’t have access to their code. “Once you get it down to zero bugs, you have to hold it there and be ready to submit it to the first party for approval. If they find something after you submit it, you have to fix just that one thing in less than 24 hours. They always find something. It’s part of the process that makes quality console games work, but again Def Jam’s structure made that doubly challenging given that we were submitting but AKI had the code.” All of these intangibles combined created a situation that, according to Henshaw, was far from fun, but ultimately memorable for its own reasons. “Honestly, it was the one I felt like sweeping under the rug, just get it done and survive the effort. It wasn’t until years later I learned that it had acquired a relative cult following. I think the design was a great example, credit to Josh and Daryl, of how to take a bad situation and design with the constraints you have,” Henshaw considered. “Visually it’s not overwhelming; ­engine-wise we never had any love for it; it’s a simple state machine that can’t be interrupted. Animation-wise it’s OK; physics is nonexistent, yet when the pieces come together, it kind of works, but, I guess that is the magic of games.” As you can tell, Henshaw isn’t one of the hardcore, cult followers of the game, but it’s more than the gameplay that irks him about Def Jam Vendetta. “The story was ­M-rated, but I don’t think the senior management group at EA really got what that meant in our case. We

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Pulling off finishers was a blast in Def Jam Vendetta.

were predominantly a sports studio.” Henshaw reflected, “I suppose in hindsight, that if we had divulged everything we had in the game, the lyrics, the plot, the rewards, they probably would have pulled half the material. It came close just before the final, but the entirety of the guy gets a girl, the guy loses a girl to another girl, the guy gets a new girl. This was never an arc they really put the dots together on.” Regardless of the situations he was literally put in the middle of by Electronic Arts Canada, Def Jam and AKI, Henshaw ultimately understood how important the project was to everyone involved. Naturally, even that required more work than it should have. “I can say we had one fun night—the absurdity of it was clear even then—where we had learned that the exec team at EA was uncomfortable with the ‘photos’ of the girls we used as rewards—said they were too revealing. We offered to soften them up, so we began cropping shots—it was all we had left we could do. There are two of us in the studio after hours. The project is close to beta, and we are editing stills, modifying the art, just cropping them to be more, rather less, revealing. Beta for us was the first zero bug build and was the first candidate to send as a gold master. Before a product went beta, it had to be declared alpha after which there are no changes, especially to art, but just bug fixes,” Henshaw said. “You do several builds a day alpha to beta, but AKI’s ­once-a-day mentality meant that we had only about 14 chances to get this right. A floor above, Don, our EP Glen Entis, and John Shappert, Studio GM, would review and occasionally have a conversation with our CEO in LA. We would wait. Twenty minutes or so later, we get a list of photos to ‘do more.’ This went on for hours.



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“The whole time we are thinking, ‘Did they really look at the story, or the backgrounds of the shots, or the ESRB submission we shared with them?’ Instead, we get this all of a sudden very ­hands-on approach. Years later, I got it, it was the first ­M-rated title, a lot of distrust the whole project between ourselves and AKI, with a potential future relationship there that Don didn’t want to kill. Lots of respect for Don. We talked and crossed paths over many projects at EA, and I understand the position he was put in on that project, but also an example of the prevailing mistrust that pervaded the project.” Mistrust limited the project, one that Henshaw believes was far from something that ever had the potential to change the industry. At the same time, it had interesting parts that, when combined, created something unique. “It’s still one of those projects or pairs of projects that has a lot of water under the bridge that is going to stay that way,” Henshaw admitted. “It wasn’t a functional team, just parts of it. The teams didn’t really trust each other—each thought they owned the material. It wasn’t a huge hit at the time, and I don’t think any of us thought it was terribly groundbreaking technologically. We all knew this. It was good from a story perspective, the interactive narrative was well thought out, and while a bit stereotypical, it worked. It was a great example of design with some severely constrained circumstances.” By the end of the project, however, despite the critical acclaim and impressive, but not monumental, sales numbers on the PlayStation 2, the GameCube version sold a far more modest 250,000 units, Henshaw admits there were plenty of regrets. “Hundreds, mostly with the people, and some of the things we had to do, I wish we didn’t,” Henshaw said. “We asked a lot of some of the staff on that game, and they all loved it, but I always wished we never had to ask.” Regrets are one thing, but there were lessons learned as well. Ultimately, Def Jam Vendetta was heralded for its playability, and that’s something Henshaw believes both teams were responsible for, regardless of their distrust. Personally however, he’s got a few takeaways from the project. “How to say no,” Henshaw shared. “I think, as a manager, initially you think of all the great improvements you make, but sometimes to get things done, you have to do the dirty jobs and that often means saying no. Building games is hard because of the way we beat the quality into them. This game was grueling, not because EA or AKI were being malicious, but rather because of the process and the structure we were dealing with.” With over two million units in combined sales, Def Jam Vendetta eventually earned a sequel, Fight for NY, which expanded the gameplay, story, assortment of characters and added a lush ­create-a-character mode. We won’t mention the third entry in the series, Icon, which was a huge departure from the first two games in the series. Fight for NY also sold over two and a half million units across the PlayStation, Xbox and GameCube, with 1.75 million of the total units sold coming from Sony’s console. In spite of the numbers, Henshaw doesn’t know how much of an impact it had, even if he learned a lot from being a part of the team. “I’m not sure it deserves a legacy. It’s a brawler that kind of works on a story level, but very old school in its technical approach,” Henshaw confessed. “We learn the most from our mistakes. So for me, I think it’s the project I learned the most from. As for the project, there are some great performances, good music, good story and a whole host of game design lessons to be learned.” Regarded as one of the best wrestling games on the PlayStation 2 and a ­sought-after title by collectors today, Def Jam Vendetta is a polarizing entry in the console’s library. For Henshaw, while it may not be his favorite game on his resume, he was absolutely a fan of

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the men and women from three different teams who attempted to work together to make it possible. From its roots as a failed attempt at a WCW game, to its eventual birth as a ­hip-hop-inspired, grappling soap opera, it was an interesting ride for all those involved. “I think most of us who had worked on it were not aware that it had gathered such a following so many years later,” Henshaw admitted. “I, at least, didn’t. We do these projects sometimes because we love the challenge and sometimes just because we need to help get them done. I’d just say that, while it was one of those projects you like to forget, all that stuff is internal. It may not have been all that fun to make, but there were fun times, and the product itself managed to work, thanks to the heroic efforts of some key individuals on either side.”

Graeme Bayless, Madden NFL 2003 EA’s First Great Football Game on the PS2

The year 2002 was a wild one in gaming. Not only was there a war going on in the home console arena, between Sony’s PlayStation 2, Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s GameCube, but there was also competition in nearly every sports game genre. Unlike today, when EA and 2K have a monopoly on practically every video representation of sports games imaginable, 2002 was a different environment entirely. Much like the beginning of the PlayStation era, when Sony managed to dominate the sports genres while Electronic Arts made the transition from cartridges to ­CD-based systems, EA dominated the PlayStation 2 with an iron fist. A clear example of their stranglehold was the Madden NFL series. As a matter of fact, Madden NFL 2003 serves as a perfect example. The third game in the series on the PlayStation 2, Madden NFL 2003 managed to improve the game’s visuals even more than its predecessors and added several new features. These included new ­play-by-play commentary by Al Michaels, who was replacing the ­long-time announcer Pat Summerall, a soundtrack powered by EA Trax, which included songs by Good Charlotte, Seether, Bon Jovi and OK Go, and perhaps its most important feature of all, online play. Put all these factors together, and you have a game that went on to sell over 4 million units on the PlayStation 2. While there was nothing necessarily wrong with the prior Madden games on the PS2, they ultimately paled in comparison to the depth in visuals and gameplay of Madden NFL 2003. For Graeme Bayless, the game’s Development Director, Madden NFL 2003 was the byproduct of more than one development cycle. Although he had made a name for himself at other companies before joining EA, being a part of the Madden brand was a special time in his career, one he’ll always remember. “I was laid off by Dynamix, part of the former Sierra Entertainment, in 1999 as they sadly reached the end of their run, and EA approached me for joining the Madden team,” Bayless said. “I joined them as Madden 2000 was shipping, and was responsible for Madden 2001, 2002, and 2003 as the development director. Expectations for Madden ’03 were high, as we had a team that had worked together for three games and that really worked well together. We also had really improved both our production processes and our close ties with our partner groups such as Marketing, PR and Production.” One of the reasons why EA decided to give Bayless an opportunity was because of his resume. With over 15 years of experience before he joined EA, with games in the Dungeons and Dragons franchise and even the Sega Genesis classic Kid Chameleon, he was an asset worth securing. Even before his professional work in the industry, however, he always man143

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aged to find time for gaming and creating. It was because of that affinity in the industry that he was discovered in the first place. “I’ve been a gamer since I was 10 years old. I cut my teeth on board games, first as a player and then as a designer. I learned computer skills from a stint in the US Air Force, and then from a short career in computer sales,” Bayless shared. “Then, one fateful day, the CEO of Accolade walked into the software store I was managing and showed me some unreleased games to get my feedback. My feedback was apparently solid, and he suggested I consider a career in video games. While I didn’t end up with Accolade, that did lead to me answering an ad with a company called SSI, Strategic Simulations Inc. They offered me what now would be called an associate producer position. I joined them in 1987 and worked on about 10 titles my first year. I had no formal training as a video game producer, but I did have a deep understanding of games and a design background … and they gave me a shot. I’ve been doing it ever since and have now shipped over 100 games.” Still in the industry today, Bayless is far from defined by his work on the Madden series. Working on the last version of Splatterhouse, as well as games in the ­Pac-Man, Dead to Rights and MLB 2K franchises, he’s also served as director of production on games such as Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Because of this, you’ve definitely played something he’s worked on over the years. “I’m currently working as an executive producer at NetherRealm Studios in Chicago, Illinois. I most recently was the lead producer for Mortal Kombat 11. I’m still an avid gamer, both board games and video games, and always will be,” Bayless said. “If I’m not making games, I’m playing them. While making video games is very, very hard work, there is nothing else any of us making these games would rather do. Know that your passion is what drives us to keep making great games.” But, almost 20 years before he was a pivotal force in one of the most influential fighting game series, Bayless was at the helm of one of the best versions of Madden, on the ­best-selling console of all time. Contrary to what you might think, the development cycle was far from brutal. Again, Bayless cites the team’s preparedness as a huge factor in why things went the way that they did. “The development cycle was, honestly, one of the smoothest we had ever had, and still one of the best I’ve ever worked on. The team worked very well together; we had Madden 2003 took PS2 football to another level.



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Offense was a blast in Madden 2003.

learned how to ‘plan for the unplannable,’ so even late requests like the ‘marketing cam’ ask, which came in literally the week we were turning ‘Alpha,’ were able to be handled,” Bayless recalled. “The team worked hard, but we broke up our ‘pushes’ across the year in monthly milestones … and the result spoke for itself.” Despite being on three different consoles as well, Bayless believes there weren’t any issues the team couldn’t handle throughout the cycle. Contrary to what many developers have said in the past and elsewhere in this book, Bayless didn’t have any issues working with the PS2 development software. “The PS2 was great to develop for,” Bayless said. “While later PlayStation consoles had their challenges for developers, we were able to develop for PS2 along with Xbox and GameCube without great difficulty. Later on, of course, the massive architecture changes in the PlayStation 3 made it a more difficult proposition to maintain that level of parity during development.” So, while there was plenty to do, Bayless knows why the game was ultimately a powerhouse. “The team. No question.” Bayless added, “I’ve worked on a lot of games and with a lot of teams … but this team was one of the special ones. From that amazing art team to the incredible engineers, from the production and design teams to the ­super-thorough QA team … this team was ­top-to-bottom fantastic. We worked well together, and every single member of the team was totally focused on how to make the best version of Madden ever. I’m very proud to have been a part of that group.” The effort came at the perfect time as EA had stiff competition that year. NFL GameDay, NFL Blitz, NFL 2K all had strong offerings that scored favorable reviews and sold hundreds of thousands of copies each on the PS2. Madden still managed to crush them in sales,

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selling over 4.1 million units. “That felt great. There were a lot of reasons for this success, from the excellent work by our design and production teams, to the fantastic synergy between the development and support teams,” Bayless reflected. “Ultimately, it felt like we not only had the best game plan, but we executed on that plan perfectly … and it paid off. Definitely one of the games I’m proudest of in my career.” Earning a top spot on Bayless’ list is momentous considering how many other Madden games exist and how many other games he has been a part of, including the EA’s NFL Street series. Nevertheless, he stands by his judgment that Madden NFL 2003 was an exceptional entry in the storied franchise. “Ultimately, the legacy of that game is decided by the fans … the players … and the industry. I do think that that game had an impact on every member Bayless has been a part of several huge hits for EA. of that team, and I can say that the ones I’m still in touch with still look back on that project fondly,” Bayless shared. “I would hope that those who played the game would hold fond memories of their play experiences. I’d like to think that it will be remembered as a great game that was really satisfying for Madden players of all levels … one that really delivered on the promise of the franchise.”

Jim Buck, NFL GameDay 2004 The End of An Era

Nine years isn’t a tremendously long amount of time, but in video games, particularly sports games, it’s essentially a lifetime. From its early beginnings as one of the founding fathers of the original PlayStation experience, the NFL GameDay series not only held its ground with EA’s Madden NFL series and a host of other competitors, but it also often dominated. Highlighted by the ­polygonal-powered NFL GameDay ’98, which sold nearly two million copies, the series was the cornerstone of the Sony Sports lineup on the PlayStation 1. Add in other titles like Gran Turismo, NHL FaceOff, NBA ShootOut, the Extreme series and Cool Boarders and ­first-party PlayStation sports titles were one of the reasons why the Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn and any other console just couldn’t stack up. When the PlayStation 2 launched, however, Electronic Arts proved they had learned from their mistakes in 1995 when they couldn’t debut competent hockey or football games on the original PlayStation, as both NHL ’96 and Madden NFL ’96 were canceled on the PS1. As the years passed, fans continued to support the ­first-party Sony sports titles on the system, which continued to sell six figures. However, when the Sega Dreamcast lineup of 2K sports titles hit the Sony system—and were just as enjoyable as the EA games—Sony’s ­internally-developed sports titles were dead in the water. While the last NFL GameDay title on the PS2, NFL GameDay 2004, still sold an impressive 410,000 copies and featured a wealth of cool options like voice recognition through the USB headset and solid online modes, many critics felt it wasn’t in the same league as its competition. However, EA’s acquisition of the NFL license is what eventually killed the series and any other ­NFL-based video games after 2005, although the technology that powered the GameDay series continued to live on for years on the PSP, of all places. After the franchise’s demise and a 2005 version of the game was released, mostly the same game as the year before with a roster update, NFL GameDay 2004 on the PS2 was the last original game in the series. For GameDay 2004 programmer Jim Buck, whose previous work on 3Xtreme, Twisted Metal 3, Twisted Metal 4 and Rally Cross all earned him the respect of his peers, working on NFL GameDay 2004 was an education in football as well. “I wasn’t specifically a fan, still am not really, and I actually didn’t understand the rules of football at all before working on the game. But, I totally learned most of how the game works and can appreciate watching a game now,” Buck said. “I especially prefer the kind of game watching that involves a party, such as the Super Bowl.” Despite not being a fan of the sport generally, being a part of the GameDay 2004 team meant Buck’s way back into video games after a short exit, was something to be excited 147

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about. “I was in the industry for seven years by the time I came on board to GameDay 2004. I was living abroad in Poland for a year, early 2002 to early 2003, and I got a message from Bob Gordon, a lead programmer on GameDay, asking if I wanted to come and join the team,” Buck recalled. “I had left Sony in 2000 to do a startup called DepthQ, was in Poland on a sabbatical from doing the startup, while my business partner was doing the same but in South America. Both he and I knew many of the people at RedZone, including the people heading up that studio like Chris Whaley, so coming back to Sony was appealing, given we weren’t doing anything with our startup due to hardships with getting contracts post–9/11. All companies became ­super-reserved. My business partner, who had also left Sony when I did in order to do the startup—we were formerly on Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 together—was also being offered to come to RedZone. We said, ‘Screw it,’ referring to our startup and came back to Sony to work on GameDay 2004.” Quickly, however, Buck realized this wasn’t the same series it had been just a few years prior. “When my former business partner and I came on board, we entered the office with all the founders of that studio just … gone,” Buck shared. “There was something weird that had happened at Sony at the time. Those people were let go, and we weren’t even sure if the job offers were still on the table. Thankfully, it turned out we were still good to work there.” At the same time, Buck was still excited to be a part of the NFL GameDay 2004 team. For him, it was a series that had a track record of success and a legacy he wanted to be associated with. “GameDay had the lineage of having some really hardcore football fans developing the game, headed up by two college buddies, and I think some of the marketing team were former football players in college,” Buck said. “It was the first game to do 3D polygonal players right after EA had said that it was impossible to do. As a result, the following year’s Madden unsurprisingly had to come out with polygonal characters, too. GameDay didn’t have the IP attachment like Madden did, but I think due to that, it didn’t have perhaps some limitations Madden may have had due to the licensing ­tie-in and necessity to please the licensee. That said, we were still bound to NFL, and I think there were some limitations there, though I don’t know what.” The opportunity to work on the PlayStation 2 was something Buck wasn’t about to pass up, either. Considering how accomplished he was as an engineer on a slew of popular PS1 games, Buck was ready to see how well his skills translated to the new console. “After living a year abroad GameDay 2004 sold over 400,000 copies.



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and not working on anything in particular for that time, yeah, I was jazzed to come back to San Diego, come back to Sony and work on a new platform, PlayStation 2,” Buck reflected. “Since I had the physics background from the PlayStation One games I worked on, it was expected I would at least take on some physics work, but I ended up working on all sorts of other random things as well.” A lot of those “random things” had a big impact on the title. With his experience on several games that relied on physics and contact, Buck absolutely found a way to leave his mark on the game. “I brought a lot of refinements to how collision was done, specifically how the players were colliding into each other and resolving those collisions, some new physics objects [like the] coin and referee flag. I don’t see it on my list, but I think cones, too, camera features and smoothing, kicking/kick meter accuracy and many other miscellaneous things,” Buck said. Those refinements were his contributions, but Buck believes the team also added a lot of solid things, and he enjoyed his time with them. “The team was cool to work with,” Buck said. “Lots of different characters, mostly just out of school, and this being their first job/ franchise to work on. I’m still connected to a majority of these guys on Facebook. Some of the team are people I worked with on prior PlayStation projects that had since moved to sports.” It was with this team that Buck had the opportunity to get extra geeky, creating a moment that had little to do with football but remains something he still remembers nearly 20 years after the game’s release. “This is probably a boring story, since it’s probably only interesting for a programmer, but someone on the team checked in code that suddenly made it take a long time to compile the game,” Buck admitted. “One source file in particular was the culprit. It turned out he was doing something crazy, using the preprocessor directives in C++, something that would probably be fine these days, but not good at the time, given our Windows machines’ hardware. His response was, ‘I thought the preprocessor would be more intelligent than that,’ with how it was handling his code. The rest of us didn’t let him live that statement down since the whole point of a PREprocessor is that it doesn’t have intelligence at all … it’s just pure text replacement without any kind of analysis whatsoever. Like I said, only funny for a programmer.” Selling over 400,000 units on the PlayStation 2—over 10,000 more than the year before—GameDay 2004 was far from a failure for the console. However, with sales of ESPN NFL Football and Madden 2004 at 560,000 and 5.23 million units respectfully, the writing was on the wall. The GameDay series’ time in the sun was over. Once EA Sports acquired the exclusive rights to the NFL license in December of 2004, barring other developers from developing ­NFL-based games, Sony had no choice but to kill the GameDay series. Luckily for Buck, his work lived on in other ways. Ways most might not expect. “There was some early work done on the code for GameDay 2005 before it was official that EA was locking up the license,” Buck recalled. “I was meant to be PSP lead on a GameDay for PSP before I ended up moving over to a different San Diego Sony building to work on PSP graphics tech used in all the PSP NBA games. Once EA locked up the license, development on GameDay 2005 morphed into an RPG kind of unlicensed football game for PSP. I worked along with those guys since they were using my PSP graphics tech for the football game. Unfortunately for the game, the RedZone studio was eventually closed, announced to the team in July 2005, and everyone was either given a chance to find another team to move to internally or let go. I think only a few ended up staying.” While Buck is proud to see some of his work on NFL GameDay 2004 continue in other

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forms, he would have preferred that the series had lived to fight another day. As one of the first franchises at Sony to pride itself on having no major competition, the death of the NFL GameDay series was absolutely the end of an era at Sony. “It was the major contender against Madden before EA managed to kill it, not based on product or tech, but based on grabbing exclusivity of the NFL license.” Buck reflected, “It really sucks that it was the last of the series, and even though I moved onto other stuff, I would have liked to have seen it continue on. It was Sony’s major sports franchise during those years, and it paid some decent bills for Sony’s PlayStation development. But, of course, there is a natural satisfaction on having had worked on the final installment of a major franchise.”

Audrey Leprince, Rainbow Six 3 A Game of Firsts

Ubisoft Montreal is a legendary development team known for their work on franchises in the Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed, Watchdogs, Immortals and Far Cry franchises, but in 2003, the brand was far from the powerhouse they are today. Although Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia garnered them a level of respect, a game like Rainbow Six 3 on the PlayStation 2, a joint venture with Ubisoft Shanghai, represented a series of challenges that served as a major test. Their first multiplayer and online offering on the console, the game ultimately sold over 800,000 copies, guaranteeing the series stability and making some of the franchise’s best games, on the Xbox 360, possible. Hired by Ubisoft as a producer to ensure the PlayStation 2 version of the game was able to run the way it deserved, despite the weaker specs of the PS2 when compared to the Xbox and PC, Aubrey Leprince faced a considerable challenge and carried some weighty responsibility. Working with both Ubisoft Montreal and Shanghai on the PlayStation 2 version, Leprince’s experience was full of lessons learned. However, she was far from a newbie at that point in her career. “I started in the industry in 1997, working at Quantic Dream on the game Omikron: Nomad Soul as a game designer,” Leprince said. “At the time there were no video game schools, but I met game developers during my internship in another company, and they introduced me to Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, Indigo Prophecy director and Omikron: Nomad Soul project manager, David Cage. I leveraged my paper ­role-playing experience to get the job!” But even if there were schools where Leprince could have gone to study video game design, it’s doubtful she would have gone. While she has a clear acumen for game design and theory, her mind was built by different types of gaming experiences. “I was always a gamer, but not a video gamer. I was raised in the French countryside in the ’70s and ’80s, with no computer, no game console, no internet,” Leprince recalled. “I only had books and cats around me. I started to play when I was 17, and I left to study in Paris; this is when I got my first computer in 1991! Even then I enjoyed ­role-playing games as much as video games.” Twelve years after getting her first computer and just four years after working on her first video game, Leprince found herself in AAA game development, AKA, where the big companies make the biggest games, with the biggest teams. Her first assignment with the company was going to be a rough one—get an online shooter that was a critical hit on the much more powerful Xbox, selling over a million and a half units, to be a competent port on the PlayStation 2. “I was hired in 2003 by Ubisoft Shanghai, and my first producer assign151

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ment with them was to work on the port on PlayStation 2 of Rainbow Six 3,” Leprince said. “All the creative work had been done by the teams of Ubisoft Montreal. Our challenge was to adapt it for PlayStation 2, and also we were the first Ubisoft studio to make a multiplayer game on PlayStation, which was a lot of unknowns at the time.” Porting a game usually means taking the original material and safeguarding that it runs on different hardware, but according to Leprince, Rainbow Six 3 on the PlayStation 2 features plenty of innovative material. It’s not a ­cut-and-paste, straight port. Luckily for her, the team at Ubisoft Shanghai was up to the task. “Optimizing the game for PS2, we had to redo most of the locations and missions,” Leprince reported. “This was the early stage of Ubisoft’s method of ­co-development, with several studios working on several parts of one game. Ubisoft Shanghai was still a young studio, and we learned a lot working closely with the original creative team.” In her first project at Ubisoft, Leprince got help on the game she’ll never forget. “We were working in the shadows,” Leprince shared. “The team in Montreal was really the game creators. From my perspective, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Managing Director Christophe Derennes was the unsung hero. At the time, he was sent as the project closer from Montreal. He brought so much energy and fun! For me shipping my first online console game, his support was a blessing.” With the youthful vigor of Ubisoft Shanghai and Derennes, the publisher was supplied with plenty of talent to finish the job, but there were hurdles. “Online on PS2 at the time was also quite something. We had to overcome a lot of technical challenges to port the Xbox game on PlayStation 2. It wasn’t easy. But in the end, the game was well received. I remember that the team was so desperately looking for optimization to make the game run smoothly on PS2,” Leprince said, “that one day someone suggested removing one of the four teammates. Another good story for all the producers out there, the day before sending the masters to Sony for certification, the bug database starting flashing red with suddenly multiple ‘A’ bugs, the most severe category of bugs, popping everywhere. It was because we had integrated an external software for matchmaking that included a dropbox menu to choose the country the player was located in. Hong Kong and Taiwan were on the list and [with] Getting the game to work well online was never easy.



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Leprince’s career continues today as a successful indie developer.

the game being developed in China, all the testers on the QA team reported it as the most serious bug.” That one bug aside, Rainbow Six 3 on the PlayStation 2 managed to earn a very respectable 70 Metacritic score from 34 reviewers, many of which also said that the game encapsulated what was so solid about the standout Xbox title. If that wasn’t enough, it also led to several more opportunities for Leprince and the company. “For us in Shanghai, this PlayStation 2 version was an achievement, and we were asked to work on more ports like Brothers in Arms: Road 30 on PS2 also,” Leprince reflected. “The studio learned so much. And after a few years, we had gained so much expertise that with the same team we made the first IP ever created in Ubisoft Shanghai: Tom Clancy’s End War.” These opportunities would have been plenty satisfying for most, but this was just the beginning of Leprince’s journey in gaming. A founder of The Game Bakers’ development studio, the brand has released games on iPhone, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 1 and Xbox Series X, iPhone, Android and PC. Not bad for a woman who grew up with cats on the French countryside, without a home gaming console. All jokes aside, however, Leprince is proud of her work on the Rainbow Six franchise, but is happier where she is now, creating games with smaller groups of people, for just as many gamers as she did while at Ubisoft. Considering the Game Bakers’ success with titles the likes of Squids and Furi, as well as their ­recently-released Haven, she still has plenty of stories yet to be told. “Rainbow Six, what an amazing franchise, right?” Leprince added. “The teams at Ubi-

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soft Montreal have managed to renew it and keep it extremely successful. It was my first game at Ubisoft. I learned a lot there. But after seven years as a producer for Ubisoft, on AAA console games with huge teams of hundreds of people located all across the world, I guess I was ready to work again in a very small team. This is why I created my indie studio The Game Bakers—we were four people on our first game, Squids.”

Lindsay Gray, Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies From Doorman to Mach One

Since the beginning of the video game industry, flight simulations have been an important part of every console library. Although Microsoft’s Flight Simulator has continually been the top option for gamers looking for realism, there have been several games that have managed to add story and ­arcade-style fun to the mix while still maintaining enough realism for true aviation buffs. However, among the After Burners, Turn & Burns and even Strike games, Namco’s Ace Combat franchise was one of the best of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era. Its 2001 entry, Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies was not only a PlayStation 2 exclusive, but it was also one of the ­best-selling, ­flight-based games on the console, shipping nearly 2.7 million worldwide copies. ­Action-packed and featuring some of the best visuals on the PlayStation 2 at the time, Shattered Skies was a lengthy ­18-mission adventure that blended simulation and arcade in ways no other game had prior to its release. From listening to the radio chatter of your allies and foes to its unrivaled sense of speed, the game was able to cater to both fans of the series and those looking for something different. Although its achievements on the PlayStation 2 made it a ­must-have title for players, Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies was a memorable one for Localization Manager Lindsay Gray. His first game for Namco, Gray was a ­life-long gamer, and his time at the company was career defining. “I have been playing games since I was nine or 10 years old, starting off with an ASCII game called Trek on the Commodore PET computer,” Gray began. “My first gaming system was a Commodore ­VIC-20. I used to type in the game programs, written in BASIC, from the game magazines at the time, and I bought cassette tapes that had some quite slow and simple games. However, the first time I played, Gridrunner, one of Jeff Minter’s early classics, which ran entirely in only 3.5KB, I was absolutely gob smacked by the incredible speed and fluidity of the game, and I was hooked on games from that time onward.” Despite being an avid gamer through childhood and his teenage years, Gray’s eventual transition into the industry wasn’t an easy one. That made every opportunity memorable for him. By the time he had the chance to work for Namco, he was truly ready to realize his dreams. “I moved to Japan in 1992 to work as a doorman at the front entrance of an upmarket wedding function center. Before leaving for Japan, I worked for a Japanese hotel chain, and I also studied Japanese for a year ­part-time, so I at least understood some of the language basics before I landed! After a few years working for other hotels, including the Tokyu, Intercontinental and Sheraton chains and once my language skills were improved, I 155

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finally found an opportunity to work for a small translation company that dealt mainly with video ­game–related content. After a year there, I moved to Activision Studio Japan, which was a small office focused on licensing and localizing Japanese games. Orphen: Scion of Sorcery was my introduction to the video game industry. A friend then mentioned that Namco was looking for localization staff, so I applied. After several Japanese interviews, I was hired, and I was thrilled to be working for one of my most admired game companies. ­Pac-Man, Dig Dug and Galaxian were some of my favorite arcade games of the ’80s, and Ridge Racer and Tekken pretty much monopolized the CD drive of my PS1!” If working at Namco wasn’t cool enough, he was also a fan of aviation games. At the same time, the development cycle for the US versions was ending around the time of his hire. Nevertheless, he still had plenty to do on the European versions of Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies. “I do enjoy ­flight-combat games, starting from the vector graphic Star Wars arcade game in the early 80s, dabbling a little with ELITE, and finishing most of the Wing Commander series,” Gray shared. “Ace Combat 4 was the very first game I worked on at Namco, and I was naturally very excited to be involved with such a ­high-profile series. However, most of the localization including all of the text and voice recording had already been completed by my colleagues at Namco America, and we were in the final few weeks of implementation and QA testing. I did, however, have plenty to do, as I worked closely with the European publisher, SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe), in order to localize the game into FIGS (French, Italian, German and Spanish) for the European market. This involved managing the text translation, implementation and debug process, answering any questions the translators had with regards to game content and ­in-game context, assisting with any ­marketing-related issues and generally being the main point of contact between the publisher and the development team.” Despite his previous experience with the game, Gray admits there were a few issues that evolved before its November 11, 2001, release in North America. “One issue that occurred closer to mastering was that the US marketing team was quite concerned about one of the characters being called ‘Yellow 13,’ due to the old connotations between yellow and cowardliness, as well as one nickname being ‘Booby,’ as in booby prize, for obvious reasons,” Gray said. “Of course, by this time it was too late to make any sig- Ace Combat 4 Shattered Skies may be the best aerial nificant changes to the game, espe- combat sim ever.



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Gray was honored to be a part of the Ace Combat team.

cially changes involving ­voice-over files and story elements. Also, we were just about to go gold with the US version when 9/11 happened, so there was also some concern about how this might affect the release.” Selling nearly 3 million units on the PlayStation 2, Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies wasn’t hurt at all by the events going on in the real world and ultimately served as a game that Gray learned a lot from. As his first game with Namco, there were plenty of other things he was able to take in and use for the future. “This was the first European localization I was involved with, so I quickly learned some of most common language issues that affected how we approached the localization.” Gray added, “For example, the German text is at least 1.5 times longer than the English source text, which is itself much longer than the original Japanese text, so depending on how the game was built, we either had to shorten some text, or redesign some of the text windows and other screens to display the text correctly. During this early PS2 period, the Western localization was only just starting to become a consideration for many menu/interface designers and graphic artists.” Those lessons aside, Gray, who later earned credits on several other Namco blockbusters, including Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, which sold 1.39 million units on the Xbox 360, is proud of his work on Shattered Skies for a variety of other reasons. “I think it was the ­best-looking air combat game released on consoles to date, and it was a massive technical leap from the previous games on the PS1,” Gray confessed. “The Project Aces team had been together for many years by this time, and they were one of the most experienced development teams within the company.”

Scott J. Langteau, Medal of Honor: Frontline EA’s Best Historical Shooter

The original Medal of Honor on PlayStation was one of the best ­first-person shooters on the console. Combining epic storytelling, inspired by Steven Spielberg’s film Saving Private Ryan, and a wonderful score and realistic level design, the game practically invented the ­story-driven, historical shooter genre. With that being said, future installments in the series had to live up to an extremely high standard. Thankfully for gamers, Electronic Arts were far from finished developing the series. Long before Call of Duty was ever imagined, Medal of Honor continued its dominance well after its debut on Sony’s first console and even the PC. On the PlayStation 2, EA’s first edition of the series on the console, Medal of Honor: Frontline, may not only be an improvement over the original and its sequels, Medal of Honor: Underground and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, it may also be the best historical FPS ever. Taking the storytelling, visuals, score and level design to the highest level to date, it remains today as one of the most pivotal games in the history of the PlayStation 2. For Producer Scott Langteau, Medal of Honor: Frontline remains a singular accomplishment. Simply put, the series had a surplus of momentum behind it and was already embarrassingly successful. Frontline, however, was poised to break out even further. “My involvement with Medal of Honor: Frontline was, I guess, the natural progression of things since I had been associate producer on the original Medal of Honor and that was a resounding success,” Langteau said. “Then, they let me helm Medal of Honor: Underground as the primary producer on that game, and it really performed well. I mean, it had a great score, had great sales, had great reviews and was all around, a big success for the company and for the franchise getting a hold on fans and establishing it further as a franchise. “So, then they asked me to work on Frontline, to be the primary producer on that game, which was going to now go to the PS2 and GameCube. This was another challenge because the original Medal of Honor and Underground were both for the PlayStation, and they had a number of limitations based on the system. A little side note about Medal of Honor: Underground is that the game was supposed to be simple, just your basic ­add-on pack to the original Medal of Honor: slap some more levels together and basically ship out another iteration of similar features, ­similar-type missions, etc., which is why they entrusted it to the associate producer of the original game. But, of course, the team and I were ­over-achievers who wanted to kill ourselves, so we did some 24 levels, and we broke our backs on bringing new features and vehicles and dogs, etc. to this follow up release in the franchise. “We crammed this into a year turnaround. So that was a hellish slog as well, but a fun 158



Scott J. Langteau, Medal of Honor: Frontline159

one because we all realized that we had something special, and we were digging in, and we were loving it—not to mention we were young, and we were more than happy to work our asses off to make a franchise. That was Medal of Honor: Underground.” While the market was flooded with bloody shooters when the series originated, Langteau saw the franchise adapt and focus more on story. Langteau sees that as a huge driving force to Frontline’s eventual success. “Medal of Honor had all sorts of blood and dismemberment in it, and then the Columbine school shooting happened, and Spielberg insisted that all of that come out, that there could be no dismemberment in the game, and there could be no visible, red blood. We found out that gamers didn’t miss it at all. We would do little smoke, particle poofs on uniforms when the enemies were hit and things of that nature, but no one really missed the gory aspect of warfare. So that whole concept of how to depict military engagements and actual scenarios from different battles was carried through the entire series. We brought all that same expectation and that same important perspective for how to design and to pick the scenarios for all of the games we worked on. It was a goal of mine to be somebody who made really fun, deep, involving, immersive games that were done intelligently and respectfully and that were still a hell of a lot of fun to play. Medal of Honor: Frontline, for example, is still one of those games that shows up often on a top 100 games ever made list. When I see that, it just brings a huge smile to my face.” Although he’s gone on to work on a slew of other ­well-known properties, including the original console Call of Duty, Langteau has always maintained a strong connection to the Medal of Honor series. Frontline, in particular, continues to resonate with him, over 20 years later. “As I look out my window right now, I am looking at my cobalt blue Ford Mus-

These early scenes in the game really set the tone.

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Planning each level was intense (courtesy Scott J. Langteau).

tang convertible that I purchased back in 2001. It has just over a 100,000 miles on it, even after some 20 years. It has been sitting out in the driveway waiting to be donated, and it still has my vanity plates, MOHFTLN,” Langteau confessed. “People ask me all the time what it means. Some people are really surprised and think it’s totally cool because they know what it is. Other people are just like, ‘What?’ Still runs, still does great, but it’s time to move on and put her out to pasture.” But before those vanity plates, Langteau and the team, fresh off the success of Medal of Honor: Underground, knew they had their work cut out for them. They were ready, though. “Expectations for the game were largely huge, and I honestly think that only the team and those who were playing the game every single day for hours on end, really knew how good it was and knew that we were really catching lightning in a bottle with a game that built upon the original two and brought it to a whole new level of what this new console, the PS2, would bear,” Langteau said. “We really believed that we had structured a really fun, interesting, exciting and entertaining game that gamers and fans of the series were really going to like, and it turned out for that to be the case. It really ended up being a very strong game. People really loved the addition of the two ­D-Day levels at the front. So, as much as myself and the team originally resisted them, I’m sure they are largely responsible for several sales of the game and really propelled people in an exciting way into the game and the story arc and inspired them to want to play through the entire game, which is always the goal. There are many, many games that people just abandoned partway through.” It was Langteau’s job to make sure Frontline wasn’t a game that you stopped playing halfway. And, to meet that goal, the laundry list of what he did on the game behind the



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scenes was impressive. “Whenever I’m out speaking to students or at some gaming events or any place where someone asks me about my career producing video games, one of the questions that traditionally comes up is, what does a producer do? Producers for films pretty much find the money, and they find backers, and they make sure that everything stays on budget, and it’s all very money and budget specific,” Langteau considered. “But producers on video games are pretty much the same as a film director. The entire umbrella of the project rests on the producer’s shoulder for video games. That means that I would be in charge of schedules and budgets and managing all of the team heads. For example, there would be entire teams for design, engineering, environments, character design and rigging, animation sound and music, testing and more. “All of those teams have a team leader, and I would meet with all of those leaders regularly, if not daily, to go over their schedules, make sure they were meeting those schedules, make sure they were meeting their deliverables. I would work with all of the leads constantly on the schedule and the scope of the game in terms of planning out what the mechanics were going to be, what the game design was going to be, what happens in the game and making sure that all of that vision stays on track. Then, of course, the producer is dealing with the partner. If we have an external partner, who’s making the game and putting up the money for the game, I’m working with them and making sure that they are staying happy, that they are informed with everything we’re doing on the game, that they get to see all the progress of the game. “I have to listen to all of their comments, and I have to try to put them into play if I can. I also had to do all of the legal clearance and work with the creation of the walkthrough

Some of Langteau’s favorite experiences during development were working with composer and friend Michael Giacchino (courtesy Scott J. Langteau).

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booklet for the game. I had to work with all of the translations into foreign languages for the games. I had to work with marketing and PR to make sure that we had a good plan to let the world know about the game and publicize the game. As you can see, the producer is essentially out front as the face of the project, the engine car of this speeding train and doing all he or she can to keep it from flying off the track and crashing into the side of a mountain or over a cliff or whatever very real, horrible visual you’d like to use.” According to Langteau, every day was a marathon. There simply weren’t enough hours in the day. “I would come into work with what I believed I needed to get done for that day,” Langteau recalled. “Then, it would immediately get shot to hell because the moment I walked in the room, or the moment I walked into my office, I had to face a whole myriad of issues and problems that my team was bringing to me that needed to be solved immediately instead. So, there you go. There are the duties of the producer, and I’m sure there are plenty that I left out.” If Langteau’s overwhelming list of Must Do’s wasn’t long enough, the PlayStation 2 didn’t make their lives any easier. “We had a lot of the standard issues that came with PS1 and PS2 creation, mostly surrounding memory and management of memory and ways to creatively partition the loading of the game so that you could have as much take place as humanly possible,” Langteau said. “For example, if you were in the submarine, and you were going car by car or section by section, we’d have you climb a ladder so that we could load the upstairs, or we would have a steel door with a wheel on it that had to be opened in a certain way, through a couple of steps that would slow things down while we loaded the next section of the submarine. The same thing was true when you’re riding the train, and you’re going car by car, through the train car later in the game. We constantly had those problems with memory that were consistently tackled by engineering lead Ike Macoco.” The bigger problems during the Frontline cycle had little to do with the actual technology powering the game’s development. Inside EA, there was another war brewing altogether. “They were thinking a bit for the ­long-term and how to make it bigger and even more successful. We were working crazy hours. This was the game that broke the team. Now, it would be wrong of me to lay all of this hard work and all of these hours, solely at the feet of executives, who Langteau’s work on several shooters made him an wanted this franchise to be as big as icon in the PS2 era.



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possible,” Langteau admitted. “We were the ones designing the scope of the game. We were the ones who could have decided to make the game shorter and less intricate, but we were passionate about what we were making. We were young. We were excited. We loved that it was a hit and the prospects for our careers were largely rooted in how good these games were going to be at the early stages of these careers. “We were pushing ourselves very hard, and you know, many of our own design decisions resulted in really long hours. It’s not just about the big, bad game publishers making the teams work around the clock. We were working 18 plus hours a day. We’d go home just to sleep and come right back. If we even did go home … many of us had sleeping bags in our offices and were sleeping under our desks. There were few to no weekends off. We were working to meet major deadlines to make sure that the game came out on time for the next holiday season. The game cycle was about two years in the making. I would say at least for the last year, it was crazy difficult, and it broke a lot of people’s backs for lack of a better expression.” As a result, the team ultimately created one of the best military shooters of all time and realized they were better off taking their services somewhere else. “But what it really came down to was the team was starting to realize that if we were going to work this hard, we might want to work on something for ourselves, which started the sort of underground, no pun intended, conversations about, would it be possible to quit and set out on our own and create a team externally to make video games that would ultimately benefit us and have reasonable working hours and have a stake in what we were making for the ­long-term,” Langteau said. “This ultimately ended up being what took place at the end of Frontline with me leaving, followed by a few others, who were going to found Spark Unlimited, and eventually resulted in 28 members all resigning on the same day and coming over to join Spark Unlimited. This was a real leap of faith because, of course, ­start-ups are very risky, and this new company did have to weather numerous challenges in its strong run of roughly 12 years.” Although the success of Spark Unlimited resulted in titles such as Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, Ninja Gaiden Z and Lost Planet 3, Langteau believes the work on Frontline made many of their future achievements possible. Taking the gameplay experience to new levels, according to Langteau, was one of their biggest goals. Much of that, in its own way, is personally connected to Langteau. “I worked with a great team, and I think it was that daily, ­family-like collaboration creating a wonderful gaming experience that has lasted well enough for people to still be asking me about its creation is a good sign,” Langteau added, “that those things that I was responsible for doing as the producer helped support the larger team’s work and result in a great gaming experience that people remember. There are a few things that I brought into the game because of who I am theatrically. For example, Medal of Honor: Underground … we had a female Marlene ­Dietrich–type singer singing a song called ‘Each Night He Comes Home to Me.’ We did another song for Frontline called ‘The Songless Nightingale,’ which I worked on with Michael Giacchino, the composer who we worked very closely together on the scores for all of these Medal of Honor games and actually the first console edition of Call of Duty. We loved doing songs together, and I would always do lyrics, and he would, of course, do the music. When we recorded in Seattle, we had a ­25-member choir and a young boy named Anders sing the lead. He must’ve been all of ten or 11 with this gorgeous falsetto voice. The song on the soundtrack is beautiful. I had flown my parents to Seattle to watch the orchestra being recorded. It was a really fantastic moment seeing my dad standing there

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with this massive video camera perched on his shoulder, videotaping everything. At that time, it literally was the size of a small backpack.” The music in Frontline, collaboration aside, is distinctive to him for a variety of other reasons. “I really think that in the development of this score, Michael Giacchino, you may recognize his work in the 2022 Batman film, was at his very best,” Langteau said. “He was at the peak of his musical composition skills for video games here for his work on Frontline. I think he had a very strong connection to the storyline and to the game itself. His pieces are truly inspired. The opening theme for the game is lengthy and takes time to build. I was fairly anxious when we played it to the team and some execs for the first time, fearing that some of them were going to think that it was a bit long and maybe too slow to get started or worse—a little bit boring. I didn’t know if they were going to listen closely enough and invest themselves in the journey of it as a composition. I sold them too short because everyone was crazy about it and moved by the entire score—which, to me, was inspired from start to finish. “There’s not an uninteresting moment on it. When you get to ‘Arnhem Knights,’ that piece just breaks your heart, and it’s so strong and powerful. It’s clear when you’re listening to it, that through our conversations with Michael and through his time spent with the team and with myself working level from level, that he really had a good connection to the material and just created something quite moving that you can go back and listen to today as just a really good piece of orchestrated music. The score for Frontline won the AIAS award, Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, for best score that year. Michael’s work paid off, at least in the sense that it was indeed appreciated by the industry at large.” When the game’s music and the story worked together, Langteau believes that’s when it was at its best. “I believe that the ‘Arnhem Knights’ level, the last level in the Bridge Too Far mission, which also has the gorgeous Nijmegen Bridge level is really the heart of the game. It’s where the soul is—where all of the elements like design, environment, effects, music and sound all work seamlessly together to work some magic. A shout out needs to happen here to David Prout, whose environment work on these levels was truly outstanding for the time. We took a big risk on Arnhem in having the slow and ­somber-themed music and sometimes not actual music at all. It was so emotional and ­heart-rending, especially with young Anders’ solo falsetto voice echoing through the streets. We had to really fight to let this music remain in the level because there was early and strong opposition from some executives to not do it that way—to follow the ­tried-and-true path of action music! But the contrast of that super somber, emotionally quiet music made the level, and it is still the level people talk about today, as possibly the best level in the game,” Langteau said. “So, thank you, Michael Giacchino and Eric Kraber, who helped put up the big fight for this level to be what it became.” While the music is still celebrated to this day as some of the finest to ever appear in a video game, Langteau believes it is ultimately the story that keeps players coming back. “The team’s designers and environment artists under the direction of Chris Cross and David Prout had designed and envisioned a really beautiful story arc for Medal of Honor: Frontline. It surrounded the Bridge Too Far scenario,” Langteau noted. “If you’ve seen the movie, A Bridge Too Far, it was essentially Operation Market Garden, which was a military operation primarily in the Netherlands, under the direction of Field Marshall Montgomery and strongly supported by Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt. This airborne operation was meant to eventually take nine bridges along the way through the Netherlands and gain access into Germany. We had an entire game laid out on this premise, and it was a good one and had a great emotionally invested gameplay arc.”



Scott J. Langteau, Medal of Honor: Frontline165

At the same time, there was a series of developments that changed the game’s plot tremendously and added another level of stress to the already heavily taxed team. “Then Medal of Honor: Allied Assault comes along on the PC and has huge success with their opening three ­D-day levels. Well, you can almost guess what happens next. Our production cycle was thrown asunder as all of the executive minds at work came to us and said we need to add two levels of ­D-Day. We fought and fought to protect the schedule and our vision of the Market Garden mission structure, but we lost the battle, and they helped bolster our chances for success by providing additional production staff,” Langteau said. “They brought over a special team to help create the added ­D-Day missions, but it still elongated our schedule and brought some problems into the game not to mention squeezing the game onto the disc. I was given the unenviable task of justifying this in the overarching game fiction and story timeline that would be further laid out in the gameplay manual included with the game. “I’m not going to try to find a way to say that it worked entirely. It is probably ludicrous to most people, the way we had Jimmy Patterson land in a Higgins boat, at the shores of Normandy and then somehow find his way onto a plane to paratroop behind enemy lines and fight his way to the Netherlands. It was rather ridiculous in my estimation, but I had to do it. That’s the way it was. I remember that EA brought in a couple of Hollywood writers to work on fleshing out the dialogue, and it was initially just for the ­D-Day levels, but then somehow they started reviewing all of the other levels and offering their creative input on changes to the levels, ­story-wise and ­gameplay-wise. But at this point, the game was largely done. Every time a suggestion was made that our executives thought was a good idea, we either had to find a way to ­side-step it because there wasn’t time, or we had to find a way to cram it into the level. Thankfully, there wasn’t much spare time to make a whole lot of changes, and we were still able to, essentially, ship the game we had planned from the start. “We managed to get those levels in, get them tested and ship the game. Gamers loved the opening ­D-Day additions, and it helped propel sales. I’m sure of that.” Just like the game’s music, Langteau found a way to put something personal into the already packed game. And, like his work with the score, it ended up creating an exceptional moment. “In the Needle in the Haystack mission, the paratrooper who meets with Jimmy Patterson and guides him through the level is based on my uncle, Gerald Langteau. His name in the game is Jerry Langteau, and he is based on my uncle, who was actually a paratrooper in World War II,” Langteau shared. “One of the great liberties you get to take when you’re a producer, is that you can insist that your uncle who fought in World War II makes an appearance in the game. Thanks for your service, Uncle Jerry!” Those weren’t the only small plot moments that continue to put a smile on Langteau’s face all these years later. “Frontline players will probably remember the ­knife-wielding German chef that makes his first appearance in the submarine, throwing steak knives and meat cleavers at the player. He was a brainchild of our crazy designers, and he was animated by the amazing Ken Angliongto under the direction of the amazingly creative Sunil Thankamushy. Ken was a quiet, yet crazy Filipino guy on the team, and he would sneak into the team room, and he would do outlandish cartoons of people on the team, lampooning recent things they either said or did,” Langteau joked. “More often than not, they were of myself saying something stupid, being overly stressed or upset, or telling the team another one of my crazy dreams, which I used to share at the start of our daily morning team meetings. But Ken just had a great sense of humor and an amazing animation style for humor. This chef appears in three or four missions during the game, and each time he

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comes back, having survived the previous mission, he appears more bruised, battered and more scraped up until I think he’s finally taken down near the end of the game, but so much fun! I know that a lot of gamers love him.” Sure, the story and music were pivotal to the experience, but visually, Frontline was an absolute industry leader at the time. That’s something Langteau is proud of as well. “I’m critical of a lot of games that I’ve worked on, but as I look through this game level by level, I just see that each level has something great to offer,” Langteau considered. “I mean the submarine and then the fields with the windmills. It was just beautiful. Then the Arnhem Knights, the nighttime on the beautiful Nijmegen bridge in the fog, the train ride and battle with Sturmgeist over the ­HO-IX. There’s just so much in this game that was the right choice.” Those small touches created some wonderful moments away from the core game, but according to Langteau, Electronic Arts weren’t fans of many of the game’s extra features and Easter eggs. That, however, doesn’t change how he feels about the game’s final product. “I think that the executives at EA didn’t like a lot of the hidden extras that we put in the game and thought that probably a number of them were sort of trashy. … There was one that the engineers produced called Bit Chat,” Langteau recalled. “I believe that they did this mock talk show … some late, late night when they were exhausted from working around the clock. It shows in this goofy little—I don’t even know what to call it—I guess it’s a skit. It was included in the PS2 version as well. I think many of the extras, if not all of them, were removed from the other versions. Personally, I would like the game to be remembered as one of the best entertaining and most fun video game experiences created for the PlayStation 2 console. “I would also love for it to be remembered as one of the greatest games ever, but we can all wish for things. I love the game. It’s my favorite game that I worked on in my career. It was with the greatest assembly of talent I’ve worked with before or since. There are just so many fond memories associated with it. I just love it when I see read or hear people who remember the game and talk about how much they enjoyed it and how fondly they remember it, how they felt and what they experienced while they were playing it.” The time and effort put forth by the entire team is something Langteau is still proud of to this day, but he cites their efforts as consistent throughout development. They never stopped working their hardest. They always brought their best. As a result, some of his most interesting moments of the cycle were different from other games he’s worked on. “It’s a bit strange, but one of the strongest memories I have of working on this game is sitting alone in an office room upstairs at the EA offices in Bel Air, California, using a version of the game that the engineers had rigged so that I could press two buttons on the controller at the same time and take a screenshot of the moment that I was experiencing in the game. And I would spend hours upon hours upon hours through the night doing this because we needed to get screenshots for online articles and for magazine articles and promotion of the game and more. These shots had to be the best possible shots we could get and show the game in the most accurate light possible,” Langteau said. “So of course, we were trying to capture moments where enemies were in ­high-intensity action, and we had an impressive weapon on the screen, and hopefully there was an explosion going on, or hopefully there was an exciting bit of action taking place, or hopefully I was able to capture some muzzle flash from the weapon I was using. A lot of times I had to go to an artist on the team, Steve Firchow, and ask him to modify the screenshots for use in these articles. He would always look at me funny as if modifying them was a cheat. “In a way, at times, it was. And, many gamers were often suspicious of screenshots



Scott J. Langteau, Medal of Honor: Frontline167

from games if they were accurate or not, but we never once really painted up a screenshot to mimic something that wasn’t there or wasn’t going to happen on screen or in the game. What Steve would do would be to maybe use his artistic Photoshop skills to capture a muzzle flash that was in a previous shot and paste it into a shot where I loved the action that was taking place but missed out on capturing my muzzle flash, things like that. I just remember the pain of taking hundreds and hundreds of shots and going through them one by one, examining them and trying to find the very best to show the world. If you’re looking at screenshots online and promotional preview articles or review articles at the game, or the walkthrough manual for the game or the back of the disc box or anything like that, I am the one who took those ­screen-captures from the game. I hope you like them!” With everything the game had going for it, you’d expect that internally, the team would have been treated like rock stars, especially considering the prior success of the franchise. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. “We were stamping out the last of the bugs, and I was sitting in my associate producer’s office, and my executive producer came in, and he said to me, earnestly, ‘Is this game going to be any good?’ My associate producer and my jaws just dropped a little, and we looked at each other, and we didn’t know what to say because we knew that the game was awesome,” Langteau admitted. “At least we felt it was. We knew it had so much variety, and the gameplay was fun, and it was ­action-packed, and it was long enough, and it was going to really make Medal of Honor fans happy, we thought. Ultimately, we were right, and the reviews and sales supported that. “We were really surprised because in our minds if you had played the game much at all, you would have known that it was going to be really good and really well received. Subsequently, ­fast-forwarding months after it was released and much like Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: Underground, it was lauded by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences with awards for its outstanding musical scores and sound design. “As I remember returning to work in the days after the award ceremony and running into the same executive producer in the hallway and mentioning to him that it was so cool that we had one for those awards, his only response was, ‘Yeah, but it’s not game of the year.’” But even before all the awards Frontline would receive, the game’s initial release proved to be unique. The signs were all there that the game was going to be a hit. “One of the signs that we had met expectations and actually exceeded expectations is that I remember us debuting ahead of FIFA, which also launched the same week,” Langteau noted. “We came in ahead of FIFA sales, which was completely unexpected and thrilling for everybody involved.” The reasons for the game’s eventual accomplishments are many. It’s ­fine-crafted from top to bottom. But Langteau believes that, in the end, it was the camaraderie of the team and their dedication to the original game’s goals that made it what it became. “It’s interesting because all these years later, I’m still friends with many of the team members that I worked with on all of the Medal of Honor titles. Many of them are still very close friends of mine, and we don’t see each other as often, but we’re all still relatively closely located in Southern California. There was, recently, just before Covid hit, a reunion of sorts at a bar in downtown Los Angeles, where someone had arranged for the entire top floor of a restaurant to stage this reunion,” Langteau said. “Many of us met and laughed and screamed and regaled old war stories and just really enjoyed each other’s company reminiscing about old times. It really was like we had served a long tour of duty together. It’s interesting. We always joked that we worked on World War II games for a hell of a lot longer than the war ever lasted.

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“Those years that we did all that work and all that time and all that study and all that immersion in World War II and digging into the authenticity of certain missions and making sure we got the weapons correct, making sure we got the scenarios as closely related to actual occurrences as possible. It’s almost as if we did our tour of duty in terms of honoring the history and those who sacrificed in bringing these stories to life, which was Steven Spielberg’s ultimate goal when he began the initial creative thoughts on the series as the first game was to coincide with Saving Private Ryan. But the initial goal was always to honor those who fought by creating as accurate depictions of those battles or historical scenarios as possible while still understanding that we were creating a game. It wasn’t ever going to be just a shoot ’em up game. It was going to have depth and integrity and important storytelling. There’s a lasting effect on me in terms of the friends I’ve made along the way, but also my absolute respect and admiration for all of those veterans, scholars and military advisors we worked with and had an opportunity to speak with and who shared their stories with me and the team to help make these games as good as they could be. I have really fond memories of it all. Overall, one of the lessons I ultimately learned and that many of us learned is that it really didn’t seem to matter where you went to work in the game industry, because it was all hard work. But no matter where you were, if your heart was in it, you were still doing what you loved and could be a part of making a great and lasting gaming experience. “People always would say to me, who were not in the industry, ‘Oh, wow. It’s so cool. You make video games. You must just play games all day.’ I always had to stop them and say, ‘It is hard, hard work, and it is long, long hours. Yes, you get to play games during the day, but you’re almost always playing your game. You’re playing that same game for hours upon hours each day.’ After two years of playing your game, you rarely want to see it again. “But aside from that, the takeaway was that the industry needed to change because it was just too much torque and required too much of a person’s life to create one of these games. After Medal of Honor: Frontline, due to the EA wives’ lawsuit and other industry pressing changes, more normal work hours were achieved. But what I heard from many of my friends as the years went by was that a lot of the pressure and work hours and deadlines remained in large part consistent with what we have experienced.” Although the Medal of Honor series would continue to be a big seller for Electronic Arts after Langteau and the founding members of Spark Unlimited left, Frontline was—and continues to be its most heralded entry in the series. For Langteau, it represents a pivotal moment in his career and life, a wonderful accomplishment in its own right that made several more possible. “It is one of those games that consistently shows up on top 100 lists of PS2 games. That just tells me that the game had a ­long-standing effect on people and was just really a fun, exciting, ­well-created gamer experience,” Langteau reflected. “I’m very happy about that. Medal of Honor: Frontline is my favorite game on which I worked, and it encompasses some of my greatest video game production memories, as well as some of my most painful video game production memories. I was, of course, thrilled with the success of Frontline because it validated everything that the team believed in the game. Was it validated that it was a fun, exciting, entertaining game that people love to play? Not just in the sales, which ended up being upwards of 7 million, but the review scores and the review details of the game were certainly enough to make you smile and feel that all of your hard work had been worthwhile. You had made something that was really making people happy. So, that always feels fantastic. That said, ultimately, it was mixed feelings because I knew at the close of



Scott J. Langteau, Medal of Honor: Frontline169

Medal of Honor: Frontline that I was leaving and going to be working with a handful of my team leaders in starting an independent video game development house. “So that was bittersweet, knowing that this was going to be the last project I did for Electronic Arts. It was also bittersweet in the fact that I knew how hard everyone had worked and how tired everyone was. I knew that many people were interested in breaking away and not working those kinds of hours anymore and were interested in coming to work for a startup independent developer, where we all had much more control over our schedules and had a more personal stake in the product we were making. “I knew that there was likely to be some big drama to come in the future, as many of the team were about to decide to move on. While I was thrilled that we had made a great game, I also had my mind firmly entrenched on a future that was about to begin for both myself and a number of my closest friends in the industry. As I sit here today, thinking about it, I’m waxing very nostalgic about these levels and the music and the general vibe we created for the game, but mostly about the brothers and sisters in arms who offered up their hearts and souls to get it done.”

Michael Gutmann, SOCOM: US Navy Seals Wait, You Want Multiplayer, Too? You Got It!

There are many influential games on the PS2—and then there are titles directly tied to the legacy of the PS2. Zipper Interactive’s SOCOM: US Navy Seals was both. Utilizing the system’s network adaptor and microphone, it was a bold new step for the home console. Possessing some of the best multiplayer action in the system’s history, as well as a hearty ­single-player campaign, SOCOM: US Navy Seals resonated deeply with fans, resulting in over 3.6 million units sold and sequels on the PS2, PSP and PS3. Sales were important for a variety of reasons. For all intents and purposes, SOCOM: US Navy Seals was not your typical PS2 game. Its list of gameplay features was more in line with a PC game. Being able to receive online updates, it represented a turning point in the home console gaming scene. After SOCOM: US Navy Seals, gamers that owned a PlayStation 2 demanded more. The team at Zipper was more than ready to make sure the game was more than a oneoff. The game’s overall polish was indicative of their future success, and proof that the team at Zipper were comfortable delivering something unique and different on the PS2. Before SOCOM’s breakout success, Zipper Interactive foreshadowed their future prowess working on titles in the Top Gun, MechWarrior and Crimson Skies franchises. Nevertheless, working on the PS2 presented its own unique challenges for the team, who were never expecting to use their PC gaming skills on a Sony console. “When we started working on the original SOCOM, we weren’t even aware that Sony was working on a network adapter for the PS2,” the game’s Engine and AI Programmer Michael Gutmann said. “We had no idea. Then just months from when we thought we’d be done with the game, they said ‘Hey, we’ve got this new device coming out, can you support it?’ At that point, we went into overdrive to add the multiplayer mode to SOCOM. The team as a whole had a great deal of experience in online games given our previous PC titles, but working with a new piece of hardware and network stack certainly added to the challenges.” What’s more, many of the requested new features from Sony ultimately defined the game. As a result of being one of the first to utilize the PS2’s online gameplay capability, it quickly became a fan favorite. Simply put, can you imagine SOCOM without online multiplayers? Sure, the 12 missions that spanned Alaska, Thailand, Congo and Turkmenistan and pit the game’s main character, Kahuna, alongside his teammates, Boomer, Jester and Spectre, were engaging, but the ability to play online on the PS2 was the killer feature that kept players coming back for more. Although the online mode changed the game’s trajectory entirely, Sony wanted even more features. 170



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“While we were adding that, it was suggested we add support for ‘speech recognition.’ While in the process of adding support to the network adapter, we also started integrating speech commands to control the AI,” Gutmann recalled. “This allowed us to issue simple voice commands, ­subject-verb-object: ­Bravo-Deploy-Frag!” With both online capability and speech recognition, SOCOM: US Navy Seals effectively sold the PS2 Network Adaptor almost all by itself. Adding these features was a lot of work for the team at Zipper; however, according to Gutmann, the team weas focused and hungry. For Guttman, being a part of Zipper Interactive was an influential time in his career and the realization of a ­long-time dream. “I was fortunate that my Dad was an electrical engineer and was what you could describe as an ‘Early Adopter’! I remember putting together our first computer from a bag of parts. I believe it was a ‘North Star Horizon.’ I remember getting my first book of games BASIC Computer Games at a local Radio Shack. That solidified my path in gaming, technology, and programming,” Gutmann admitted. “Although I started out as an electrical engineer, I quickly realized that I was more interested in programming and ultimately ended up working on a project ‘Dynamic Terrain and Objects.’ We were building a dynamic, 3D environment where one of the program managers of a sister project, was Brian Soderberg. Brian left to start Zipper Interactive, along with a handful of others, who left to join Brian at Zipper.” Gutmann, once at Zipper, wasted no time and helped on two of the Zipper titles that would help make SOCOM possible. “At Zipper, we typically had two projects in the works at any given time,” Gutmann said. “I believe we had wrapped up MechWarrior 3 and were

Playing with your friends online in SOCOM was a blast.

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close to finishing Recoil, and started into two concepts, both for Sony. Ultimately, one of them was shelved, and the entire team started working on what would become SOCOM.” On the software teams for MechWarrior 3 and Recoil, Gutmann’s responsibilities expanded on SOCOM. It was a challenge he was ready for, despite the responsibilities Sony added right before the end of the development cycle. “I was mainly an engine programmer, and SOCOM was our first PlayStation title, and with that, required lots of updates to the GameZ engine that we had been building since the foundation of Zipper,” Gutmann shared. “I was also the AI programmer, providing designers with as many features as we could come up with to fill out the design requirements for the campaign. Although SOCOM is a ­third-person shooter at its core, it presented more AI challenges because the player was commanding a unit of three other SEALs. Given the limited interface controls, this presented more challenges than most realize. “I would say ‘I made my mark’ as being part of the incredible team that developed SOCOM. This was one of the instances in my career where everyone on the team was working collaboratively towards a common goal, and we just did what needed to be done. We solved hard problems with creative solutions.” The key allure for the Zipper team was one easy to miss in hindsight. At the time of its creation, games of SOCOM’s ilk were exclusively found on the PC. The ­squad-based, online gameplay had never been tried on a home console before. Basically, there wasn’t another game like it. How would the fans react? The answer to that question was the one that had the team on the edge of their seats. “Hmm, what other shooters were there at the time? I think that was one of the biggest questions that SOCOM raised and ultimately answered,” Gutmann said. “There weren’t any shooters at the time, which made SOCOM so exciting and such a risky project. The big question at the time was, would anyone want to play a shooter with a controller.” While we now know the answers to those then difficult questions, the team at Zipper Interactive had their hands full for other reasons as well. “There were so many crazy stories. We had one of our artists get a little ­over-zealous in representing a local beer in one of the game regions,” Gutmann said. “I don’t remember the brand of the beer, but there was a texture of the labels that made its way into the game. Patching in those days was ­non-trivial, but a fun technical challenge! “We also ran into an issue where Gutmann’s work on SOCOM is some of the best ever one of the developers sampled two on the PS2.



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seconds of a track from a band produced by Disney. This turned into a very expensive oversight and was ultimately settled rather than patched. The funny thing is that the band was called the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Let me know if you can find that sample; Disney did.” Those issues aside, the team at Zipper faced even more difficult issues because the game needed to be updated regularly—like most online games still do today. The way the team found a way to fix the ­post-release bugs, however, was nothing short of genius. “Patching a DVD … well, that just doesn’t happen,” Gutmann said. “As a result, all patching was done via the memory card. One of the requirements for playing an online game was that you had to have a memory card, and while I don’t recall how much space we could use—it was enough to update the executable. So, we would have to do all of our patching in blocks of code after levels were loaded.” None of that drama could stop SOCOM: US Navy Seals from being an unbridled success, however. With no other game like it on the console, gamers flocked to it. Admittedly, the online experience wasn’t without its issues; Sony still had ­dial-up connections. So, while using the service wasn’t as polished as it could be, Zipper Interactive did everything they could to ensure they kept gamers happy. “­Post-release was crazy,” Gutmann remembered. “We had to figure out some hard problems pretty quickly to preserve the player experience of the game. I think the biggest two challenges ­post-launch that I remember were finalizing the patching techniques and dealing with the ‘Lag Pedal.’” After all the dust settled, however, Gutmann and the team had all the answers they’d ever need. Selling nearly 4 million units and helping to make the PS2 online experience a worthy one, SOCOM: US Navy Seals was a monster hit. Considering where they started, making a ­single-player, ­third-person shooter, to where they ended up, defining the PS2 online experience essentially all by themselves, they maintained one focus—make a quality game. Looking back, Gutmann admits the team had no idea how well the game would do once released. “To be blunt, we didn’t have any expectations,” Gutmann said. “This was our first PlayStation title, and we were hoping to get the opportunity to do another. It turns out this one caught fire, and we had a chance to build an incredible franchise out of it.”

Kyle Shubel, Killzone A Headless European FPS

When you think of iconic ­first-person shooters in video game history, Killzone may not immediately come to mind, but with entries on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, PS Vita and PlayStation 4, it has certainly carved an undeniable legacy all its own. With an awesome story and more strategic gunplay, it was a departure from the usual ­first-person shooting games of the era, but it quickly garnered a fan base that eagerly awaits its next release. With nearly a million units sold of the original game and over two million for the last entry in the series, Shadow Fall, it’s a franchise that continues to keep gamers enthralled. But, that success did not happen overnight, especially in the flooded console FPS market. Nevertheless, the one thing that Killzone always had on its side was its ability to stand out. As a matter of fact, from the first time he saw it, the original game’s North American producer, Kyle Shubel, knew it was something different. That had a lot to do with the fact that his experiences in the video game business gave him opportunities to get his hands on hundreds of games. He knew what worked and what didn’t. In addition to over two and a half decades of industry experience, way before his entry point in gaming, he was a fan. It was only a matter of time until he found his way into the industry. “I’ve always been a gamer,” Shubel started. “If it has rules, a winner and a loser, I’m in, just out of the gates. I started playing Dungeons and Dragons in 1978. My dad mistakenly bought me an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons book for my seventh birthday, not realizing that it was an actual game. He thought it was just a pretty artbook, so he thought he would get it for me. Next thing you know, I’m buying book after book—that led to my Atari 2600 and just working my way up through all the systems. I was in Texas in the ’80s, where I went to high school and briefly to college when my stepdad got transferred to California, and I moved there with him and bumbled into the largest game shop in Southern California, Gamesmanship, in South Coast Plaza. I got a job there and started going to junior college.” Not only was Gamesmanship a massive store, it was frequented by personalities who would not only change the gaming industry forever but those who would give Shubel his first opportunities to be a part of it. “Well, it turns out that Gamesmanship is a few miles away from Virgin Entertainment, Blizzard and Interplay. Well, at that point, it wasn’t even Blizzard, it was Silicon & Synapse,” Shubel said. “This was like ’91, ’92 and ’93. I went through my fourth Christmas in retail at the largest mall in California. I eventually asked some of my regulars [like] Jeremy Barnes, not even knowing what he did, and it just happens to be that he worked at Interplay. He was the director of quality assurance. I ended up going in for my interview, and he hired me on the spot. The interview was a joke. He really just brought me in and showed me around, because literally, I knew everyone. They all came 174



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to Gamesmanship. We had all the board games and ­role-playing games, and all these guys were gamers. So that was how I bumbled into the industry. Christmas of ’94.” Shubel still remembers his first day like it was yesterday. “I started my first day walking around and getting introduced to people there. I got introduced to Weez, or William Dugan—Wasteland’s scenario designer, Wolfenstein 3D, Descent and Redneck Rampage’s executive producer—as he goes by now. I remember bumping into him with Dave Simon, who was the assistant director of QA, who was giving me a tour around,” Shubel said. “Dugan was pointing at people going, ‘Fuck you, Fuck you, Fuck you.’ Then he sees me and goes, ‘Hey, wait. You’re the Gamesmanship guy. You’re cool, but you, ‘fuck you’ to someone else. That was how I met him. This is just the way Interplay was in the ’90s. It was a high school and a frat house that happened to spit out cool games.” That first day also involved quite a bit of work. Once the tour and introductions were out of the way, Shubel understood what his responsibilities were going to be. To say he was born to do this, would be an understatement. “I get hired. I went into QA, and I started testing my first day. God, my first day in QA, I tested Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure, Mario Teaches Typing and Descent, literally three games in one day. I was coming there to work and then still go to school at night,” Shubel recalled. “It took about three weeks before I went, ‘This is what I want to do.’ Interplay, at that point, was like, ‘How much OT you want to work?’ I mean, wide open. You know, do what you want. If you work 16 hours, we’ll pay you for 16 hours. I started working longer and longer hours. I remember I was a temporary tester for what was supposed to be a month. That lasted a few weeks. I moved from tester to senior tester at the ­three-month mark. They promoted me to assistant lead at the ­four-month mark. I was lead, and pretty much every time that they promote you, they have to go to HR, and they have to go, ‘Hey, we’re going to pay this guy some more money.’

Killzone was a different type of shooter on the PS2.

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“HR was hiring like crazy. I was employee number 67 at Interplay. You got to understand, in late ’94, I was early in the project. By my ­six-month mark, there were 150 people there. By my first year, there were over 200. HR was backlogged hiring people. I still remember getting my sixth or seventh promotion in the first nine months that I was there. Apparently, I was a natural.” Looking back, Shubel knows exactly why he was such a successful tester and why Interplay was a wonderful first opportunity for him. “What it came down to was, I was good at games. I was good at communication. I spoke tech enough, and basically, I could call BS on people. But, that was about it, you know? I don’t remember ever having a problem keeping up with my responsibilities, and that at one point in time, they had to do like seven promotions in a row, lump them all into one and give me back pay, which is what bought my first Mustang,” Shubel shared. “I got to work on a ton of great games. I mean everything from Descent, Loaded and Reloaded, Virtual Pool, VR Soccer, um, got to do Stonekeep, which was awesome. I spent about 15, 16 months in QA. I got to touch so many games. At one point in time, my longest stretch was during Descent to right before launch. I remember working 118 hours, three consecutive weeks in a row. I was going home for a ­four-hour nap, but I was the morning lead ’cause none of the leads could wake up in the morning. So, I’d open up the cabinets, and let everyone in at 8:00 a.m. My dev team was in Illinois and in Michigan. So, we had to fax bug lists, which were just Excel sheets. I had to fax those before 4:00 a.m. because that was 6:00 a.m., their time. That’s when their programmers showed up. “I worked from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. for like three weeks in a row, with little breaks here and there. I finally ended up bumbling into my mentor, who was the senior producer on the Descent franchise, Jacob Russell ‘Rusty’ Buchert, who plucked me out and brought me in as line producer.” Quickly outgrowing his previous position as a tester, Shubel now had different responsibilities, ones that also impacted and changed his life. “I got to touch 30 games in less than 15 months in QA. Literally, it was a blur. The whole thing was a blur. I still remember my first day in production. They pulled me out. They gave me a cube,” Shubel

Killzone had amazing visuals.



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said. “They slapped me down in this cube. Literally, it was a 1990s cube where I can touch my computer monitor, and I could touch the back wall. Rusty wheels this cart in with a ­32-inch CRT TV, massive TV, with a laserdisc player with every single laserdisc of every Star Trek episode of the original series and the first handful of movies. And, he walks in, and he goes, ‘All right, here’s your research material. Here’s an ­800-page script for our video game. I need you to watch every bit of every episode from the start. And basically, get to know Star Trek, intimately. And, read through the script. You have a week.’ “So that was my first week in production. That project was amazing. We were one of the first games to do green screen for video games. We did a ­two-week shooting right off of the Paramount lot. I got to go there and work with Walter Koenig and George Takei and Bill Shatner. God, just getting to be around them for, I think it was like, three weeks straight, was pretty amazing. George Takei would never eat in his trailer. He always ate with the crew. So, he would always come out. I remember having two or three days where I got to eat lunch with George and just talk like humans and then the whole time, you’re like, that’s awesome. That was fun. After Starfleet Academy and Chekov: The Lost Missions, I started handling my own projects like the 15th anniversary for Interplay. A lot of great games. [I] got to work on a bunch of little indie games that, you know … I was working on Game Boy color games back when the fact that it was color was a big deal. That’s how old I am. I remember spending a few weeks in Chicago at a small developer named Run and Gun, making a surfing game for Game Boy Color that never saw the light of day. We were just down the hall from the Black Isle crew, playing video games and playing ­role-playing games. I was in Scott Campbell’s DnD campaign and all of those guys. I still remember getting early access to things like Fallout and Fallout 2 and Icewind Dale. That all happened offices away from me.” Although Interplay gave Shubel his start in the industry, he eventually hit a ceiling there. That changed the trajectory of his career a bit and allowed him to explore a few other companies and opportunities. There were plenty of lessons learned along the way, some that made Shubel appreciate his time at that the first stop in his career a little more. “Interplay

The action in Killzone was often intense.

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grew too fast. It grew into a bureaucracy that it didn’t fully need. This is my opinion,” Shubel stressed. “We ended up bringing in a bunch of people all of a sudden, who were in the middle ranks, into the higher ranks. I was in line to make full producer. Actually, I was already given the title Full Producer and had three really good titles that I was working on, Red Faction being one of them. I remember we got a new director over to our group, and he brought in one of his friends, and that guy since he had more experience, was made a senior producer, and they took my two good games, and gave them to him and left me the problem child. “It was kind of the last straw that broke the camel’s back. I had been frustrated at the time. I got very spoiled early on with the way I flew through line producer, associate producer finally made producer. Then, all of a sudden, I lost all my titles that I wanted, and it was politics in the end. I’m actually still friends with the guys that it all happened with, but it was time for me to leave. At that point, everybody pretty much thought of Interplay as Video Game University. They learned how to make video games, and then they went to Activision or Blizzard or wherever. “Briefly I went into the dot com world, and I went to Go2 systems and headed up their QA group for a few months and realized, oh my God, I need to get back into games. That literally lasted months. I then got a job at CodeFire briefly till I realized that there was some, nefarious, questionable activity going on there. I pulled the ripcord there. I hated the fact that in six months I’ve changed jobs twice, but I landed at Contraband, working with Rebecca Heineman and Scott Campbell again and a bunch of people who I still call friends. We were working on ­first-person shooters with Xbox, and we had a handful of smaller games, but it was a ­10-man shop trying to do craziness in ­2000–03. It was awesome. It was fun. Then the money ran out.” Now without a job, Shubel, ­plenty-seasoned, thanks to his achievements as a tester and a producer at Interplay and Contraband, was ready for something new. His experiences as a producer at Sony proved to be just that and then some. “I remember losing my job and not knowing what to do. I was just going through my divorce at the time, and I remember signing the divorce paperwork and that same week having an interview at Sony for an associate producer job,” Shubel recalled. “It was a couple of steps down from where I had been, but honestly, I didn’t want to be unemployed in LA. I felt like I turned a page with my divorce, and it was finally done. I interviewed and got the job as associate producer, and I dropped right in and started working on Neopets.” Neopets may not be in the same category as many of the other games Shubel has worked on in his career, but it was a journey that showed Sony how dedicated he was to his craft. In a way, without Neopets, Shubel may have never gotten to Killzone. “I’m there for about a week. My boss then goes, ‘All right. I got to go to the developer.’ She gets on a plane, flies to England; 48 hours later, literally she’s only been in the country for 24 hours. She calls me up and goes, ‘So, hey, you have a passport?’ “Yeah. I got a passport, I said. ‘Do you mind traveling?’ “No, I’m fine with that. ‘Get on the next flight to England,’ and she hung up on me, and I kind of went, ‘What, wait, what?’ “So, I get up, and I walk up to the studio director [Allan Becker’s] office, and he’s on the phone. As I stepped towards his door, I saw him on the phone, and I started to turn around, and he waves me in. And he goes, ‘Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay. That’s fine. Bye.’



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“He hangs up the phone. He was on the phone with my boss, Barbara House. She had called him, immediately saying, ‘Get Kyle to England tomorrow.’ I was riding a motorcycle at the time because it was the only way I could get from Orange County where I lived to Santa Monica without a ­three-hour commute each way. Allan basically said, ‘Okay, I got off the phone with Barbara, and I’ve already talked to our people. They got you a plane ticket. You need to be at LAX in three and a half hours.’ “So, I got on the motorcycle with my laptop and my computer. I still remember at one point doing about 90 miles an hour, cutting lanes in between the carpool lane with my keyboard sticking out of my backpack. And, the wind caught the keyboard, and it started to open up my backpack, which had my laptop and everything else in it. Eventually, I got home, packed some stuff, got on a plane, flew to England, caught the train up to Leeds. My boss picks me up at the train station and goes, ‘All right, well, we’ve got to get this build to QA tomorrow. So, we’re working all night.’ At that point, I remember, I hit 43 hours straight. I was literally seeing things. But we got the build to QA. It was a nutty few weeks in England. That was my first trip to Europe, by the way. Never got out much on that trip, except to the Indian restaurant across the street and the pub right next to it.” The long nights were just one part of the Neopets experience. Shubel also became more accustomed to traveling and the intimacies of Sony’s consoles. Those would be important in the future, even if he didn’t know it then. “That was a rough transition, man. That was a rough transition,” Shubel reflected. “They were really good people but saying they’re too intimate with their IP is probably awkward, but true. They were picky about everything. They were like, ‘The ears are too pointy. No, no, the eyes aren’t that shade of blue. They’re this shadow of blue. It shouldn’t be this big.’ We worked on the Neopets game, which led me to several, several months in Leeds with the developer. I can actually still identify the sound of a PlayStation one dev kit popping from overheating. The developer didn’t have really good air conditioning. No one in England has good air conditioning, and it was a heatwave, and we were trying to get the game wrapped up.” Despite the drama around the Neopets cycle, Shubel was grateful for the opportunity and what it prepared him for next, Killzone. Now with a clear understanding of what was being asked of him at Sony, Shubel was ready to work on something bigger. “That’s half the fun. Because when you look at it, we ended up shipping the Neopets PS One game. At that point in time, Sony was a dysfunctional family,” Shubel confessed. “We were a bunch of silos. There was Sony Europe, Sony Japan, and Sony America. They were all separate corporations. There wasn’t a worldwide studio back in 2003. So, a couple of times a year, we’d all get together. We had what we called International Licensing Meetings. “So, we go to the ILM (International Licensing Meeting), and we have all three territories. And basically back then, what happened is … America would say, ‘We’re making a game called God of War.’ And they would say, ‘Europe, would you like it? Japan? Would you like it?’ And, they had the choice to say no. And if they said, yes, you’d get a producer assigned to it in that territory. They’d be able to say, ‘Hey, yeah, you know, you probably shouldn’t do this in Japan, or you probably can’t do this for ESRB, you know?’ Killzone was a touchy subject because SOCOM was a big game at the time. They really were trying to convince Sony America. ‘No, we don’t want it,’ they said. “Back then, there was competition between the studios in America, like hardcore, about who had a better year, and they would actually place little side bets and have fun with it. So basically, Connie Booth was like, ‘No, no, we don’t want Killzone for America; we don’t need it.’ Allan Becker was like, ‘Well, I don’t really have any producers for this.’ ’Cause we

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were focused on God of War, which we’re really trying to ramp that up. The internal studios are there, and we only have these three or four people in our extra external group. We also had Gran Turismo in development, and so Barbara House and I said, ‘We’ll do it. I’ve done ­first-person shooters before, and I’m on board.’ So, Barbara and I took that one over and got to meet the Guerrilla guys, who were Lost Boys games before they merged. That began a nutty five years. I think there was about a ­three-year span there where I spent one week out of every six to eight weeks in Amsterdam.” From the first time Shubel played the game, he understood that it would have an audience. He knew that contrary to what some at Sony believed at the time, those playing SOCOM wouldn’t be playing Killzone. “I loved that they made it feel like World War II, but they pulled it into the future,” Shubel said. “They had a somewhat compelling story behind it. That was really hard to tell on PS2. It wasn’t until it, Killzone 2 and 3 that we actually got to tell you why the Hellghast and the ISA disliked each other. Why is there all this hatred? Why did the wars happen? Why do they look like crazy Nazis from space? You know, stuff like that. For me, it was an immediately compelling game. I didn’t look at SOCOM as the competition. I looked at Halo.” Far from relying on stealth and ­online-based gameplay, which SOCOM thrived on, Shubel had completely different vibes from Killzone. “I loved it,” Shubel recalled. “I loved the fact that it felt far more grounded. In reality, when you ran, it felt like you were a dude running in 70 pounds of armor with 40 pounds of gear, you know? Everybody bitched about the lack of a jump button, but have you ever tried to jump with 120 pounds of crap on you?” Coordinating the North American version of the game that some at Sony admitted they didn’t necessarily want, Shubel’s job got a lot tougher. “I would fly out and spend three to five days in Amsterdam, a couple of days in London, then I would fly home,” Shubel said. “Now, if you look at the other games on my calendar, I also started working on Shadow of the Colossus in 2005. 2005 was a good year because I was just coming off Killzone shipping, rolled right onto Rise of the Kasai and then on to Shadow and Genji: Dawn of the Samurai. Shadow and Genji were going to be shipping nearly simultaneously. But Killzone was a challenge because it was very European. In Europe, the network adapter just came out. SOCOM was one of the only games that used it. That made marketing in the US say the only way we’ll pick up Killzone is if you put it in multiplayer … the game ships in nine months.” Shubel still remembers his response, a ­one-word, “Wow,” but he also remembers how quickly Guerrilla was to answer the call. This was a developer that wanted their game to be played in the United States. “There was a flurry of activity. At that point, PS2 was so much bigger in the US than in Europe. Guerrilla was like, ‘We’ll do anything you need to get to America.’ They agreed to it, and they threw a bunch of people at it. I remember Tibor den Ouden spending so much time with Michiel van der Leeuw, who basically was trying to figure this all out. I remember them literally bolting on multiplayer. We pick this game up in what would have been January, I believe, or February. And, we had to show single and multiplayer at E3.” At one point, Shubel remembers, Sony didn’t think Guerrilla could actually pull it off. To prove them wrong, the developer needed to make sure they surrounded themselves with people who believed in the mission and possessed the positivity they needed to get the job done. “We had a couple of Japanese counterparts in marketing there. I remember one of the ­higher-ups in marketing, who was less technical saying, ‘We can’t fit ­multi-player; this is going to be too tight. I don’t think we can show multiplayer at E3. It’s only six weeks away.’



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I remember her basically saying, ‘Can’t you just put it in later? Just gray it out,” Shubel said. “‘It’s just an API, right?’ I still remember the studio director under Herman Hulst looking at her and bursting out laughing. I mean that deep belly laugh, the uncontrollable type. And, he didn’t stop. He kept laughing, for 60 seconds. He had to take a deep breath. He kept laughing. At about the ­two-minute mark, she got up and walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed from her walk out of the room, he stopped laughing and goes, ‘Okay, now let’s have the meeting.’ And, it was just one of those, God, I’m so uncomfortable right now. But you know, it was that kind of crazy. My only regret on this one would be that I wish we’d had more time. But yes, it was a fun run. It was a great team and a fun story.” Unfortunately for Shubel and the rest of the team, that year’s E3 presented a slew of its own issues. None helped the team that was hard at work trying to make the nearly impossible, possible. “So, they figured out a way in less than 90 days to get it multiplayer, capable and running. I still remember the PlayStation 2’s at the time were, at the time, prone to overheating,” Shubel shared. “They’re inside a plastic box at E3, and the network adapter made it even hotter. And this game, whenever it overheated, the processors got really chunky and that caused a crash. We had a hole in the plastic box, so you could reach in and hit the reset button, so you didn’t have to open the whole display. At one point, we didn’t have the PlayStation branded sticks to reach in and reset it. We had to have guys with keys come over and reboot it. They acted like those pokers were prized possessions. It took me until the last day of E3 to get one of these plastic sticks on a lanyard that I really felt like a monkey using a stick on an anthill to get a snack. “What I did the first night, as soon as I realized this was going to be a problem, I went for Chinese food that night, and I grabbed six pairs of chopsticks, and I gave them to all of my guys working in the booth. We would literally reach in and reset the game, but I mean the game played so well until it overheated, and it was heating up ’cause it was in a plastic box. Come on, there wasn’t inadequate ventilation. That was a crazy E3. Then, we had to do the death march to get it out that fall. That was a nutty, nutty year.” ­Post-E3, the team’s struggles continued, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t laugh off. The hard work had already been completed. “We were up against it to make the final. I remember burning the disks and slapping them in. I don’t know why I did it, but as soon as I booted up … I landed in that first mission where you’re on the beachhead, and you’re starting to rush up. The first thing I did was I turned around. As soon as I turned around all of the ISA soldiers had no heads. They’re the most detailed thing in the game. So, from a level of detail loading standpoint, you drop the environment in, you drop the people in, and then you’d drop one of the more detailed things, their heads and faces in. It was just taking too long to load because there was so much in the environment. I remember seeing these headless ISA behind me and just bursting out. I mean, I started laughing so much, and I immediately picked up my cell phone, and I called Michiel van Der Leeuw in Europe going. ‘It’s the headless horseman.’ I remember Mikael answering the phone. He’s the lead programmer. He’s just, like, going, ‘What, what are you saying? I can’t understand you.’ I was like, ‘Guys, I’ve been up for about 26, 28 hours.’ “At that point, I hand the phone to Barbara, and Barbara is trying to convey it. My laughter was contagious. She starts laughing, and he just starts saying, ‘It’s not funny,’ with his Dutch accent. He said it over and over again until I finally could calm down and explained to him that, if you turned around, the headset and stream pan, and he’s like, ‘Okay, I’ll just add three seconds to load time.’ He had a solution in moments. That’s why I loved working with Michiel and that whole team, but I still remember, I can still talk to

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Barbara or any of the guys on the team and go, ‘It’s not funny,’ and they will all burst out laughing. And, that was 17 years ago.” That moment happened because Shubel was more than a producer. He was a fan of games, and he was an accomplished tester. But he was also a man who could communicate with people of all different backgrounds. Harnessing that skill, he feels, was a big part of his experience with Killzone. “When it came down to it, Killzone really taught me how Sony worked,” Shubel reflected. “It taught me how networking worked at Sony. It taught me how international relationship building worked. We take for granted that I can send you an email, and you’ll get me a response in half an hour, an hour. If you send an email to Europe, and it’s not clear, and you’re dealing with potentially a language barrier … I mean, the Dutch speak impeccable English, but it is their second language. If I send an email with a question that isn’t crystal clear, and they’re eight, nine hours ahead of me, and they don’t get it before they go home that night, they aren’t going to respond till the next day, which isn’t going to be until I get it tomorrow. Then, I’m going to clarify it. I still to this day have changed the way I write emails because of Killzone and that ­eight-hour time difference. Wow. In fact, I’m accused of being excessively wordy in my emails. There is no question, no ambiguity in emails I send.” Selling nearly a million copies, Killzone was a triumph. This doesn’t mean Shubel doesn’t wonder how things could have been if the team had more time. “We didn’t pick it up in the previous ILM. Then, we had to have more time networking it,” Shubel said. “But no, the only regrets I have in that game was that we crammed so much in so fast. It was my first game that I ever had a day, one patch. That is not a milestone that any producer likes to hang their hat on, but when it came down to it, finishing that game in nine months, from where it was to where it released, without multiplayer would have been a tight squeeze, but adding multiplayer, too? I still remember at one point going over to Europe a couple months in, and we were having all sorts of problems.” Once development was over, Shubel understood that this game was significantly different from the other FPS available on the PS2 at the time. While it’s hard to judge if its uniqueness was its biggest selling point, Shubel is proud that the game was embraced in North America despite being extremely foreign in gameplay. “The original Killzone caught a lot of flack for needing too many bullets. Basically, it was one of those, well, these guys are in body armor, and we were trying to embrace it, and we didn’t want to add the ­one-tap wonders. At that point, we remember we were still in the Unreal. I can jump 30 feet in the air, and I can shoot you, and hit you once and you’re dead,” Shubel recalled. “The Europeans were like, ‘No, this should be more hardcore, and not hardcore, in that I can snipe you in one shot. We want there to be some battle. It should be a dog fight. I don’t think that dog fight the Europeans feel that they achieved was adequately communicated to the US public to a degree. People, still to this day go, ‘Man, it just took too many bullets.’ “That’s a very American thing to say. It took too many bullets. But, I love that we got the chance to tell the story and everything else that happened.” Going on to serve on teams that produced countless gems from Sony in the years that followed, including Little Big Planet, Rise of the Kasai, Gran Turismo (PSP) and Shadow of the Colossus, Shubel has absolutely left his mark on the industry. At the same time, the team responsible for Killzone left its mark on him as well. “I loved it for the art style and the story and the background. And honestly, I genuinely grew to love all of the guys at Guerrilla. They became family to a degree,” Shubel shared.



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“At one point, I actually considered leaving Sony to go work at Guerrilla before they were bought. It was just one of those, ‘God, do I really want to move to Europe and live in Amsterdam, which sounds awesome, but it was one of those, my family and I have so many friends?’ It was really the art style, the story and the dev team. As the dev team grew and became even more like family … [I mean,] Herman Hulst, Killzone managing director … I still have his cell phone number. I still ping him periodically on his birthday and such. Whenever we’re at a place together, we grab a drink together and catch up.”

Paul Guirao, Dead to Rights Defining the ­Cover-Based Shooter

On the surface, the video game exploits of officer Jack Slate and his ­K-9 partner Shadow in the PlayStation 2 game Dead to Rights is easily confused with many other ­third-person shooters of the console’s era, but after a few minutes of actual gameplay, it proves to be an original, innovative and entertaining noir shooter. With frenetic shooting and strategic ­cover-based gameplay, it was a game that was ahead of its time for a variety of reasons. While Max Payne, Stranglehold, Gears of War and even a ­first-person shooter such as The Darkness all earn points for being distinctive shooters that managed to tell captivating stories with a mix of different abilities for the player to mess with, Dead to Rights was able to do more than merely slowing down the action and propelling a captivating narrative. Adding a level of speed, precision and strategy to the shooting, Dead to Rights was a far different experience, one that undoubtedly influenced a legion of games that came after it. Selling over 1.4 million units on the PlayStation 2 as well, it was certainly appreciated by fans. It was also an uncommon game for many of the people who worked on it, including Level Designer Paul Guirao. For him, it served as a springboard to a completely different career path in the industry and at Namco. “I had come to the end of my tenure in the localization department. I was sort of in an abyss at the time since I didn’t know what to do. I had been put on a project known as Time Crisis: Project Titan as a scripter,” Guirao said. “I scripted one level, but that project had many issues. I was eventually pulled off the project as it was turned over to a small Japanese team to finish. My boss, who was the localization director, asked me what I wanted to do with my career because he knew I couldn’t be in localization forever since I didn’t speak the language. I expressed to him my interest in becoming a developer and making games. Around this time, Namco’s internal team, Dead to Rights, was assembling its core group of designers. Prior to this, I previously worked with the producers to help greenlight the project, assisting them with creating vignettes of what the game was to be about. I developed a close relationship with them, and when they mentioned they were looking for designers, I jumped at the chance to join the team. I literally told my boss, ‘I want to be on Dead to Rights (DTR), and he made it happen. Now mind you, my experience as a game designer was limited; I had only worked on Time Crisis: Project Titan. I had no idea what I was stepping into, but I’m glad I took that chance. It was the best decision I made.” While Guirao may have been new to level design, he was not a newbie in the industry. Working on a ton of games for Namco as a tester and on the localization team for offerings including Tekken 3, Treasures of the Deep and Tekken Tag Tournament, he was more than 184



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capable of understanding what the team’s eventual goals were for Dead to Rights. “Thirdperson shooters were often the same: move around, find a target and shoot! ­Cover-based shooting really wasn’t a thing back then,” Guirao observed. “There weren’t many out there. If there was, they weren’t very good, at least to what I recall. We didn’t invent cover shooters, but games such as N64’s Winback and Time Crisis greatly influenced us as to what cover could provide for an action, ­arcade-style game. What really caught my eye on this game was the ­high-octane, ­bullet-laced gunplay! We wanted to recreate the experience found in many Hong Kong action movies of the ’90s and early 2000s as well as the fun, ­bullet-loaded movies of the ’80s, such as Commando, Rambo and even Die Hard. Dead to Rights had several mechanics that stood out: ­cover-based, ­bullet-time shooting, weapon disarms and one of my personal favorites, the toss and shoot mechanic.” Guirao still remembers how he felt when he first saw the game in action. “I was really excited when I first saw it. I helped out with the pitch video, where we took a lot of reference videos from ­high-octane, action flicks, especially movies from Hong Kong and the great action hero genre of the ’80s. We wanted to do all the cool action seen in those movies from sliding on tables to jumping onto a rolling cart gunning down the bad guys. We watched a lot of John Woo movies,” Guirao recalled. “The mechanic that made it into the game was called the toss and shoot, where we picked up explosive containers like a fire extinguisher and tossed them at the enemies, then shot it while in the air for a massive explosion. That really got me going because I had never seen anything like that done in a game before. Usually, these objects were stationary, and you just had to shoot them for the same results. The ability to pick up, throw, then shoot the canister just blew my mind.” Once Guirao started working on the game, however, his work wasn’t just on the design end. The team found some interesting ways to get him involved. “The animators needed some reference on how the player can disarm the enemies that would look cool and painful at the same time. I was volunteered with another designer, who had some Wushu training, to provide some sample clips,” Guirao shared. “I was put in a lot of awkward and sometimes painful positions as I was disarmed time and time again with our resident stunt director! This was all filmed on camera so that the animators could turn them into Quicktime movies and use Thanks to an awesome cover system, DTR was unique. for reference. What comes next is

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funny. Marketing needed some ­behind-the-scenes footage of how games were made. Our producers provided them with the disarm mechanic footage we just filmed. Little did I know this archive of videos would be used on a locally produced Tech TV show in the San Francisco Bay Area. I only found out it was being used because I soon got a lot of phone calls from my friends all saying the same thing, ‘DUDE! I just saw you getting your ass kicked on TV!’” Aside from putting his body on the line for the game, Guirao was thrown headfirst into the world of level design. For him, it was an experience that took him out from his comfort zone as a tester and localization specialist. At the same time, his years of experience as a tester helped him as a designer. “My primary duty was a level designer,” Guirao said. “I just created levels on paper and handed them over to the art team to create. We didn’t have Maya at the time, and some of us were inexperienced using 3D applications … it was expensive to get licenses during that period. We were using Soft Image at the time for ­world-building but also … for level scripting. We soon learned that this design pipeline became a real pain in the ass. We used Soft Image to put points of interest in the world, such as NPC pathing and NPC spawn locations, then compiled the level. “The problem with this: we were working inside the actual art file, which meant if an artist was working on the file, we would have to wait for them to check any changes before we got our hands on it and the same vice versa. If we were working on the art file, they couldn’t. On top of that, we didn’t have a server farm. It took quite some time to compile levels, often taking anywhere between ­one-two hours to create. This often led us to taking long lunches while we waited. Many problems arose from this because if you made one tiny mistake in the art file, it would need to be fixed and then recompiled. Yes, this meant sitting around for another two hours. Since we’re a ­text-based scripting system, syntax in the art file mattered greatly. Syntax errors would cost you time! This led us to the development of our own proprietary level editor, and where I left my mark on the game. “As an unseasoned designer, I was tasked to work with the engineering tools team to create a level editor to improve our design workflow. Mind you, I was pretty clueless on what a level editor was or even how it should work. I just learned on the fly. We created a level editor that would import the level collision from the primary art file. The imported collision file gave our designers a barebones visual of their level. While the editor was basic, it allowed us to place nulls in the world without having to touch the primary art file. We can now add cover points, where both the player and NPC could hide, NPC paths, NPC spawn points, trigger volumes, etc. The editor also allowed designers to create a custom nav mesh. Back then, we did this by hand. The level editor sped up designer productivity by 1000 times.” This could have been an extra stressful situation, but Guirao was at a place in Namco that fostered creativity at the time. For him, figuring it out made the development cycle an enjoyable one. “It was a very ­family-oriented scene at Namco during this time. Namco Hometek had just launched ­Pac-Man World and Ms. ­Pac-Man Maze Madness with success,” Guirao reported. “Those two titles allowed Namco to begin the development of two more titles, Dead to Rights and Killswitch. It felt really good that Namco was opening the doors to different genres for their internal teams, and it brought a lot of excitement. The idea of knowing that we could create AAA products as one of Namco’s internal teams was such a great honor. The Namco Japan teams have pumped out so many legendary games that we felt one day we could be part of that group of legendary Namco developers.” This atmosphere bred a ton of creativity, and Guirao and the team absolutely fed off of



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one another. One of the biggest things gamers say about Dead to Rights is how rewarding the gunplay is. There’s a reason for that. “Most of the funny stories that occurred during the dev cycle really had nothing to do with the game, but more of what we did as a team,” Guirao admitted. “Airsoft became very popular on the team as we used airsoft weapons as our reference guide to how weapons should act and feel in the game since real firearms weren’t allowed at work. Because of this, we would set up an airsoft target range in the office and just unload BBs at targets throughout the design area. It was like a carnival! Many of us would show up with our favorite airsoft guns just to show off. “One of the better stories that came out of this was our indoor golf course. One of the designers found a golf set that used birdies instead of golf balls. This was like a kid’s toy set, but we used this as stress relief and turned the design room into a driving range. At first, we set up the office like a golf course, but over time we all realized we just wanted to smash the birdie. Now, mind you, where we were located was in the warehouse portion of the office. The warehouse was once Namco America, which dealt with the Arcade Division, but since they downsized, we took over the warehouse as the internal teams grew. We had some very high ceilings, which allowed us to turn the area into a driving range. Many birdies were lost to the rafters because none of us knew how to really play golf. We just swung for the fences. Sometimes this would get us into trouble as one of our doors was connected to the main R&D area where all the producers were located. They often came through to give clients a tour of the facility, which probably did not help when they would enter the design space and hear someone yelling, ‘FORE!’ And, a loud whack is heard and a birdie buzzes by them at top birdie speed!” The team’s fun also extended to the promotional material around the game. “During our debut at E3, our testing crew put together a fun video for our sales pitch. The video was set to the soundtrack of Drowning Pool’s ‘Bodies,’” Guirao said. “All you saw was the multiple ways you can shoot and kill the enemies in the game. They had timed the video so perfectly with the song that all of us on the team were in awe and laughing at the same time. We thought it was a perfect way to showcase the action.” Despite the fun the team had, there were still challenges during the Dead to Rights cycle. While Guirao believes the team was able to retain the game’s aura throughout development, one of the game’s biggest challenges allowed him to really leave his own stamp on the game. “The premise of the game didn’t change too much. We wanted a ­high-octane shooter that was easy to play,” Guirao said. “We had a ­lock-on system that allowed players to cycle through targets with ease. The goal was to make Jack Slate feel like Superman, and I think we did just that. He felt like a real, action superhero. “One of the biggest changes that occurred was in the development of Shadow, Jack’s sidekick Akita. The original plan was to send Shadow out to attack or retrieve weapons. Shadow would use the game’s navigation system to find its target, kill him, then retrieve their weapon and return to Jack. This worked for a while, but as soon as level designs got more complex, the ability to get Shadow back promptly started to become more problematic. All too often, Shadow would get stuck on polygonal corners, or trap himself outside of the nav mesh boundaries, or just get lost. We needed Shadow to return weapons instantly as that was one of our weapon retrieval mechanics. “Due to this problem, I inherited the job to fix the issue. The solution was to just cut Shadow’s navigation and just make it more like a cut scene. Now Shadow acts more like a smart bomb. Need a gun? Send Shadow out to attack an enemy and return the weapon. This all happened with a quick cut scene. When the cut scene was over, Shadow would be back

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at Jack’s side, and the weapon retrieved would be in Jack’s inventory. It was hard to let that one go, but we were running out of time and figured we’d address the problem with DTR2.” Before Dead to Rights 2 was in development or even considered, the team faced two challenges they didn’t see coming, competition and internal doubt. “At first, it was really hard for many outside the team to understand the fun with DTR,” Guirao confessed. “Not many people believed this would be a hit, even some team members. It was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes because we were constantly running into issues. For the design team, we were excited about all the possibilities you could do as a franchise. Most of us in design knew we had something fun because our game was all about body count. We were greatly influenced by action movies that we tried extremely hard to recreate. “A game called Max Payne came out a year before us, which took some air from us because they had a similar mechanic. Max Payne introduced the world to bullet time. We knew from then on, we would be compared to Max Payne because we also had our version of bullet time. It’s just the nature of the beast, though, when different teams develop similar mechanics at the same time. We had no idea another team was working on bullet time until we saw their demo at E3. What we did know is that our body count was higher than theirs, so we knew we had that going for us.” Once released, although the market was flooded with similar games, all utilizing cool characters and similar gameplay to bullet time, Dead to Rights still stood out. Eventually earning sequels on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, it has a legacy as an influential ­cover-based shooter. It also served as a game that led Guirao to continue his career as a designer and taught him several important things. “This was my crash course

You didn’t always have to stay behind things in the game to have fun.



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into level design. It taught me a lot in the years I worked on it. I really had no idea of what I was doing; I just jumped in and ran with it. Some of the things I learned came from a preproduction standpoint,” Guirao reflected. “At the time, you just don’t think much of what ­pre-production can do, but it really helps set you up for the future. It helps describe what you want to do with the game as a designer and allows other departments to get in the same space as you. Cooperation with the various departments is key. As a designer, we’re not always going to come up with the best ideas for gameplay moments. Sometimes those ideas come from other departments. They’re gamers as well, and they want to play our game and have as much fun as us. They’ll usually let us know if the ideas suck, or it’s just too hard to do. Most of the artists and animators at the time played games but never to the degree of design. We soon learned that if they couldn’t figure out what we were trying to teach, then we had some problems and had to redesign levels and mechanics. This is something I took to heart with future games I would develop. The term K.I.S.S. would be used often, which stands for, Keep It Simple Stupid. As a designer, we have a tendency to ­over-design or ­over-tune our work. What’s easy for us, is extremely hard for someone else.” Nearly 20 years since its release, Guirao is still telling stories in the industry, and he knows his work on Dead to Rights played a role in that. While not nearly as appreciated as Max Payne or several games that take a page or two from it, Guirao knows the series continues to impact the industry today. “I think Dead to Rights can really be one of those early, ­third-person shooter pioneers that helped define a genre of action, ­cover-based shooters,” Guirao said. “I’m not going to sit here and say we were the creators because we weren’t. We took many ideas from games we enjoyed and brought them into one game. The Killswitch team took our ­cover-based approach and created a more tactful game. Killswitch became the standard, de facto game for 3D action, ­cover-based games moving forward, hence a game called Gears of War that took every concept from Killswitch and just made it better! But, don’t get me wrong here. Many of the mechanics we used in our DTR have become standard game mechanics in many ­third-person shooters, such as the toss and shoot mechanic, which you can find in some very popular franchises like Uncharted.”

Scott J. Langteau, Call of Duty: Finest Hour The Original Medal of Honor Killer

The impact of Call of Duty on console gaming can never be overstated. Selling well over 200 million units since its debut on PC in 2003, the series has over 15 sequels and ­spin-offs under its belt. Originally a PC exclusive, the franchise’s initial release on console came with Call of Duty: Finest Hour on PlayStation 2 and the other home consoles of the time. Selling 2.89 million units on the PS2, the ­spin-off of the original proved the series had a place with fans holding a controller—and not just those playing with a mouse and a keyboard. While Call of Duty is considered by many today to be the king of the FPS genre, in 2004, it was very much trying to find its place in the genre. Its roots are also deeply entrenched with another amazing series, Medal of Honor, as many members of the original console edition COD team worked on several games in the MOH franchise. Aspiring to tell more stories through their gameplay, Call of Duty: Finest Hour takes aim through the sights of male and female soldiers and several different firearms, including British-, Americanand ­Soviet-made weapons.. That made it unique, but there were plenty of other elements at work to make its first appearance on the PlayStation 2 a memorable one. Its story, however, starts long before the game was ever released or even pitched to anyone at Activision. The game’s lead creative producer Scott Langteau’s own gaming journey was just as interesting. “I was never a huge gamer by traditional gamer standards,” Langteau began. “Like most people of my generation, I was first exposed to games through the Atari 2600, which we received one year for Christmas. My brother Dominic was a much bigger game addict than I ever was, playing days at a time. It seemed ­non-stop with a lot of the Atari games that we had, even the crazily unsuccessful ones, like E.T. and the Smurfs. On the entire 2600, I did have some favorites. Raiders of the Lost Ark was a great game. It took me forever to master the mesa field. That was the big challenge near the end of the game, figuring that out and how to navigate it. Adventure, of course, was a big fan favorite, and I loved that game as well. Those awful dragons! And even though your ‘sword’ was basically just a basic keyboard arrow, you really felt it puncture the bellies of those beasts! I would say those two were my big Atari 2600 favorites.” So, while Langteau grew an appreciation for the artform of gaming, his heart was somewhere else. This shouldn’t have led to his ultimate destination, but it did. “I was much more of a theater geek, doing all sorts of solo acting, and forensics competitions, and ­one-act plays, and musicals, and all that stuff in high school,” Langteau confessed. “That was my primary major in undergraduate. I received my BFA at the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point and then went on to graduate school at Villanova, just outside of Philadelphia 190



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for my master’s in theater, which if I hadn’t done that, who knows where I would be today— that’s where I met a key individual who helped define my future for the next 10 to 15 years. Both of our futures, in fact. I got into the industry through my friend, Michael Giacchino. I met him when I was in graduate school at Villanova. I was in school with his younger brother, Anthony. Anthony was an undergraduate at the time, but we were both involved in the theater productions there at Villanova. “One night, Michael Giacchino came to see an undergraduate theater production I wrote and directed … loved it and was inspired by it and wanted to do a short film of it. Since he was at film school in New York, that never came to pass, but I got to know Michael, and he liked my work. Fast forward two years later, when he and a man named Ron Fortier, who were working at Disney Interactive, left Disney to start a little ­start-up company, which was going to be contracted by a ­brand-new other ­start-up company named DreamWorks. Maybe you’ve heard of it? So, these two guys were starting their own company. I had just recently moved to Los Angeles, and Michael remembered me and my work and hired me to work at his ­start-up called Mission Control, which was developing the first two children’s games for DreamWorks Interactive—the newly created games division of DreamWorks.” With an appreciation for gaming, Langteau was given an opportunity many dream of. He made the most of it and suddenly found himself filling a variety of roles at the new company. “Since I had been in theater and studied play structure and story structure, character development and staging, and things like that, Michael hired me to be the primary producer on that children’s title on the development side,” Langteau said. “It was one of the children’s titles, and this one was called Cooper McQue Breaks Through! Not a very good rhyme, but that was the title. Whenever Spielberg talked about that game, he referred to it as chalk boy, because it was about a boy who gets sucked into a chalkboard and chalk drawings. In that chalk world, he learns all sorts of English and grammar, punctuation, things like that while battling the Eraserheads, which were the villains in that world. As I write answers to these questions, the original cover art for that game hangs framed above my computer monitor. Fast forward to about a year later and Mission Control was dissolving. “Other than Michael Giacchino, who was going to be contracted to do component music for the games at that point in MIDI, an almost unbelievably simple music format by today’s standards. I was the only Mission Control employee they brought ­in-house to work on the upcoming DreamWorks Interactive projects. At that time, I got assigned to a game for a movie that was coming out, directed by Joe Dante called Small Soldiers. I was working on a PC version for kids, which was called Small Soldiers Squad Commander. It was very successful, and along the way I got to meet Mr. Dante and demo the game for him during a break from one of his film editing sessions on Small Soldiers. I was a big fan of his, and when I met with him, I showed him a letter he had sent me years earlier in response to a letter I sent him praising The ’Burbs—a film I still love to this day. We had a good laugh.” Now beginning to get the seasoning he’d need to move on to bigger projects, Langteau ultimately earned a spot on one of the most important ­first-person shooter series of all time. This, essentially, is where the console history of Call of Duty truly begins. “At that time, I was assigned to work on localization, which was taking all of the games that DreamWorks Interactive produced and translating them into a selection of foreign languages for markets around the world,” Langteau explained. “I did that for about six months to a year. They liked my work there. Then I got my big break, which was being assigned the role of associate producer on a game that was coming out to coincide with the film Saving Private Ryan. It was going to be called Medal of Honor and was already in ­pre-production.”

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The action was fast and fun.

It was here that Langteau’s friendship with Giacchino continued to develop. The results had a huge effect on the atmosphere of video games. “We (me and Medal of Honor Producer Peter Hirshmann) both worked with Michael on the score and getting this score recorded. It was one of the very first, if not the first, video game scores to use live instrumentation and record live orchestra, which we then did for all of the games that followed and won several Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Awards for the music,” Langteau said. “Michael did the first Medal of Honor score, and then the next few that I worked on, Underground and Frontline—and Finest Hour, eventually. The years that followed would see Michael win the Oscar for his musical score to Pixar’s Up.” While being part of the original Medal of Honor game was pivotal for Langteau, it was just the beginning of his time with the series and redefining what a ­war-time FPS could be. “Then Peter shifted to a lateral position in the company to develop another series of games for DreamWorks. I was asked to helm what the company hoped would become a strong and lasting franchise moving forward, and I produced Medal of Honor Underground and then Medal of Honor: Frontline,” Langteau said. “We worked on Medal of Honor: Frontline for a year and a half to two years—it was a grueling, ­life-absorbing project that had a ­soul-searching impact on much of the team.” DreamWorks owners Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen sold the interactive division to Electronic Arts right before the launch of the original Medal of Honor, a decision Spielberg has stated he still regrets to this day, and it became Electronic Arts Los Angeles (EALA). Disheartened at the state of the industry at the time, Langteau and 27 other employees ultimately left EALA at the height of their success. Crazy? Maybe. To make matters more



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complicated, they were accused of stealing game assets from Medal of Honor in order to make the next game for the company they eventually started. It was a tough road right from the start, ultimately an extremely long and emotionally grinding road, but without that test of strength and devotion to what they believed was right, Call of Duty: Finest Hour never would have happened. “How I got involved with the Finest Hour project is a long story,” Langteau shared. “We had finished Medal of Honor Frontline with Electronic Arts, and it ended up subsequently resulting in a lawsuit with EA. I think it was referred to as the EA Wives’ lawsuit, and this happened after we had left, but a lot of the spouses came back and sued Electronic Arts for hours worked and overtime pay and things of that nature because it began to be a whole issue in the gaming industry about how much companies could demand of their employee’s time and personal lives. “If you were on salary, you simply had to work whatever hours it took to get the job done—and with game development scheduling demands … there was always more to be done. I mean, we had worked for years, 17 hours a day, six, seven days a week, ­year-round to hit Christmas deadlines for these games. It was grueling. People slept under their desks. We slept in our offices. It was really pretty tough, and the lawsuit that struck EA after we departed was referred to as the EA Wives’ lawsuit because it was brought by spouses who were upset that their significant other who worked in the gaming industry was never home and was beat and always worn down. It broke up marriages and had a large impact, and they wanted to see things changed in the industry. The atmosphere in the office was always kept very comfortable. There were couches and carpeted rooms and hallways and the creative spaces. And, full kitchens were always stocked with snacks and good foods and things to motivate you to stay at work. The result of which was that you often simply went home to sleep and then came right back to work as soon as you woke up. “By the end of Medal of Honor: Frontline, we were just burnt out and frustrated. That’s what prompted me to leave. Well, that and the fact that my executive producer had decided to transfer me back to localization for the company. My guess is that it was because I was constantly fighting to maintain and protect the integrity of the product and not just make decisions based on sales whether the storyline of mission structure made any sense at all. A number of people were unhappy at that point and subsequently, on what was eventually referred to as ‘Black Monday,’ 28 team members all submitted their resignation emails at the same time. This resulted in members of the IT department walking the halls, office by office, asking people if they were leaving—and if they said ‘yes,’ they were immediately cut off from the local network. We all left to form Spark Unlimited to become a game developer in our own right. We were seeking a partner, and we looked at several different companies who were interested in starting something with us.” With Frontline’s nearly 7 million units in sales alone, the members of the newly formed Spark Unlimited were hot commodities. Once they got to the bargaining table with Activision, they knew why they had been called in. Make no mistake, the team at Activision wanted their version of the games Langteau and his team had been making for years. Activision wasn’t about to make them stray from a recipe that earned them critical success. “I would have to say that the games that influenced Finest Hour the most were all of the first three games in the Medal of Honor series, that proceeded Call of Duty,” Langteau said. “When Activision agreed to join with upstart development studio Spark Unlimited, which I had founded with a number of my friends from Electronic Arts, they expressly stated that what they wanted was a Medal of Honor killer, that they would turn into a

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massive franchise, which in looking back, it did. It was a huge franchise and has become a massive, ­multi-billion-dollar franchise as did Medal of Honor. But Call of Duty became the new thing, the new cool kid on the street as it were. They wanted us specifically to use all of our expertise and ­know-how to bring the same kind of authenticity and powerful gameplay and fun gameplay and immersive gameplay to a console game for them.” With that ­28-member team consisting of former Medal of Honor developers, it wasn’t before long after Finest Hour’s release that Electronic Arts cried copycat. Langteau, to this day, laughs at the idea that anything in Finest Hour is directly taken or copied from Medal of Honor. “It was so funny that we were using our work on the Medal of Honor series as inspiration now. But to be clear, we were not using any Medal of Honor assets,” Langteau insisted. “When EA sued Activision for my team at Spark working on the first Call of Duty game, they asserted that we had taken and were using a number of assets from the Medal of Honor franchise, which was not true. We were not—we were building everything from the ground up, everything from scratch. We were not using any assets from Electronic Arts. To prove that we were not, we handed over all of our hard drives for them to copy and see what we had on them and what we were using, just to make sure there were no questions or no issues about it. They even had access to our onsite servers in the early days of the suit and Spark’s development. “I remember being so angry when a columnist for the Hollywood Reporter wrote an article about the lawsuit and said something along the lines of, ‘the guys at Spark Unlimited in their defense were using the celebrity defense,’ which was, ‘I didn’t steal anything, but here’s all your stuff back.’ I was just so offended and angered by that because it wasn’t true. It wasn’t true at all. We never took anything. We never were going to use anything other than what was in our brains, other than how to make a good game, how to make good characters, how to write good dialogue and how to be authentic and make a AAA product. That’s what we brought with us, and that’s what we were going to use to make Finest Hour. I just had to kind of shake my head and move on and just let them say whatever they were going to say. That whole story played out with the lawsuit with Activision, which was eventually settled, two years down the road. “I distinctly remember the brainstorming session we had to come up with the subtitle to this Call of Duty game. There would usually come a time during the production cycle on every game when you’d spend an afternoon writing all sorts of potential titles on a whiteboard as team members shouted them out. Once you weeded out all the jokes like ‘Call of Duty: Take THAT, Nazi’s!’ and the like … maybe you’d have something good left over. Trying to get ­gamer-guys and gals to be serious for an extended period of time is virtually impossible. I remember suggesting ‘Finest Hour’ as the subtitle because I remembered the phrase having been part of a Churchill speech, and it occurred to me that in the realm of this game, for all those different soldiers with their varied histories and motivations, the missions on which they were about to embark would likely result in their finest hours. It stuck almost immediately and after suggesting it to Activision, the name was quickly embedded.” Ultimately selling nearly 3 million copies on the PlayStation 2 alone, it’s easy to see why Electronic Arts might have wanted to try and claim a piece of the pie. However, while the game’s release was a successful one, its development was far from simple. “The primary problem we had in the development of Call of Duty: Finest Hour was that at the very beginning, we had evaluated a number of engines to use as a basis for the foundation of the game and having vehicles and other features in the game that we had our



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hearts set on implementing, and we chose an engine called RenderWare,” Langteau shared. “It was sort of established, but not finished and evolved, I guess. It was a work in progress between both of us. We found that RenderWare was our biggest mistake. It rarely worked. We were months into development and finding that updates to RenderWare would not work for us. The game would crash constantly. Then you would have to wait for another half hour to 40 minutes to an hour to bring the level back up and render again. We just lost thousands of ­man-hours with RenderWare. It ultimately became one of the main sore spots that we had in our relationship with Activision toward the end of completing Finest Hour. We ran up against such a wall in the completion of the game that Activision had to bring over a number of employees to help finish the game onsite with us because we had reached such a bottleneck by the end of the production cycle.” If the issues with RenderWare weren’t enough, Langteau and the team had to deal with one bug in particular that made for an interesting moment. “There was one night, and I think it was around two or three in the morning, and our animators were working on the placement of characters and animations for the opening sequence of landing at the docks in Stalingrad,” Langteau recalled. “As is usually the case in these scenarios, one commander is standing upfront, giving a big, inspirational speech about how you’re going to take them by surprise and with the full force of your might, you’re going to defeat them. Everything will be right with the world. While his speech is going on, for some reason, one of the characters due to some sort of faulty programming, or a bug, who knows what was causing it, but one of the characters would stand up in slow motion and arms out, just kind of look around in awe. “He had this incredibly dumbfounded look on his face, and it was just so random and so awkward and so ­odd-looking that we were just on the floor laughing, and we couldn’t stop watching it. We would play it over and over again and try to figure out what was causing it. But, it was just as if the character had a mind of his own. He was just going to loop this strange moment during this impassioned speech. It was just a riot, and we couldn’t keep

Using cover to gain an advantage was pivotal during certain parts of the game.

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ourselves together. It might’ve been that it was three in the morning, and we were all loopy, but it was one of those moments that catch you off guard. Everybody comes and gathers around, and you all just simultaneously lose it.” To make matters worse, the PlayStation 2 was far from an ideal home for a series originally born on PC. We were always fighting memory on the PS2. “It was always a battle of how many polygons you could have on anything and how complex the texture could be and things of that nature,” Langteau admitted. “One of the things I remember us working hard on was the opening Stalingrad level and that we wanted it to have the same kind of really strong, exciting, powerful impact that the ­D-Day mission had when we had created that for Medal of Honor: Frontline. We wanted to make sure we could have as many people on as possible for the storming of Stalingrad. We did achieve it. It is a stunning opening, I thought. And we had to find a lot of really creative ways of getting as many soldiers as possible, just running up that muddy hill and over and through trenches and jumping over trenches and just body scurrying all around you in a chaotic frenzied sense of battle. And, one of the things that we had to figure out was how do they have various scales of complexity to the characters. “We had to find a way to have the characters nearest you that would be generated in the highest poly and texture quality level. Then, those who were further away would have sort of a second tier of complexity but still needed to look good. Then, those who were far in the distance who were basically moving, flat ­cut-outs. So that was one of the tricks. We managed to have just a ton of characters ­on-screen. I remember that was something we kept promoting that was going to be a feature of the game and another step forward in the progress of developing for the PS2. We carried this tactic through elsewhere in the game as well. It ended up working out really well, and the opening battle on those muddy hills in Stalingrad is something I still remember vividly from the game.” While RenderWare and a few other bugs made the development cycle a difficult one at times, the team never strayed from their core game design and goals. That, according to Langteau, is what made many of the shooters he worked on special ones. “I always used to say while I was working in the gaming industry, that I never wanted to work on a game that I wouldn’t be proud to take home and show my parents,” Langteau said. “That meant that I didn’t want to work on a game that was excessively violent for no positive reason or no empowering reason or no valid reason. So, I was thrilled to be able to work on Medal of Honor and then Call of Duty because these were going to be based on authentic missions and based on accounts and experiences from living veterans. We were going to do our best to present them respectfully and accurately yet still make them a fun experience for a gamer. And, that made me very proud to be working on these titles. And thank goodness, that’s something that came from very early conversations with Steven Spielberg on the original Medal of Honor.” By the time the team got to the Call of Duty franchise, they were ready to take things to another level entirely. “I loved one of the early principles we laid down, which was that you were going to get to play different characters with different backgrounds from multiple perspectives and roles in any given war scenario,” Langteau shared. “I love that about the game—you got to step into the shoes of an American soldier, an ­African-American tank commander, a member of the British RAF and a Russian female sniper, a varied gamut of those who took part in these heroic sacrifices.” The interactions Langteau had with some of the people that inspired many of the events in Call of Duty are just as important as the game itself. “In doing our research, we came across a gentleman by the name of Johnny Stevens,” Langteau recalled. “He was over



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80 when we contacted him. He was in the 761st tank battalion, also known as the Black Panthers, under General Patton for three years, and he was the country’s first black tank commander, serving in Northern France and the RDN and central Europe. He was so stately and kind, and we decided to fly him to Los Angeles to meet with the team and spend a day just talking with the entire team. Even though there was a small portion that were going to be working on the three levels that were going to be focused on the 761st, he came out and spent the day, and it was just fascinating. The things he talked about, how he and his men were regarded by others, how they were trained as soldiers, and their level of sacrifice in that their losses were so much greater than others in the battles. “He was just such an inspiration. I remember we went to brunch the following morning with several members from the team at the 94th Aero Squadron, which is a small airfield in Van Nuys, California. It is primarily used for private planes and collected and refurbished planes of all kinds that were built and used in all types of tours of duty. They do an amazing brunch in a ­multi-roomed restaurant there right next to the airstrip runway. And he was there with us in full dress uniform with his many, ­well-earned citations. He had a Gold Star, five Battle Stars, a Purple Heart and received the French Legion of Honor Medal as well. Every room we walked through, everyone who was eating at the tables, would all stand up and applaud him as we walked through the room. I’m just tearing up and getting emotional, just remembering it because it was so powerful, and I can still see how powerfully and proudly he walked. He commanded such respect, and everyone could just see in him, even at his age, the power that he had and the ­self-respect that he exuded. He was a great find for us in researching the project. “Through all of the Medal of Honor games and into Finest Hour, we wanted to speak with actual military veterans who took part in the missions that we were depicting in the games. So, Johnny Stevens was a good one, and he has since passed away. I would have to say that aside from my relationships and good times with all of the team members that worked on the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty titles, aside from all those great relationships and fun times we had, the biggest and best memory I will take away from my years in video gaming is the honor that was bestowed upon me in working on Medal of Honor and the first Call of Duty, in the form of getting to meet with and interview all sorts of then, late in life, veterans who would share their stories and how they got involved, or how they were recruited into the OSS or how they joined up to serve in every scenario. It was just such an honor to be able to talk to them and pick their brains and hear their stories and get to thank them and show them the respect and admiration that they deserved. I got to meet so many great people while working on these games.” If that wasn’t enough, Langteau had some fun experiences with a rock legend you would have never had thought had an appreciation for ­first-person shooters. “We had cast Brian Johnson of AC/DC fame to take on the role of Bob Starkey in the Royal Air Force in North Africa,” Langteau said. “He was terrific. He did a great job. I know that he was a big fan of these World War II shooters and probably had been a big fan of Medal of Honor, though I’m not certain, but I do know he was referred to us as somebody who would be interested in working on the game. We found a good role for him and cast him. As I said, he was terrific, and he was so fun to work with. Some people aren’t, and we’ll just leave it at that, but he was really a pleasure to work with. So easy going and positive about taking notes and open to adjusting his performance as needed and giving us exactly what we needed for a video game audience, which is often very different from any other audience, which is something we always have to explain to basic television or film actors.

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“Like, ‘Why do I have to give you all of these pain sounds or grunting sounds or death groans? And, why do we need to do half a dozen versions of the same sorts of lines?’ There are all sorts of odd vocal audio needs we have for games that aren’t needed in other mediums because we are not a linear, set in stone form of entertainment. We have to account for all sorts of choices and eventualities. Actors who are not used to doing voice work for games … always find it a bit strange. But, Brian Johnson was completely open to it all. We recorded him in a studio over in Sunland, California. I remember on a break, he rolled a cigarette, and we shared it outside … while I listened to all sorts of rock ’n’ roll stories. Good times, indeed.” With their research paying off and some great voice acting in place, the team began to see the fruits of their labor begin to take shape. “One of the most fun times I remember having during the production of Finest Hour was playtesting a Russian level. It was a level where you’re driving a tank to an airfield in Tatsinskaya, Russia, and you’re just driving around trying to destroy as many enemy aircraft as you can before and during takeoff. It was just such a pyrotechnic level that was just pure destructive fun,” Langteau beamed. “The designer on that level was a guy named John Castro. It was just such a fun level. I can still remember sitting in the team room, testing it and just laughing and having a blast, which isn’t always the case. A lot of the time, you playtest levels lookin’ for what’s not working, or looking for bugs, or you’ve just played it so much that by the time the game ships, the thrill is gone, and you’re mechanically walking through it as ‘work.’ Anyone who’s not in the gaming industry, when they hear that you work in the creation of games, the first thing out of their mouth is, ‘Oh, what a fun job that must be! It must be so much fun playing games all day.’ “And, it is. And oftentimes it was, but it’s also a job, and it’s a tough one, and it’s a long one, and it’s more work than you can possibly imagine. After two years of a development cycle of playtesting your game, usually at least a couple hours a day, you never want to see it again by the time it’s over because you have just played it so much. I have deep respect for and my heart goes out to playtesters who, months at a time, for a ­bare-minimum of eight hours a day, playtest the game, finding every little thing that’s wrong with it and make all sorts of suggestions on what will make it better and more fun. They are some of the most unsung heroes in game development. Many playtesters, because they love games so much and they know games inside and out along with all of the things that make them great, often end up becoming some of the best game designers that are promoted out of the test department.” Testing can work the other way, too. Langteau admits there’s some great content that was unfortunately cut from the final version of Finest Hour entirely. “In any game production, you find that there are certain things that are not as fun as you thought they were going to be, or just don’t work technically as you planned, or become sort of impossible to complete in the timeframe that you have. You need to make changes. And in Finest Hour, we ended up finding that three whole levels, I believe it was, had to be cut from the game. One that comes to mind immediately was a beautiful nighttime level that took place in Stavelot, Belgium if memory serves me. It was a beautifully designed level, and the environment artist who created it physically in the game had worked tirelessly on it for months. It was his first job as an artist in the gaming industry. We had to cut it, and he was understandably devastated. The game designer for that level wasn’t too thrilled either, to be sure, but these are some of the hard calls you have to make when there are only so many hours in the day … and only so many months or weeks left before submission to Sony! “I remember the first game project I ever worked on when things had to be cut. I had



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a hard time handling it as well. It’s always hard, but it’s especially hard when you’re young and new to the industry. You want your work to be experienced by gamers and by people who are going to appreciate your work. It’s always tough to cut things. I remember during my first year in the industry at Mission Control, Michael Giacchino taking me into his office and helping me learn how to prepare for and accept these cuts and changes as part of the process. I remember we had some big cuts in Finest Hour.” Those cuts and compromises had a huge effect on the series moving forward. While they’d continue to work on several games including Yaiba: Ninja Garden Z, Legendary and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, Finest Hour was their only game in the Call of Duty Franchise. “To get this game finished, we had to make some concessions, but I think what we were able to release was a solid gamer experience … well within the scope of our vision. The Metacritic score, I believe is currently 76 or something like that,” Langteau said. “We did all right, and the performance of the game was strong, and gamers responded positively. The sales were great, the game press reviews were good, and everybody seemed to be pretty happy. Activision, however, decided to bring the franchise ­in-house and not do subsequent titles with us, which resulted in a whole new chapter of litigation based on the agreements, etc. We then, however, ran into a tough period at Spark where thank goodness we had amazing employees that believed in the company because many of them worked for three months without pay until we could find another partner and another game to work on. And, I truly believe to this day that Activision just believed that when they walked away from our agreement at the end of Finest Hour, that we were just going to close our doors and fade away, which didn’t happen. We were still around for the next decade.” Serving as the chief operations officer at Spark until 2008, Langteau continued to help the brand build lucrative titles, before starting his own children’s books company, Shake the Moon Books, where he’s written several books, including The Frog at the Window, BULLIED, The Question, and a Brothers ­Grimm–style videogame addiction tale, Sofa Boy. Regardless of the career move that has taken him out of the game industry, Langteau will always remember working on Finest Hour. “I hope people will remember it for its inclusivity in terms that gamers got to play a Russian female sniper and someone from the British Air Force in North Africa and a 761st ­African-American tank commander. That’s what I want,” Langteau reflected. “I’d like the game to be remembered as being original and fun and that it was a really good start for what turned out to be a ­ground-breaking and lasting franchise.”

Alan Lawrance, Red Faction Break the Walls Down

The ­first-person shooter genre fostered a plethora of progress in the video game industry in the early to mid–90s, but by the time the new millennium came around, shooters and those in the ­first-person genre, in general, were dying for innovation. While Deus Ex added RPG elements and a wonderful story to the formula and reinvigorated the scene, powering the inspiration for games such as Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, a game like Red Faction shouldn’t be neglected, either. With its rich story of a lawless Mars and gameplay novelties that allowed you to literally ­blow-up walls and create new paths, all while solving puzzles, using stealth and even flying and driving an ATV, a submarine and a ­high-flying fighter, it made the corridor shooter genre feel fresh. Selling nearly two million copies on the PlayStation 2 and earning a slew of sequels that continued through the PlayStation 4, Red Faction had a legacy as a ­first-person shooter. Not only was it simultaneously rooted in the classics, but it also built a new foundation for the genre, bringing its own, unique gameplay innovations. That has everything to do with the ­wide-ranging influences of its lead designer, Alan Lawrance. Known for his work on three games in the Red Faction series and four games in the Saint’s Row series, Lawrance’s ability to bring worlds alive makes him an elite developer. However, before he was a developer, he was a player. From an early age, he knew he wanted to do more than just play—he wanted to create. “My first game system was an Atari 2600 in the late ’70s, and I’ve been a gamer ever since.” Lawrance reflected, “I had the good fortune to grow up in the ’80s during the arcade years, and I have fond memories of pumping quarters into my favorite games like Gauntlet. My love of games led me to experiment with making games as a teenager, and it led me to study computer engineering at college. After I graduated in 1995, I started a career at a network tech company, as at the time I didn’t see games as a viable career choice.” That decision proved to be one that forced his mind to wander, however. The kid who stuffed quarters into Gauntlet was still alive inside his heart. This future creator simply needed to invent. “After about a year I was bored and disillusioned, and I took a step back and asked myself what I really wanted to do,” Lawrance recalled. “I played games my entire life; I had an engineering degree; so, I decided to try to break into the game industry. At the time I was living in Canada, and the game industry hadn’t really started there yet in any significant way. That led me to look for my start in the USA, and I luckily saw a job posting on rec.games.programmer on Usenet, for those ancient enough to remember it, for a programmer to work on games at Parallax Software in Champaign, Illinois. “I created Asteroids and Defender clones for a demo, and thankfully, I was hired to 200



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work on FreeSpace as a programmer. This was the start of a wonderful ­17-year career with Parallax/Volition where I worked on the FreeSpace, Red Faction and Saints Row games.” But before Lawrance’s name was synonymous with three legendary series, he was just a young developer looking to make his mark. As it turns out, Red Faction’s origin story comes deeply rooted in a series not many would expect. “After FreeSpace, we started doing design and prototyping for another Descent game, the fourth in the series,” Lawrance said. “Parallax was famous for creating the original Descent, and we felt the timing might be right for another sequel. I became the Lead Designer on that project and after a few months of prototyping, we decided to refocus from a flying game to a more traditional ­first-person ‘ground pounder.’ We recognized that the FPS market was growing quickly, so we switched from flying to being on the ground but still preserved elements like the game being set on Mars and having destruction as a key feature. “I expect most gamers didn’t know Red Faction started as Descent 4, or that it began life as a ­third-person game where you flew around in a jetpack. It isn’t that uncommon for games to radically change direction, especially during the prototyping stage of a project. The key thing is to not make huge changes like that once production has started.” Now tasked with the lead designer role on the game that would eventually become Red Faction, Lawrance was a busy man. “I also did a significant amount of programming,” Lawrance shared. “The creation of the game was very much a collaborative effort with the entire team, but I like to think I left my mark by leading the team and making sure the project got to the finish line.” Getting to the finish line is obviously the key for any video game, but the beginning of the project on the PlayStation 2 was a hectic time for the team. “Just getting things started on the PS2 was a challenge,” Lawrance admitted. “The codebase used by Parallax was designed for a PC, so there were massive changes necessary to get things running on the PS2 with only 32MB of system memory. A big part of this was removing all the dynamic memory allocation that is typical for a PC engine. What made this even more difficult was the steep learning curve of the PS2 hardware itself. There is a lot of power in the PS2, but it isn’t an easy or quick thing to take advantage of that power. This was made all the more difficult by our decision to take Red Faction is one of the coolest FPS on the PS2.

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on the very challenging problem of arbitrary destruction on the environment, which we coined as geomod technology.” Being able to destroy the environment is what made Red Faction attractive to millions of players. According to Lawrance, the man who helped make it happen on the PlayStation 2 was just as important to the team. “John Slagel was the programmer who developed the geomod technology. John was the first programmer to work for Parallax Software and was an incredible software engineer,” Lawrance said. “Most programmers would think the geomod technology on the PS2 couldn’t be done, but John had a way of making the impossible happen. His contributions to Red Faction as the geomod technology was so vital to the game’s success.” To this day, Lawrance can never underestimate what that technology meant to the finished product. “Destruction was the main thing that made Red Faction stand apart from other FPS games on the PS2. It made it stand apart from all games on the PS2 really! It was quite unprecedented at the time to have arbitrary destruction, which we coined as geomod technology.” Lawrance considered, “You could start digging a tunnel, and there was technically nothing stopping you from continuing that tunnel unless you ran out of rockets or explosives. Another less important thing was the gameplay controls could be fully remapped. Console games typically offer a few controller configurations, but Red Faction allowed full customization of the controls.” While the geocode technology that proved so vital to the gameplay of Red Faction

The game’s exploration was literally a blast.



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would eventually work well on the PlayStation 2, before the game was released on the console, it was just a collection of cool parts. It took time for all the components to gel. “The earliest prototypes had the main player flying around with a jetpack in ­third-person and mining with a laser drill,” Lawrance recalled. “At that point, we were exploring destroyable environments on Mars, but we didn’t have a ­story-driven, ­first-person shooter experience in mind at all. After making the decision to switch to ­first-person and move on the ground, we started to develop the setting and story that would become Red Faction. “We struggled with integrating the geomod technology with gameplay, which at times was at odds with a linear, ­story-driven FPS. At first, we wanted to allow the player to destroy the entire level if they wanted to, but this tended to break scripted sequences and presented technical challenges with the memory limits of the hardware. This led to making compromises when necessary to limit the destruction to ensure the player would follow a path through the game to experience the story and scripted sequences.” There were other creative compromises as well. But, for a game that started as a sequel to Descent 3, anything could be handled in stride. “Coming up with the name took a long time. We knew we wanted ‘Red’ to be in the title, due to the Mars setting, but we weren’t finding a name that the team all agreed would be great. We decided to have a naming contest, and the two names that were the most popular were Red Shift and Red Faction,” Lawrance said. “I would have been happy with either, but Red Faction was a bit more popular and that became the name.” With the geocode technology working on the PlayStation 2, a story defined and a name confirmed, all that was left for the game to be released. Once it was, the team was satisfied with the work they completed. “We poured our heart and soul into the game, but when you work on a project for years, it is difficult to judge how well it may be received,” Lawrance reflected. “It’s fair to say it exceeded our expectations, which was a huge relief after making a big bet with an original title on a new platform.” Eventually going on to sell nearly two million units on the PlayStation 2, the original Red Faction was a ­sure-fire hit. There was only one thing left to do. “The first thing we did ­post-release was hold a massive party and celebrate the achievement of shipping Red Faction,” Lawrance said. “Everyone got to take some time off, as the entire team was working extra hours for months to get the game completed to the highest quality possible. The initial reviews were quite positive, and then the first sales numbers were fantastic. It’s fair to say that the team and everyone at the company were happy that all the hard work paid off.” That’s not to suggest that Lawrance thinks the game is perfect, however. “When you ship a game these days, one of the first things you do ­post-release is start working on your first patch! Back in the PS2 era, you didn’t get to patch your game, what was pressed onto a ­read-only CD was final, and any bugs that slipped through live forever,” Lawrance added. “This is nice in some ways, as the developer doesn’t have to immediately start working on fixing issues. There are always bugs that slip through. On the other hand, you have to tolerate the bugs you didn’t fix, and you can’t improve the game any further. Thankfully, there weren’t any ­game-breaking issues in Red Faction on PS2, although I would have liked to add more polish and refine the gameplay with more time.” The completion of the game ultimately led Lawrance down a new path in the industry. “The experience of being the lead designer on Red Faction made it clear in my mind I wanted to focus on programming going forward. It was a great experience leading the design, but what I enjoyed most about the project was the times I got to write code. I became the lead programmer on Red Faction 2, and I’ve been focused on programming and techni-

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cal direction since then,” Lawrance said. “From a development perspective, we learned that geomod technology was more than just a standalone gameplay feature. It was something that had a ripple effect on most game systems. For example, AI pathfinding uses precomputed data based on the terrain, but when you can blow a hole in the wall, you expect the AI to take the shortcut. You expect the AI to navigate around holes in the ground. Just having the NPCs in the game not seem extremely stupid when the environment changes was a huge challenge all by itself.” Transitioning from designing to programmer is no easy task, but with programming credits on several million sellers, Lawrance absolutely made a decision that benefited his career. Nevertheless, he has a special place in his heart for Red Faction. “I’d like Red Faction to be remembered as a game that pioneered the use of destruction in games,” Lawrance said. “Even though we didn’t take geomod to its full potential, we pushed the envelope of what has been seen in the past for destruction in 3D environments.”

Kyle Shubel, Shadow of the Colossus Follow the Doves

Minimalist game design has been around since the beginning of the industry, but few take it as far as Team ICO’s Shadow of the Colossus did. Aside from featuring some of the best visuals on the PlayStation 2, the game’s gameplay is admittedly not very deep but ultimately is extremely emotionally satisfying. Essentially the game has only 16 boss fights, but again, with the type of narrative and emotionality that wasn’t seen nearly as often as it might have been during the era, it’s one of the most polarizing games on the console. Still to this day, nearly 20 years since its original release, it’s either loved or misunderstood by millions. With over a million units sold on the PlayStation 2 alone—and ­re-releases and remasters on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 that have also sold well over six figures—it remains one of the most unique and expressive games ever. As a result of its accolades, it’s almost impossible to imagine that, despite its massive achievements, the game almost didn’t ever hit American shores. The game’s North American producer Kyle Shubel did whatever he needed to ensure it would happen. The reason for his passion to see the game available in the United States and the rest of North America is simple: he cared more about this game than any other one he’s ever worked on. “When people ask me my favorite game,” Shubel began, “I’ve touched over 150 SKUs on the production side of things, without even talking about my career in sales because the last few years, I’ve been working more in a selling capacity rather than development, the one that I treasure the most is Shadow of the Colossus. “The interesting part of all of this was the ILM (International Licensing Meeting) that happened right after Killzone shipped. I was given a ­three-day weekend to celebrate Killzone shipping before moving onto Rise of the Kasai. That was after working nine months straight pretty much without a day off. I came back, and then I flew to Europe. Before the ILM, they’d sent over copies of the games they wanted to still evaluate, and Shadow got put in front of people. And basically, everyone went, ‘I don’t get it. Boss fights. We can’t make an entire game of just boss fights. My God. It’s so empty, man. This game is boring. Wait, when do I get more weapons? Seriously, I only have a sword.’ “All of the very American things you would say. I remember playing it. I remember the first time I killed the first Colossus on the demo. I remember it falling, and the blackness, the soul coming out of it and wrapping around me, the black appearing in the temple and that first statue actually recompiling itself. This demo only had three colossi. I remember almost crying. For some reason, I connected that it was the creature. I didn’t get what I was paying for at the time, but I got the cost.” It’s crazy to think that Shubel was won over so completely by Shadow of the Colossus, 205

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considering his feelings for the developer’s previous game, ICO. “I played ICO and was not as much a fan as everyone else,” Shubel confessed. “I appreciated everything about ICO. As with many of us, I really wanted to kill the girl because her AI was bad. Oh my God. The number of times I had to redo a level because she just wandered into stuff. There’s never been a character in a video game I wanted to kill more than that little girl. I’m sorry. It was beautiful. It was passionate. It was perfect until you let go of her hand. Then she ran into walls. I actually have a shirt from the remaster of that. It says Team ICO, and it’s the two of them, just silhouettes of them holding hands and running. It says, ‘Never let go.’ That is prophetic.” Shubel knew Team ICO managed to raise the bar considerably for Shadow of the Colossus. “I walked into Allan Becker’s office. The same guy who sent me to Europe on four hours’ notice for Neopets. I said, ‘Allan, we have to pick this up.’ He’s like, ‘Why?’ I told him, ‘It’s like, this is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced in a video game.’ He’s just like, ‘I’ll let you make the argument.’ I realized at this point I had taken two steps. Now, I moved from senior producer to associate producer to come to Sony. I was still an associate producer at this point. He basically let me go to the ILM, and I got to stand up in front of everyone and tell them why I felt America needed Shadow of the Colossus.” Looking back, Shubel believes there was a method to Becker’s perceived madness at the time. “I don’t think he was asking why because he didn’t believe in it. I think he was asking why because he wanted me to explain why I did,” Shubel corrected. “Again, you got to understand. I watched Allan make a half ­million-dollar decision on a coin flip. ‘Do we do this? Or don’t,’ he’d say. ‘Can anybody give me a reason? Come on. Pros/cons. They’re both stacked up. All right, [coin toss] we’ll do it.’ I mean, he sometimes leaves it to the fates, but often, that man is prophetic. He sees things differently than others. There’s a reason why there are so many amazing games associated with him. I have the utmost respect for him. When it comes down to it, I don’t think Allan didn’t believe in it. I think Allan wanted someone to believe in it as much as he did. He didn’t want to be the one to go up there and

The environments are still beautiful today.



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fight for it and then force it on somebody who didn’t believe in the game. So, I asked him later on about that, and he always had this snide grin. He would just sort of look at you. He would never fess up to not believing or believing you or anything else like that. He would always just sort of look at you. Sometimes I think he belonged on a mountain, sitting in a monastery, and people would walk up and ask him questions because he was just quirky, you know? You never knew what he was going to say next. That man has a greater impact on our industry than I think any of us can ever give him credit for.” According to Shubel, the lessons learned from Becker have been huge ones. Some of them had little to do with video games. At the same time, Shubel believes he’s done right by the former Sony executive when the chips were down. “Early on, I realized it was always good to have a bottle of scotch in your desk—you never know when you’re going to need it. It isn’t about drinking at work. This is about somebody needing a drink. I started at Sony and within six weeks, I put a bottle of scotch on my desk, just out of habit,” Shubel said. “One time, Becker came by looking for Barbara, and he asks me for something, ‘Just give me the design doc’ for I think it was Neopets at the time. I pulled open my drawer, pulled the design doc out, and there’s a bottle of scotch. And, I closed it, and he just sort of raised an eyebrow and then took the script and walked off. “A couple of weeks later he came down. He said, ‘You still have that scotch?’ ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘All right, meet me out on the patio,’” Shubel said. “I also keep a humidor in my office. Usually, it’s a portable one with like three or four cigars, but I grabbed two cigars and my lighter and the bottle of scotch, a couple of glasses walked out to the smoking deck, and he looked like somebody kicked his cat. He had a bad day, and I just walked out, poured two scotches, got him a bottle of water, handed him a cigar, lit mine, lit his and just sat down. “I didn’t ask him a thing. He started telling me about his wife. He started telling me about his kids and dancing school and commuting from his house. We probably spent 45 minutes to an hour out there, two or three glasses of scotch and finished our cigars and went inside. Never once did I ask him what happened. He had to lay off four people that day, and he just had a crappy day. From that point forward, he recognized that I was adult enough to recognize when not to talk about work. It’s not time for questions. Allan and I have shared more than our fair share of scotch together. Very rarely, if ever, we talked about work when doing so. “It was funny because, after that, he knew I had the scotch. So, when he was meeting with developers and stuff like that, he’d come ‘borrow’ some. Every time someone needed it, we’d do some damage to a bottle. Even when I wasn’t there, he would take a quarter of a bottle of scotch to drink with some devs, and he would replace it with a full bottle, and people started hearing about it. Next thing you know, every time I’d ship out a game, devs from overseas would send me a bottle of scotch. For Genji, they shipped me a bottle of Japanese whiskey. At one point, I’ve got 12 bottles at my desk. “I got my office when I became a producer. Barbara House made sure to put a shelf on the wall behind me. I put all the bottles of scotch up for display. Eventually, I had over 20 bottles of scotch that were all gifts. I didn’t buy any. It was all from working on projects with people. Everyone knew that if you had good news or bad news. Did your game get killed? Did your game release? Come by my office, we’ll have a drink, and we’ll actually relax. That carried through my entire decade at Sony. It was always better to have one drink at work than go to a bar and have one too many.” Before he had a wall full of drinkable accomplishments, Shubel had a huge responsibility to ensure he didn’t misplace his faith in Shadow of the Colossus. Shubel made sure he was

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ready. By the time it was his turn to speak at the ILM, it’s fair to say that no one on his side of the world had played Shadow of the Colossus as much as he had. If anyone had the right to vouch for its ability to captivate an audience or predict its success in North America, it was Shubel. “I probably beat those first three colossi a hundred times before that meeting,” Shubel admitted. “It was interesting because Kenji Kaido, the producer of the game, was at that meeting. That was the first time we met, and I speak next to no Japanese. I understand a little Japanese after everything, but I don’t speak it. He speaks very little English. The two of us could communicate better than any two people who don’t share a language that I’ve ever seen. It was like, we understood. I would speak in English; he would speak in Japanese, and somehow, we got along with each other. It was amazing to get to talk with him briefly at that meeting and then pick up the game. I remember everybody was like, ‘This game’s not going to make it. It’s too Japanese. You can’t add enough to it.’ But yeah, that was how we picked up Shadow.” His success at the ILM meant Shubel would be given more responsibility on the game than any of his other projects at Sony up until that point. Although he’d been a rockstar tester and producer at Interplay before he arrived at Sony, Shadow of the Colossus was a significant opportunity for him. “I got put on it practically solo,” Shubel said. “Barbara and I had to work on Neopets and The Rise of the Kasai and Killzone together, like hand in hand like that, but she pretty much went, ‘Here’s where you’re going to cut your teeth.’ I flew to Japan for the first time.” Make no mistake, Shubel recognized the opening. While he’d been excited to be a part of other projects, Shadow of the Colossus represented something completely different. “Working with Team ICO, getting to meet Fumito Ueda and work with him. … The design by subtraction, his ability to take everything that doesn’t matter out of the equation and pull you down to the, ‘I need a stick’ and nothing else matters. … You know, how do I make music? I need two sticks, and I’ve got a beat,” Shubel reflected. “You had that sensation from him. It was in everything that he said. Every time we’d say, ‘Well, can we add? He’d say, ‘No. No. I’ll allow you to add in the cloak of gliding, but only after you’ve beaten the game, I’ll let you get all of the artifacts if you did this.’ You had to beat the game without all of that to earn anything. It was beautiful.” In typical video game industry fashion, Shubel’s ­co-workers made his first experience in Japan a memorable one. “Oh God! I still remember Taku Imasaki, the Gran Turismo producer, who helped to teach me some Japanese. I’ve always said to anybody if I can go to a country, and I can get a cab back to my hotel, find a bathroom and order a beer,” Shubel said, “I can live there for a week. I’ll be good. Taku teaches me some Japanese, and he teaches it all to me from the feminine standpoint. The best prank I’ve ever seen. I spent weeks, weeks, man, preparing to go over there. I started speaking to people and saying hello and everything. They’re looking at me like, ‘Dude, what?’ I remember Mika Sugiyama, my counterpart in Japan and translator had to correct me. It was one of the best pranks. He loved messing with me.” But away from the hijinks, things got serious quickly. “I got working with them while they were in crunch mode. They’d been in crunch mode for a while. Realized that ICO came out five years before this and that it was the ­longest-running dev cycle in all of Sony globally at the time. On Shadow of the Colossus, they pretty much were told, ‘You’re shipping in October of 2005. End of story. No, there is no more time. There is no more money. There are no more people to make it happen.’ “This team knew crunch time. I thought I knew crunch time,” Shubel indicated. “I



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remember working on Descent and when we were doing all the craziness with Neopets, they did that for the entire year, but not like this. I remember flying to Japan and going into the office and asking where ­Kaido-san was. They were like, ‘He’s sleeping.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ve got to talk to him. We’ve got a call in 30 minutes. Let’s go wake him up.’ We walked down this aisle, and I literally am stepping over people’s feet because every one of them were laying on the floor with their head underneath their desk. They had taken their jackets, set them on their desk and put their keyboard on it, so it made a curtain. I stepped over everybody, and the person who walked with me just basically gently touched his foot. He just sat right up, rubbed his eyes once, looked at us and said, ‘What do we need?’ I mean, the man went from asleep to completely cognizant in seconds. Brilliant man.” While his experiences with the team were special ones, Shubel believes their biggest strength was that they understood what the soul of their game was. “It is the purest form of design by subtraction beyond a few minor titles. If you look at the journey, if you look at flow, that game company is very special to my heart,” Shubel shared. “But, if you go outside of those smaller indie games, no one has swung for the fences on design by subtraction. In my opinion, the way Team ICO did in Shadow, games in the 2000s did not garner emotional responses like that. There rarely was a connection like that. They understood that emotional connection better than any team I’ve worked with. I felt sad every time I killed a colossus, every one of them that went down. Realize—I have probably killed a thousand of them at this point.” A testament to the game’s success, Shubel believes there’s a reason why the game has been ­re-released and remastered. There probably will never be another game quite like it. “Every time, I feel that tug at my heartstrings. Every time the last statue collects, there is something about that from that emotional journey and the ride,” Shubel reflected. “That is something that is special, and it’s never been replicated except for in the reboot, which was actually done by friends of mine. Randall Lowe was at my wedding as well. He’s the producer on the Shadow HD reboot. That game is special today because nobody’s ever done a boss fight only game again, not like that.” At the same time, Shubel realizes the game wasn’t perfect. As a matter of fact, there was the possibility for even more of an adventure to be packed into the ­modern-day classic. “I really wish Team ICO had the time to put everything they wanted in,” Shubel said. “Again, at five years, I understand you gotta cut off at some point, but I know there were designs for additional colossi. I know there were. I’ve seen the artwork for them. Not ­in-game. It’s not like anything was put into the game and then pulled. It’s not like anything wasn’t good enough. They made the conscious decision to move to down to 16 when they did. They did it on purpose, and they did it for the right reasons. But yeah, it was pretty impressive.” Not a designer on the game, Shubel’s job was always to give the team what they needed before release—and then make sure it was a success once it was released. This was one of the biggest honors of Shubel’s illustrious career. “One of the things that I really appreciated with the team and Kenji is that they trusted me to represent their game,” Shubel shared. “Once they heard me speak at various trade shows they were like, ‘You are allowed to speak for our game. We do not need to come on the press tour. We need to focus on making the game.’ Man, I remember press touring the snot out of this game. “It was absolutely nutty, that Fall 2005. I think I did seven consecutive weeks of press tours. It was trade show to New York, to trade show, go up to Wisconsin, to San Francisco, to a trade show, then down to the LA branches. It was all on the road and all speaking for the team, and their trust in me was not lost. At the same point in time, I was working with

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Game Republic on Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, and I was having to do press tours where I had to show both games. I never once showed Shadow first. I couldn’t. I mean, as beautiful as Genji was, as a fun and prototypical a Japanese samurai sword fighting game, there’s no way anything could follow Shadow. That was an amazing year for me because I got to work on both of those games in Japan and spent a lot of time over there and really just sink my teeth in the culture. I’m welling up a little bit right now. I can feel everything that we talked about when I went through. It was a special game in many ways.” Upon release, the game found a massive audience, and Shubel still knows exactly why. “When I think about Shadow, and I think about the relationship you build with the Colossus as you’re going through, as you’re figuring the puzzle out, as you’re having to strike these particular points on them, they literally are screaming in anger and in pain. You build this relationship with your enemy, that I think is the biggest differential,” Shubel considered. “We know it’s all a love story, and you’re doing it for love, but the actions you do are not and the things that you’re doing really is the epitome of, ‘Do the ends justify the means?’ You have now exterminated 16 species. They do not exist any longer. Your actions have denied the world their presence. Was it worth it? That question is lingering at the end when you wander into the garden. When that happens, I was left wondering, did I do the right thing? “It’s not like you have a choice. There’s no other thing to do. But, the fact that I walked away from the game with a heavy heart is what set the game apart from others trying to be similar. There’s nothing wrong with other games trying to do more with less. I think what Shadow said in part was the further you get, the more you feel emotionally connected to the actions that you’re doing and the impact that they have.” Intense emotional connection is the byproduct of a team that has made quite possibly three of the most unique games in PlayStation history. Shubel believes the game managed to hit you hard when it mattered, but also slip in special moments when you might not be looking. All this added to the game’s overall allure and legend. “Every time you kill a colossus, one dove spawns in the temple. In the end, there are the 16 doves that do fly away like a John Wu film. It’s something that most people don’t catch that the doves are there as a representation of the soul you’ve taken from the Colossus. It was that emotional context,” Shubel shared. “That [is what] I think what sets Shadow apart from all of the—and I’m not going to call any of them clones because there are great subtraction games out there—but that was what I felt made the game truly unique and special. It’s such a minor thing. Fumito Ueda is a special man. I wish he got to tell more of his stories, but you know, again, sometimes you’re ahead of your time. If he were making games 15 years from now, when we can crank out video games and target them and there’s automation out the wazoo, imagine his story then. But the era that he made games, when you start talking about ICO and Shadow and The Last Guardian and the amount of effort and ­man-hours, and the years that went into those games to achieve the goal of less, it’s truly special. “Very few games are going to take you on a truly emotional journey. This one, if you’re willing, is the most unique puzzle game you will ever play. Because at its core, it is not a shooter or a horseback rider or a sword fighting game. It is 16, unique puzzles that will tear your heart into pieces. That journey is worth the investment of time. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many amazing moments. When you get on the back of Phalanx, the massive ­4-winged dragon, and you’re going through the air, and you slip, and you’re grabbing onto the wing. When you run up the sword of Gaius Colossus, when you figure out how to use your sword to focus the light,and the fact that the sun itself and the magic is pointing you to the weaknesses of these creatures.



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“And you have to kill. That’s what makes it so unique. I tell people it is the most emotional puzzle game you’ll ever play and that you will walk away more fulfilled than when you came in. I think that still applies now, what three generations on. When you look at the fact that it’s been ­re-released and remastered, we have three versions of Shadow of the Colossus available in 16 years. That tells me that it’s something special.” Those three, separate releases are proof of the game’s core audience, but for Shubel, the game’s triumph was important to him for another reason. “When it comes down to it, the Shadow releasing and being received the way it was, was beyond special. And honestly, a little bit of a pat on the back for me and my marketing team’s—that Shadow sold better in America than it did in Japan or Europe, combined,” Shubel said. “Like, an order of magnitude better than Japan. The reception it got in America, the legacy that it has, the fact that people, 15, 16 years on, are still asking me about it tells me it had an impact on them as well. So yeah, the game doing what it did, the ratings that it got, the press and getting to actually receive some prizes for the team and ship them to them was pretty wonderful.” Shubel’s job, as a producer, was to communicate the team’s vision in everything he did. That took him all over the world. Those experiences will stay with him the rest of his life. His efforts didn’t stop in the industry after Shadow of the Colossus, either. “I tried to emulate the team as best as I could, but it was truly special,” Shubel reflected. “I traveled so much during my time at Sony from 2005 to 2008. 2009 I was a quarter of a million miles a year flying. I was away from home in 2006, God working on Genji 2 in Japan and simultaneously working on Heavenly Sword with Ninja Theory in Cambridge. I was flying literally around the world. I would go to Cambridge, and then I would go to London and Cambridge. I would go to Japan. I would come back to the US, and I would go up to Seattle for PAX. I would go over to New York for press before going back to Cambridge. There were times where I wasn’t home for four or five, six weeks at a time. I was doing hotel laundry because I loved working with the teams. It was the time I miss the most, but it’s also something that

The connection between enemies and player in The Shadow of the Colossus may never be duplicated.

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I recognize that at my age, I can’t do it anymore. This is a young man’s game. I need to part ways for some young buck to come in and do it himself.” Working on a series of other iconic franchises after Shadow of the Colossus, including Gran Turismo and Little Big Planet, Shubel is more than grateful for all the experiences he’s been afforded during his career. “It has to be a crime of passion,” Shubel considered. “If you are not passionate about games, this industry will chew you up and spit you out. I’ve watched so many people burn out in two, three, five years, and now they’re accountants. Now, they’re selling insurance. Now, they’re programming for databases for websites, and most of them miss it. You have to be passionate because this industry is hard. This is not meant to sound egotistical, but I don’t know if there’s going to be anybody else who could have a career like mine again, because back then, just being passionate got you into the industry. No college degree, just loving games. And bumbling into Interplay when I did, and the exposure and the ­ramp-up and then Sony during the merger … I was involved in the PSP, PS3, PS Vita, PS Move, PS4 and PSVR launches. “I was involved with the hardware team for all of them in one way or another, for the US and just involved in minor ways. But, it was just one of those, ‘How’s that going to happen again to somebody?’ When I was at Interplay, I was down the hall from the Fallout team and the Baldur’s Gate. I was a founding member of GameTrust, which was the publishing arm of GameStop. All fellow Sony alums. It’s gone now, but you know, I got to be a part of that, too. This has been a crazy ride.”

Craig Kerrison, EyeToy: Play No Controller Needed

Nintendo gets all the love when it comes to ­motion-based gaming, thanks to the Nintendo Wii, but Sony’s London Studio actually got the ball rolling years before with the EyeToy camera accessory for the PlayStation 2. Bundled with EyeToy: Play, a compilation of 12 ­mini-games, the peripheral and the collection of games that followed proved Sony was the true innovator. Selling over 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone and over 4 million worldwide, the game and peripheral were certainly appreciated by PlayStation 2 owners. Developing both the technology and ­mini-games, however, was not a simple task. EyeToy: Play Design Lead Craig Kerrison remembers many of the challenges the group faced from the start. Before the Nintendo Wii was even a dream, this team was hard at work trying to pioneer something ­ground-breaking. Simply put, there was no blueprint. The EyeToy was uncharted territory. The team had a blank slate. “We knew we wanted to do something different. We also wanted to ensure that everyone could play it,” Kerrison said. “So, the playroom in there is literally just screensavers that you can interact with. The idea was that you could point the camera down at your baby playing on the floor, and they could still interact. I think one of the things is that in the very early days of digital cameras, you could rotate the screen around so people could see themselves. So, the idea was that we don’t use a controller—we literally banned ourselves from doing it. I think we kind of thought at the time that it would be sort of like a flash in a pan, a novelty little thing and nothing much else.” Spawning a slew of sequels and continued upgrades through the PlayStation 3 era and employing the development of technology that is still used today by Sony, the EyeToy was anything but a flash in the pan. But according to Kerrison, while the team knew they were breaking new ground in gaming, the concept wasn’t exactly appreciated by Sony at the start. That quickly changed, however. “It was built in such a very short period,” Kerrison recalled. “We didn’t have a huge amount of backing from the company itself. We were quite a small team, doing something very different. At the time, the only time I did a ‘Oh, hang on, we might ask something here,’ was when we showed it at E3 and Nintendo’s product coordinator, Masakazu Miyazaki came up and was playing around with it. Through his translator, he said, ‘Very nice.’” Kerrison found that type of appreciation was especially flattering, considering his foundation in the industry. You see, in the Kerrison clan, gaming is absolutely in the family tree. “I’ve always been a gamer,” Kerrison shared, “ever since my uncle worked for Atari, but only in sales. I had an Atari 2600 with Combat, Space Invaders, Checkers. I used to spend 213

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every summer going down to the arcades. I was a short kid, so I used to get these plastic milk crates to stand on so I could see the screen and play Battle Zone. I played from a very, very early age, with no thought whatsoever of going into the industry. I just really enjoyed it. I used to like collecting consoles. I had the early Binatone video game console and the dependents, so playing Pong and stuff like that, or Computer Tennis as it was called. Then it was the 2600, and then obviously, the Spectrum and Commodore 64 came along.” During this time, however, Kerrison’s love developed into something more than a passing hobby. While his passion began in the arcade, he didn’t want it to end when he got home, either. “We were very lucky that we had a twin cassette recorder, so we could copy games. Everyone did at that time,” Kerrison admitted. “I still remember playing those games, waiting for the ­half-hour loading times. Then, the Amiga came out. That was the same sort of time when the Nintendo Entertainment System came out. That was the next step. That was really when you kind of felt that the quality of the graphics and the gameplay from the arcade is actually getting into the console.” Despite his affinity for the industry, however, Kerrison’s blossoming skill set wasn’t exactly geared towards making games. That didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to give it a try, though. Just as his grandfather got him into games as a child initially, someone else from his family managed to help him turn it into a career. “So, at that point, I’m at a college doing a master’s in physics, with an idea of going into electrical, mechanical engineering,” Kerrison said. “I was going to join the Army as an engineer, but my brother Russell, who also works in the industry, already had a job at Sega, as a producer and said, ‘Do you want to do a summer job?’ I said, ‘Yeah. Okay.’ So, I went down. I helped them out with other bits and pieces, and he knew I could play games and complete them. So, testing stuff? I could do this standing on my head. It was only maybe a summer job. But at the end of that, an opportunity for a ­full-time tester came up. So, I went for that. Then, it just went on from there.” From his humble beginnings as a tester, working on games such as Die Hard Trilogy, Primal Rage and Judge Dredd, Kerrison learned many of the

EyeToy’s camera was a massive selling point.



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things he needed to know before he got to work on EyeToy: Play. It’s a series of experiences that defined what would become a long and passionate career as not only a game developer, but as a creator as well. “I think testing games is the best preparation anyone can have for a job in the industry,” Kerrison considered. “You learn by mistakes, and if you’re seeing everyone else’s mistakes and learning how to fix them, then you can foresee mistakes coming up. Things like—this particular level needs this type of character, or it needs to be balanced to give you that right progression. You just want to make it feel right. Small things like the load times of a weapon can really affect how you play a game. So, with testing, you don’t just play one game, you get a whole range of stuff.” It’s from those early days of his career as a tester that Kerrison understood the level of polish his games needed to have. It’s something that never left him. “Testing is probably the hardest job, and you get paid really badly,” he admitted. “The hours are really, really long. You’ve got to be able to do the most mundane and boring stuff. But I think that serves as preparation when people think about making their own games. Testing helps. You know what’s good, what’s bad. By playing broken, bad games, you learn not to do that again. It sort of instills that tweaking. I can make it better.” It’s a different boat altogether, however, when you test your own work. That’s something Kerrison also knows well. He understands what needs to be done and what doesn’t.

The game was designed for everyone to be able to play.

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“Someone has got to say, just stop working,” Kerrison said. “There’re certain things in, I think near enough, all of my games, that are ­in-jokes for my friends and little like Easter eggs and words that we were currently using amongst our mates and stuff like that. That all goes in there. So, you are seeing a little bit of my soul, a little capture or whatever was at that time.” That part of EyeToy: Play’s “soul” Kerrison describes as one being incredibly close to home for the UK native. “We were working with some great artists,” Kerrison started. “We really wanted to capture, sort of like a British spirit with it, which is why you see the counselor with piercings, and they’re a bit funky, and it’s a kid’s game with that punky sort of edge to it. It’s quite a London game.” Aside from the artistic feel they wanted EyeToy: Play to capture, they absolutely knew how they wanted the game to play early on in development. “We kind of wanted to make it a bit more like Mario Party, where you can have a ­single-player and sort of like a bit of a competitive mode going on,” Kerrison said. “We had that a little bit in Play 2. We have four players at the same time on the second one. That’s what we were trying to do. We were trying to make that group, cooperative and competitive play as well. So that was one of the sorts of cornerstones we had. We had quite a lot of pillars for Play. One was obviously no joysticks allowed. Two was anything you do, must be fun.” If the bar wasn’t already high enough, Kerrison himself wanted to accomplish a few things with the product as well. Having a piece of his “soul” in the game just wasn’t enough. “The main one I wanted to express was for it not to be broken by people joining you. So, if you had mum and dad on the sofa, and they were hitting the ball and doing this and stuff like that, that’s fine,” Kerrison said. “That’s not going to break the game. That’s not going to make it less fun. It actually makes it fun. So that was the thing we wanted people to do— photo bomb and dive in, try to muck it up for you and stuff like that. The little brother that you’re trying to sweep away. That was the atmosphere we wanted to bring to it.” The look and gameplay objectives were set but getting everything to work with the PlayStation camera was a challenge within itself. Throughout the ­year-long development cycle, the team was tested, thanks to the technology side of the project. “It was extremely difficult because we were doing all of the processing on the PlayStation 2 itself,” Kerrison confessed. “For later iterations of the camera, a lot of the processing was done on the camera before we sent it to the PS2. So that’s kind of why the games also had to be that little bit more basic. It was because we only had a certain amount of the CPU left to make games. It was being used as the motion buffer to check every single pixel on the screen and see whether it changed or not. We also had problems with any feed that you have from a live camera, so we had to compensate for those, by putting in rules, like saying—if more than this number of pixels change at the same time, it’s probably a flicker from the camera and to ignore it, but again, that adds in a bit of lag to it. “You obviously want it as high speed as possible. We decided to go with 30 frames per second. You’re always battling with the price of the electronics as well. Everyone wants the cheapest camera possible, whereas the developers want the highest resolution, the best everything format. Even with the lens we had, there was no sort of ­auto-focus. You had a focus ring on it. We had to even instruct people how to use a focus ring. How do you get people into position as well?” With the technology issues starting to resolve through tireless testing from Kerrison and the team, Kerrison found his own way to leave a mark on the title. While the lack of



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power of PlayStation 2 may have killed the creativity of some developers, Kerrison felt emboldened by it. “You try and do everything you can with the limitations you have,” Kerrison said. “In making games on the Mega Drive, for example, when your CPU ­run-time is limited, you have to reuse game mechanics, as frequently as possible, to make things that are the same, feel different. So, it’s just one of those things. These are the specs. Every console has their own rules. The PS2 was no exception. Stick within each console’s rules and try to make the best you can.” Using the tools of the PlayStation 2 to the best of his ability, Kerrison got to work. As a matter of fact, many of the cool little nuances in the game that make it so unique came from lightbulb moments in his mind. According to Kerrison, some of those ideas weren’t fully realized either until later games in the series. “We had lots of stuff,” Kerrison said. “So, if you go into the Playroom, that hosted one of the tech demos that we were playing around with. … What I really added was concentrating just on that motion mechanic and getting that to be the best it could to be. So, it was just a button that you pressed. So even like the UX and the getting into the game, you put your hand over and it fills up slowly. There’s a reason for that. If you just walked past the screen, you could trigger everything going on. So, we had to develop a ­motion-based button that you couldn’t trigger accidentally. So, we have to fill the bucket up; it’s a leaky bucket. So, if you stop filling it, it’s going to start going back down. “In the Boxing game, we had two big buttons, and you could work out how to do an uppercut, but if you did stomach and then head, in that combination, now that punch is going upwards, you could do that, too. We were getting somewhere. So, in Play 2, we did that a lot more. I think that was what we’re out to do. How can we get more and more and more out of a single button press?” The challenges were mighty ones, but the team’s ingenuity continued to allow them to power through. Kerrison and the team also had two other things going for them, creative freedom and a secret weapon that led to an event that defined the development cycle. “Talking about it now, there were so many things against us. I can understand why we were sort of shut away in the corner of the building and left to get on,” Kerrison considered. “But we had Richard Marks, who’s absolutely fantastic. He worked as a computer vision specialist. So, he’d already done ­motion-tracking and color tracking and a lot of the sort of the main mechanics that we’re using. “We already had, even before we started developing EyeToy: Play, a camera doing color motion tracking, face recognition, a lot of the very early stuff. We had to get the resolution high enough to be able to recognize someone’s face as well. But, I remember Phil Harrison, at the time, Sony’s senior vp of product development, came into one of our meetings, and we had used a photo of him to train the camera, to recognize him. It’s this big moment when he walks into the room, looks at the TV to check out what we’re doing. I felt when he played this game, that that was the ultimate moment.” That moment will always remain in Kerrison’s heart, but truth be told, the EyeToy has continued, in one way or another, to be a part of the PlayStation family of products. That’s something Kerrison is proud of as well. “Obviously we knew when the second camera came out, a lot of that was done,” Kerrison said. “The tech then obviously went on to PS3. In regards to the basic motion tracking technology, the color tracking is still used now for the PlayStation VR and the ­colored-orb on top of the Move controller.”

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But before its legacy had been established, Kerrison and the team literally had no idea how the game was going to do once it was released. That didn’t mean they weren’t proud of what they created, however. While there would be a great number of copycat games over the years, Kerrison still stands by the gameplay innovations the EyeToy powered. “I think we got the timing right,” Kerrison reflected. “Being first does count and introducing this new way of thinking. I think we got a lot of help from gaming magazines, especially Edge magazine, who gave us their backing. You don’t need your joystick anymore. You can play games with the camera, even though it was a terrible camera that we had a lot of problems with. We did a lot with it. ‘How long do you want to play for?’ I think we found that three minutes is the max you want people standing up, moving about. You don’t want to tire them out. I think that with other games, as soon as you go beyond that three minutes, then you’re starting to get into stress. You’re basically in a stressful pose for a long time. So, I think we got that right. I think we got the mix of having enough fun, while not tiring the user. “We always wanted a case for someone who just wanted to flail around in front of the screen, however long they’re having a good time. Adding the extra difficulty and game mechanics were secondary. I think other games have taken themselves a little bit too seriously. We were catering for tiny little kids and maybe even getting grandma up in front of them. That’s why we had the video … it was like, ‘This is for everybody.’ That was on everything. It’s gotta be for everyone. There’s no ­super-skilled player, and it’s going to take a month of training to be able to do something. I think that maybe that’s where the others failed a bit. They tried to be a little bit too grown up and too clever with it. I’m glad to say we weren’t clever with it. We just wanted the most base reaction: Are you having fun?”

Lego is lucky to have a talented designed with Kerrison’s ability.

Once released, the team’s resolve and dedication proved to be well worth it. There was no mistaking it; EyeToy was a huge success. But, like many situations in the gaming industry, Kerrison had little time to bask in the game’s innovative glory. “I suppose I’m really grateful in a way,” Kerrison said. “I didn’t think about it much at the time. We were just making EyeToy: Groove straight after that and then making EyeToy: Play 2 straight after that. So, when the numbers did start coming in, we started to realize. You get a little plaque when you complete a game, and then you get another plaque when you get 500,000 copies. Then, you get a platinum one when it gets a million. Then, double platinum when it gets to two million. So, like every



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couple of months, we were getting these new plaques, literally sitting around our desk.” Kerrison, nevertheless, still had his doubts. The thought of the camera peripheral on the PlayStation 2 was indeed a sexy notion to many gamers. It took a while until he felt that the games were a hit with players. “I think it really hit me when they ran out of stock,” Kerrison confessed. “People were asking about it. We were kind of losing money to a certain extent because we were packaging the camera with the game as well. So, profitability was a much longer process. We had to sell more just to get into profits. We kind of thought, ‘Are people buying the game for the camera? Do you know what I mean?’ So maybe it’s not the game that’s actually sending it through. Then when Germany really liked it as well, that took us by surprise, and we started sending more and more and more to Germany. “I think when we’d done our first run, we had to stop printing more and making more cameras as well. There was a shortfall of cameras. We had to start making more of them. That was before they released in sort of a second push in Japan. It feels wonderful that people enjoyed it and played it.” Contrary to what you might think and in spite of the game’s success, Kerrison hasn’t played it all that much ­post-release.“I always feel completely embarrassed by it. I only really got my friends around to play it once. I feel embarrassed about everything that I’ve ever made, and I don’t want anyone to see it. I suppose it’s like when you hear yourself back on a recording, the way you sounded, ‘Oh, I can’t … I can’t stand myself.’” Regardless of Kerrison’s reluctance to let loose with the game after its release, the success of EyeToy: Play was undeniable. So much so that Sony eventually decided it should be made into a series. Kerrison said many of the ideas of the first game were used in later versions as well. This gave him an opportunity to continue his design ideas, but it also changed the direction of the brand as well. “It became a franchise quite quickly,” Kerrison noted. “On EyeToy: Play, I was the only designer there. On Play 2, we employed another five designers. I think we had 70 ­mini-games. The team grew, the amount of backing did, too, which was great. But then we had lots and lots of different things that came out of that. Play 3 was then pushed out to an outside developer. I was looking at sort of like the next lot of ­camera-based technology coming out. We were also looking at the PSP and what we could do with ­camera-based technology on that. It just started to broaden out and was no longer your baby anymore. You may have given birth to it, but it’s starting to grow out, and you can’t cover absolutely everything.” Watching the series continue to grow continued well after the first sequel as well. “Play 3 was a collection of designs that unfortunately didn’t make it into Play,” Kerrison said. “Then we did a whole load of sports things like a running, jumping mechanic. So, we started to look at a lot of that and just carried on. Then that obviously spawned into a look after your pet prototype. We thought that was great. It’s like, if there was a pet on the screen, and you could stroke it and feed it and wash it and stuff like that, it could be your little friend and that’s sort of where EyePet came from. They then went more into the VR area. Book of Spells came out as well. That was still this EyeToy sort of team that had grown and grown and grown and split off into other areas.” The achievements of EyeToy: Play were not the only successes in Kerrison’s career in gaming. Going on later to work on games such as Little Big Planet and three more EyeToy games, Kerrison kept busy for nearly another decade in the industry. That created plenty of other awesome memories. “I think that the top has got to be Little Big Planet because

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obviously, Media Molecule was already a year into development before they had shown it at one of the Sony press conferences, and I immediately fell in love with it. I’ve always loved building levels and making games myself. I thought this is just such a great premise and such a great character. The people down there were absolutely wonderful to work with. Brilliant, brilliant, genius people. I think that also a part of it is who you’re working with, rather than what you’re working on. I’ll put EyeToy: Play underneath that. It was a stressful time. I mean, I was working ­16-hour days, so it was, it was a hard, hard year. I was young enough at the time to handle that sort of stuff. But, I’m never gonna do that again.” While Kerrison admits the development cycle of EyeToy: Play was at times, rough, he sees every game he’s worked on as a learning experience, one that helped make him the creative he is today. “On other games I learned level design. Armorines, again, was my first time doing multiple levels. I was thinking I was still learning there,” Kerrison shared. “I think my levels were terrible on that. I think that’s where I realized I was more of a gameplay designer than a level designer. I think what you find out in the industry as well is that when someone else is so much better than you at a particular thing that you’re currently doing, it’s like you start to reflect on yourself, ‘What do I add to the game? How do I push the game forward? This guy is really good at that, so I’m not going to try and compete during that, or this girl is really good, so I’m not going to compete doing that. Where can I add value to the team?’ I think that’s why I’ve gone into technical roles as well because I have an electrical, mechanical engineering background and that understanding of physics as well, doing ­camera-based stuff. I was also doing martial arts at the time. I taught Crane Kung Fu in Singapore for a couple of months. I was really fit and strong at the time of doing Play. So, the physical side of things I could do as well.” Now at Lego, Kerrison continues to use his imagination in different ways. While no longer in the gaming industry, he’s grateful for the opportunities it gave him to flex his creative muscles. “I really enjoy prototyping. I still do,” Kerrison said. “Creating new mechanics … I think that even came from back in Acclaim, when I realized I wasn’t a level designer. I really got into mechanics, and I think it just suited me really, really well. That’s why I wanted to stay in games. I made sure I was in a position where I was playing with all the newest and latest tech. “Luckily, because of the success of Play as well, it allowed me to sort of not ­cherry-pick, but go, ‘I would like to work on that.’ So that’s cool.” But regardless of his success on Little Big Planet and his current position at Lego, Kerrison said he’s often reminded of his work on the EyeToy series of games. “When you go to the hairdressers or something like that, or a place you’ve never been before and they go, ‘What’d you do for a living?’ and I’m like, ‘I make games and things.’ When they ask what games, and I say, ‘EyeToy: Play,’ and they reply with things like, ‘I played that when I was a kid and went absolutely crazy on that.’ That, for me, is the perfect answer,” Kerrison reflected. “When someone says they just really enjoyed it, that it got them and their friends together and a massive laugh. That’s what it’s all about for me.”

Wil Mozell, NBA Street Vol. 2 When Old School Met New School

Electronic Arts’ legacy as one of the top gaming companies is indisputable. On the backs of some of the deepest and authentic simulation experiences in gaming, EA continues to be the machine that powers sports gaming. However, many gamers have short memories. Long before internet gaming, downloadable rosters, Ultimate Team features and microtransactions were the norm, EA delivered fun sports games that, coupled with professional league licenses and new games every season, changed the industry forever. However, as the PlayStation 2 roared and soared into the forefront of the industry, Electronic Arts had an opportunity to return to its roots. Although it was initially expected, the games in their BIG line, primarily Def Jam and the Street games, personified what made EA Sports such a fantastic brand in the first place. Able to connect casual gamers to professional sports thanks to epitomizing tried and true arcade and couch, ­co-op gameplay, the BIG games were the new school, polygonal and ­photo-realistic games of the early 2000s. These met with the roots of Electronic Arts, by also providing fun and accessible titles made by artists. Of all of the BIG games, none of them were able to embody these ideals better than NBA Street Vol. 2. Featuring ­cel-shaded visuals, a ­top-notch licensed soundtrack, and NBA Legends license, it’s a step above the classic original, eventually proving to be the type of game that only comes along once in a lifetime. Produced by Wil Mozell, NBA Street Vol. 2’s story has the same flavor and tone as the first one. Both the game and the man are filled with passion and patience. Although Mozell’s path in the industry wasn’t always a clear one, as he’s worn many hats at Microsoft, EA, as well as his own development brands, he’s “always” been a gamer. “I would say that I was one of the kids that didn’t grow up with a game console in the house, but all my friends had them,” Mozell said. “I became a big fan of the Intellivision and Atari 2600, so much so that I even took up babysitting roles with my neighbors who had game consoles so that I had an excuse for playing games. That was always a highlight for me during the week. The parents are like, ‘Hey, you’re babysitting again.’ ‘Oh yeah,’ I’d say. ‘I really like the kids.’ But at the end of the day, I was going over there to play. Fond, fond memories, for sure.” The game that Mozell had his heart on playing the most those days may surprise you. Although obviously classically trained with arcade classics, he’s got a soft spot for a game you might not expect considering the career he’s made for himself creating sports games. “It’s interesting that there’s so many that I remember, and I think that’s the thing. As gamers, there are always those moments where you play a game, and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is just 221

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phenomenal.’ I will tell you that for me, Intellivision’s Dungeons and Dragons was a special game for me,” Mozell shared. “It was simple—you’d have this 2D render coming up on the screen, and you don’t know what’s around the next corner. I just remembered the surprises. I remember grinding through that as much as I could and enjoying that so much … and that being so early, and obviously the early inspiration for so many amazing titles over the last couple of decades. That’s one that stood out for me. But obviously, there are a lot of the classics: ­Pac-Man and Space Invaders, whether it was at the arcade or it was the ­mini-arcade. A friend of mine had two of those, and we just spent countless hours playing. So, the classics are something that I used to dream about, too.” After a while, Mozell had aspirations to take his love of games to another level. Being from Canada and not Silicon Valley during the ’70s and ’80s might have put him at a disadvantage, but that was anything but the case. Simply put, Vancouver was literally one of the best places to be at that time, if you wanted to have a career in gaming. “I was very fortunate to grow up in Vancouver. Obviously, there was some early activity, let’s say in 1981,” Mozell said. “I’m with a company called Distinctive Software. I was fortunate to know the founders of that company and see their games pop up, whether it was Evolution or other titles show up at different, what we would call sort of technology conferences, even tiny little things where on one booth you’d have, Evolution playing on the Apple, and then next to it, you would have some ­big-screen video of Olivia ­Newton-John doing workout videos. Like that was just how it was back then. I was young, but I had access to that. “Then knowing what was going on in Vancouver and the growth of Distinctive Software and all the titles that came, that was sort of like a very clear goal of mine believe it or not, in high school at that time. I was very passionate about business, accounting, finance, and marketing. The same goes when I went to Simon Fraser University. I thought about being a business guy, as much as I loved tinkering on my PC 286 and breaking it and trying to do everything I could with online access, early network access. But after a while, while I’m at Simon Fraser University campus, what ends up happening is I eventually just say, ‘Hey, I just want to be in the game business.’ But, I didn’t know that creating was actually going to be the thing that I ended up doing.” Mozell’s business acumen has served him well throughout his career, but it also got him in the door at one of the premier game publishers of all time. “I actually started at Electronic Arts in 1994 in finance, believe it or not,” Mozell relayed. “I was in the finance department of three people. I did everything from accounting all the way through to working with the teams, providing information for forecasting. It was just a very interesting time. There were only 110, 120 people at the company at that time. It was an explosive growth. EA had just bought Distinctive Software, I think, 18 months earlier. I was young; I was 23 years old, so I would do my finance job during the day. I would spend my evenings until the wee hours of the morning hanging out, creating relationships with the game developers and engineers, artists, designers. I look back at it now, and I’m like, how did that happen? “I don’t think it happens very often in the industry. A year later, I had the opportunity to join the NBA Live team as an assistant producer. So that’s sort of how it all started. I wouldn’t say a hugely experienced business background but thinking about finance and how you sort of organized, kind of gave me, sort of a bit, of an advantage. I was a passionate gamer, but I guess I fit that spot of what a producer looked like. So, from there it was just grinding out amazing products. Back then, when we were on Nintendo and Sega Genesis, we were producing or releasing three games a year.”



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The era of small teams accomplishing big things was never lost on Mozell. For him, it was an exciting period in the industry. He had the feeling things were about to change however—and they were. “You could get a title done in anywhere from six to eight months, and we had them in parallel, and it was amazing,” Mozell added. “At that time, again, you ask about games, and I have to admit one of the things that I fell in love with at that time were driving games. But of course, what was happening in 1994 is this thing called the Sony PlayStation, and it was released in Japan, and we knew it was coming. There was some big push for 3DO at that time as well. I would see the 3D development hardware come in, and the teams working to do that because, obviously, Trip Hawkins, as a previous CEO of EA, had gone in and started this 3DO company.” At the same time, in spite of his love of the ­cartridge-based era of gaming, Mozell was eager for the future and knew EA was a great place to be for it. “So, that was sort of the moment where we’re like, ‘Wow, we’re really onto something unique and different.’ Obviously, it wasn’t just because the disc had higher capability or capacity, but we started then, driving hard towards motion capture and pushing graphics,” Mozell recalled. “I know that everybody that was in the industry at that time was going through the same transition. But, what was amazing in Electronic Arts in Canada, specifically in Vancouver, is that we were able to do it very quickly because we were the first really amazing basketball simulation game that came out. Of course, Jordan vs. Bird is amazing, too, but you get my point. So, being able to sequel those games meant that we were able to innovate and learn very quickly. So, … I look back, and I think about those years, where at some times people thought, ‘I don’t want to do another NBA Live or NHL or FIFA … People were booming upstairs in 4400 Dominion, engineers and designers and producers and artists that were part of that era learning, quicker than anybody else on the planet.” Before NBA Street was realized, Mozell’s ­on-the-job training afforded him a front row seat to watch some of the best developers of the era. That was never lost on him. “It’s interesting,” Mozell said. “People like Eric Kiss, Allan Johanson and Amory Wong were early pioneers, and they were the best of the best. There’s no question. I wasn’t a software engineer. NBA Street Vol. 2 may be the best arcade basketball Amory was my mentor for years. Like, that’s the kind of person … game of all time.

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he was like a leader, but somebody that always had an amazing perspective. The thing that I learned from those guys—I’ve always had a passion for wanting to succeed, but the work ethic I learned from them is something that’s lived with me for the rest of my life. It’s how you succeed. “Eric Kiss and I ended up ­co-founding Big Park in 2017. I didn’t get to work with him closely during our days at EA, being based on different product lines. But, there’s somebody again, I had the privilege of partnering with him in 2007, when we started something that eventually became part of Microsoft and Xbox and the start of what we see in Vancouver today, where over 500 people are working for Microsoft. Then it was a couple of hundred. So, when you talk about that story of, like the hotbed, I look at EA Canada as obviously being the core, the center of excellence for games.” Those early experiences with mentors such as Wong and Kiss taught him about other things, too. Mainly, about being able to maintain the other aspects of your life while spending obscene amounts of time working on video games. “For me, I was very fortunate that I was very young, and I didn’t have a family,” Mozell said. “That’s all I did. I disappeared during my twenties. I disappeared from friend networks, things that I was passionate about, mountain biking, racing, bikes, all these things. I didn’t pop up until I was like 29 or 30 when I started a serious relationship with my current wife, who I’d met at Electronic Arts, Canada. But it becomes sort of, like, this is your family. Right? So, the people at work are your family. I remember conversations. I remember how challenging it was for a lot of individuals that to this day, I still care deeply about. I can’t imagine what it was like for them during the ’90s. “I don’t want to start giving these weird references about blended family and all these different things, but if you care about it, and you care about creating, your games, companies—anything you create—they become your children. When I started Big Park in 2007, I had two kids, four and one, and Big Park was having a third child. There’s no question. That’s the best way I can kind of communicate it. Anybody who has a family can relate to

Building your own team was one of the game’s best features.



Wil Mozell, NBA Street Vol. 2225

what it takes, and there are highs and lows, but you enjoy it dearly. That unique time during the ’90s that EA Canada was, it’s like just talking about it brings back an amazing amount of memories, like what happened when we’re just late at night, just waiting for a build to finish and the fun and the camaraderie. You never forget that, for sure. It is very different. I don’t think we could ever recreate that point in time with those individuals, with those opportunities. Did we know? Well, we knew at that point in EA Canada, some of the best in the industry were there. But we didn’t know the industry would be where it is today. Not even, like, not even a chance.” Once Mozell had the opportunity to do something more of his own at EA, there were plenty of lessons learned. Along with his love of the ­old-school way of developing, he put a band together, and they started to think of what they wanted to do. Ironically, it wasn’t a basketball game at first. “I think that the catalyst for NBA Street was that there were three of us, Darryl Anselmo and Josh Holmes, who are now founders of ­Mid-Winter Entertainment,” Mozell said. “I think the three of us had shared an enormous passion to create something new. They always looked at me as the business guy, which is totally cool—I’m the organization guy, the money guy. Daryl, very much his dream, was to direct a movie, and he’s an artist. He was this sort of phenom that came in, I think, just out of high school and was killing it on NBA Live. “Then you had Josh. I think Josh is still one of the most passionate game players and game makers that I’ve ever known. Those two guys were like, ‘Let’s work together, and let’s figure out how to create a new game.’ For us, we were like swinging for the fences. We had ideas, pitches to do for ­third-person action games. We were inspired by Metal Gear Solid and numerous other titles, and we tried very hard for a couple of years, but it was always a ­part-time thing. At EA Canada, there was this massive engine moving forward that was growing rapidly with Sports titles and hiring and recruiting and building out teams and expanding. “It’s really hard to get the attention, or even at that point, the credibility, that we maybe had the next big idea. So, if you think about that, it’s like, ‘Okay, well, what did we like? Where do we find the middle ground? It wasn’t at first sort of like, ‘Oh yeah, this is the best thing ever, but we were also of the opinion that, ‘Hey, we got this game called NBA Live. If you love basketball, you love NBA Live. But I’ll be honest with you. I love basketball because I worked on NBA Live, but I wasn’t an NBA fan at first. So, I can remember always thinking we can make a game that would be more appealing broadly, like something that’s more fun. Obviously, we had NBA Jam in the cafeteria. Everybody knew that, but it’s like, yeah, but that’s too far.” Mozell understood they couldn’t make another NBA Live or NBA Jam. That realization didn’t make anything easier, but it did help him put together a group of people that could figure it out. “Like, if you have a spectrum of NBA Live sorta as the pseudo simulation, and then the other end, you have NBA Jam. Now we wanted to be something in the middle. So, we set out and started to figure out what that would be. I was very fortunate at that time to be responsible for an external studio called NUFX in Chicago. As we moved to PlayStation titles, they were still working on our Genesis and Nintendo titles. I worked with them on PGA Tour Golf. I think it was like six of us. One of them was Josh Holmes. We made the game in six months, and they did incredibly well. That’s why the ’90s were amazing. You get six people together, you create a great title, and it sells incredibly well … even the early days of the PlayStation. Your overhead is really low, too, not that that’s a reason to go do a game, but again, this big engine called EA was killing it.

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“So, we finally were able to put together a team that was able to start prototyping. The journey of NBA Street … so many peaks and valleys. At some point, there’s no question that at the executive level, they probably didn’t even know that we were working on the game there, [at] Electronic Arts. Budget wouldn’t be allocated. We were basically using the budget from my NBA Live for our headcount to spend time on it. It was like a little, ­mini-startup, which is where I think the three of us specifically got our energy from. Then, we started to make the product more and more official as time went on. Now with a team in place, the work truly began. It was never easy, but for Mozell and the rest of the team, it was worth it. No longer working on EA’s other mainstream titles, the ones that were pumped out every year, they had more creative freedom than ever. “The big challenge was, ‘What are we going to do with this game?’ This was Electronic Arts. Was it going to be a competitor? It can’t be. We can’t do that to the engine, the massive EA engine. So, we just iterated so much and took a lot of risks that we finally got to a point where we did get executive ­buy-in, and we did start getting real budget allocated, and we had a product. I don’t want to make it seem that simple, but I will say to you, it’s not like anybody said two years before, or three years before the game came out and said, ‘Hey guys, you’re free to go do whatever you want for the next three years and make a ­three-on-three game.’ We didn’t know if it would be ­three-on-three, ­two-on-two, or ­five-on-five. The creative process going through there was very scrappy. There’s no question.” As the pieces began to come together, Mozell and the team understood what the recipe for Street needed to be. “Back in those days, it wasn’t about predicting success,” Mozell recalled. “It was more, ‘Let’s see what we have.’ I think everybody in the company was taken by surprise. We knew we had a game that was incredibly fun, and here are three key reasons. Number one: I think we made defense as fun as offense in every match. Being able to block and not be called for it is just a game changer. “Number two: the shorter sessions—first to 21. I’m not kidding you. That was a debate. Not between us. We knew we wanted to be more street. It was like, no, you don’t need a clock. “Then the third thing is: the game breaker. I’ve been asked before, ‘What’s the inspiration?’ I remember the moment in time, and it’s Street Fighter. So, we’re trying to look for moments that we could actually implement something different in the game to set it apart. Electronic Arts is a big company and in a big company, success has many fathers, but I will tell you in the creative process, you always have to remember those meetings. I remember meetings with Electronic Arts marketing people that I didn’t see all the time and maybe playing a demo, and they give me an idea. And I’m like, ‘That’s it.’ I remember the moments when we were talking about trying to have a more epic moment that you earned. That became the game breaker. That was a brainstorm between marketing. I just want to be really clear: it’s not like Josh, Daryl and I had every single idea. You have to be open. You need to listen, and you gotta be willing to take risks. “But, those are the three things. We knew that we had something incredibly fun, but as you can imagine, if a company doesn’t get behind something, it doesn’t matter how fun it is or how good it is. It’s not going to be successful. So, the company got behind the game very quickly when they started seeing how it was reviewed, even though we had early reviews that indicated that we had something with potential.” Selling nearly 3 million copies on the PS2 alone, NBA Street was an unstoppable force. The sweet spot was not only discovered but celebrated by critics and gamers alike. But, success came with a price. As a part of the EA umbrella, Mozell now had to work on a se-



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quel—and had to do it with essentially a new team. “All of a sudden we have this game that’s selling, and it’s exceeding expectations,” Mozell shared. “Now when we go to NBA Street Vol. 2, the world has changed, and the company continues to grow. Electronic Arts, as much as it would have been wonderful for us to sort of keep the band together … there was a big opportunity for Josh and Darryl to go work for work on a Def Jam title that they absolutely killed it on. Electronic Arts were then like, ‘Hey, you gotta start all over with a new team.’” That could have been a problem for many producers, but Mozell wasn’t worried. He knew it was just going to be a different adventure. “What’s interesting about that is that throughout my career, I’ve always been very calm and open about new things, and most of the time it works out, if you just believe. You have to bring the right people into the mix. Right. So, I will tell you that the first four to six months was like, ‘Okay, what are we going to do?’ ­Team-wise, I knew that we had our amazing developer, NUFX, and they were going to work with us.” As a matter of fact, the list of people who can say they’ve worked on every game in the Street series is so small you don’t even need a whole hand to count them. “There are two people, Michael Young and Mike McCartney,” Mozell said. “The thing that is special about those two gentlemen is that Mike, Michael and I are the only three people that were part of all four NBA Streets. Mike McCartney started out at Electronic Arts in test quality assurance for the first Street. I was such a huge fan of his. He became an assistant producer in NBA Street Vol. 2, and his passion for basketball is just infectious and made so much impact through the years over multiple versions of that product. “Michael Young’s a pretty unique Electronic Arts talent as well. He was a junior 3D artist at NUFX on the first NBA Street. We recruited him from NUFX, and he moved to Vancouver, and he stayed in Vancouver for the remaining NBA Street games. He basically became our director on the last one, Homecourt. That was his baby. So, when you go through it, it’s amazing to all the people you work with and how things get started. You can think about working with a team of people on one version of a product, but when you’re part of something, and you take it through its whole life cycle, and in this case, these four versions of this, this amazing game, it’s the people that were there, from the start to the finish, that you remember the most.” With a ­brand-new team working on one of the most important sequels in EA’s history, the pressure for NBA Street Vol. 2 to be a success was monumental enough, but Mozell didn’t want a prototypical sequel. He wanted to make sure the game was able to stand firmly on its own. But that sentiment wasn’t a new one, either. Mozell remembers several key moments in the original game’s development that would help shape the identity of NBA Street Vol. 2. “The expectations are higher, and how do we redefine this? Here’s what we learned from NBA Street,” Mozell shared. “One—we were sort of stuck in the middle. Street Ball has been around forever, but And1 had a lot of hype. I’ll tell you, we had plenty of athletes come in for motion capture. That was something that was a big inspiration. “There was also this idea, to have a Yeti character in the game. That was that spectrum of NBA Live to NBA Jam. I remember this moment, and it was actually a brilliant meeting with Frank Gibeau, who is now CEO of Zynga, one of the biggest supporters of NBA Street. I remember the moment when we were sitting there, and we were playing the game, and we just looked at each other, like, we had to decide, ‘Is this right, or not right?’ In the case of NBA Street, we said, no, but we knew we might have been a little thin. “I know creatively, it was really cool to create Stretch Monroe—that was a critical moment. I think, maybe, there was some thought that we could do it without the NBA license.

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I’ve never believed that because I’m always a big fan that if there’s credibility behind a partner, you bring them in. What we learned is that we needed to go and really be even more credible and that credibility came through things like we need a real soundtrack. It was an amazing time in ­hip-hop—we needed to really lean into something that’s more culturally relevant because we just touched on it. NBA Street was five white guys in Vancouver making a basketball game.” That all changed for the sequel. Now with the ability to define the game’s attitude even more than before, Mozell and the rest of the team made sure the game had the credibility players demanded. “We did our best as game makers, but we were short on authenticity,” Mozell reflected. “We tried. We brought in athletes. We tried to design characters that we thought were credible, and I think we did all the right things. What I knew is that I didn’t have all the answers. What I knew is that the people that could help us weren’t in EA. So, I started out building what I would say is sort of the brain trust of NBA Street Vol. 2. It started out from me and Electronic Arts, really thinking through where we wanted to innovate gameplay. Obviously, Nike had their freestyle commercials going on at the time. There was so much inspiration here, but I just sat back. “After a while though, ‘I’m like, okay, somebody started an amazing vision here that actually really feels like our game, and we need to be talking to these people.’ I was introduced to Jimmy Smith, who to this day, is a very good friend of mine. He basically became our creative director. And, with that we, Electronic Arts, ended up being introduced to Bobbito Garcia, who to me, completes the whole feel of that product. I’m talking about content and audio and everything like that. But along the way, there were other opportunities. I’m talking about trying to make something more authentic, something more credible. Again, I think we did everything we could on NBA Street, but then there was this whole opportunity for us to bring in the NBA legends. “At that time, the NBA legends license was … you had to take everybody, and you had to pay whatever that royalty rate was. I didn’t want that. I always thought of NBA Street as being about constraints. It’s ­three-on-three. It’s to 21. It’s going to have a couple of game modes. It’s not going to have a ton. It’s about constraints. It’s about really trying to find the fun in constraints. So, what we ended up doing is just going with the top 25 that we felt passionate about for the legends. When we secured the license, it took some negotiating with the NBA, but they were happy because they got a really nice royalty check from the first one, and they knew we were onto something.” With the addition of NBA legends, odes to Nike and And 1, the cementation of the gameplay ideals and Garcia doing the ­play-by-play, NBA Street Vol. 2 was gelling, even if it was simultaneously becoming harder than ever to appease everyone included in the game’s creation. However, it wasn’t until they realized something else that the game’s identity truly began to take shape. “Then it’s like, ‘Now we have something even bigger.’ It was hard because we’re leaving behind sort of this streetball thing that’s happening,” Mozell admitted. “That isn’t always about the pro athlete. So, how do you find that balance? ’Cause we didn’t want to get rid of our streetball characters that we created. In fact, we wanted to create more, but now you have these legends. I remember sitting back and again, just thinking it through and plotting it. I’m telling the team, ‘Guys, we’re trying to create this character named Osmosis. That’s really cool and fun. But then, we got access to this guy named Wilt Chamberlain, who’s scored a hundred points in the game, is over seven feet tall, and lives in LA. There’s an amazing story about his lifestyle that everybody’s like, ‘We can’t create that cool of a character.’



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“We wouldn’t be able to come up with the Wilt story. So, we leaned really heavily into all of these legends that we had … to go through the process. It was very cool because it helped us. Jimmy, with his incredible background in basketball and all the success with Nike, helped us sort of, put a fine point on it. Again, there were the moments where we were in a meeting, and I’ll never forget Dave Kush, who’s still at EA, but he was a product marketer. He was just like, ‘Old school meets new school.’ Those words just came out and that was it. I was like, ‘Done. Money.’ That’s what the whole premise and the vision for that game became. I won’t say vision for gameplay, but old school meets new school was sort of one of those things that packaged it up. Now we know what our boundaries are, and what we’re going to actually continue to build and innovate on that game.” For the first game, the visuals had to look a certain way. There wasn’t much room to negotiate. That didn’t mean the team wasn’t able to do anything innovative. Everyone who remembers NBA Street’s opening cinematic would absolutely agree with this sentiment. Mozell reflected on the novelties they were able to include. “The first one, I would say, was the highest quality video game art we can do, but it was difficult because it was a new game, and at Electronic Arts, you had limited resources,” Mozell said. “It wasn’t like we were just trying to make something look great on the PlayStation 2. Darryl did an amazing job. When you see that intro video on NBA Street, Darryl did that all by himself. I don’t know if it was Final Cut Pro or Premier or whatever you use, but it was just like, he just cranked on that for days. I made sure I got the track for him and its game art. Electronic Arts were very entrepreneurial. What we did, it was very, Electronic Arts, scrappy … but with NBA Street Vol. 2, there was this change. The company was growing. There are more products, and there are more products than we had people.” The opening for NBA Street Vol. 2. was taken to another level as well. Now able to have licensed music, the team was able to improve on one of the best opening scenes in PlayStation 2 history. “We had so many people that had great collaborations,” Mozell reflected. “All of a sudden, we end up on Pete Rock and CL Smooth for the opening. I felt like, this is the most

Mozell’s career continues to blossom to this day.

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amazing moment that we could have ever created for any fan coming into the game for the first time or coming into the game to just show their friends how to play a quick game of 21. That was cool. That was really fun. Being able to bring together, sort of, a unique moment that came together thanks to everything from the visuals and music. I think that’s really what people articulate through the art direction. But it’s also the front end. It’s the opening sequence. It’s all those pieces that come together, and they all work. They all work together.” Between the lessons learned by Mozell, the small team on the original game, and the updated elements to the game’s “recipe,” as Mozell calls it, NBA Street Vol. 2 on an exceptional track. There was still room for improvement somewhere else, however—the game’s visuals. In the end, they may be the biggest piece of the puzzle—and the most controversial element of the entire production. “There’s only a handful of us on NBA Street, and we ended up building the internal team to about over 20 people during the lifetime of NBA Street Vol. 2,” Mozell said. “One of the key people in that was actually one of the early people. Like we didn’t have a technical artist for the first one. Darryl did it all. He’s an art director, technical artist, the whole thing. Adam Myhill is somebody that always … he’s a photographer. He has a keen eye for … cultural relevance. He’s the one that proposed this sort of, ­toon-shaded look. We were very fortunate for Kurt Gibbons to join us. It was his first game opportunity. We hired him sort of out of that agency world. Together, they ended up continuing to refine that. I will tell you that look was probably the most controversial thing we could have done because it was not appreciated, understood, or valued within the company. “The reason we kind of went the other direction was everybody was trying to be ­photo-real. We said, ‘No, we’re going against the grain.’ I think we made the right choice, but I will tell you, there are some really amazing product reviewers back in the day that I met with, and at Electronic Arts, they’re always very honest with me, and there are some people that honestly felt that we probably took it too far, and they might be right,” Mozell admitted. “But at the end of the day, it’s not something we talk about. That was one of the most controversial things we did in the product, the art direction. I’m super proud of the product. I think we nailed it, but it’s hard to say, would we have sold more if we were more ­photo-real? I don’t know. “We would have been like everyone else. That was the thing about what we were always trying to do, to make it feel unique and more memorable. I think that art direction nailed it. As far as the presentation, EA Sports, just dominating the machine, keeps growing, huge success globally. They’re trying to be TV. They’re trying to be, like, a TV bubble moment. If an EA Sports game is on your TV playing, even on the PlayStation 2, gosh, even earlier, they wanted a feeling like if someone walked in the room, and they saw it on there. They wanna suspend belief and think that you’re watching a broadcast TV, a broadcast over the live sports show, or a sports game. We went against the grain, and what I always pushed was trying to make it so that the presentation, the game, whether it be the replay/auto replay, that’s more ­gameplay-focused. That’s like, I get a replay of a dunk, and I can replay it over and over and over until you punch me in the shoulder, and you say, ‘Dude, stop it.’ That’s what we were after. We were trying to add an element of engagement and just immersion.” All these years later, over 20 since the release of the original game, Mozell understands that the Street series, when at its best, was the antithesis of everything Electronic Arts was aiming for with their mainstream sports titles. “It was anti–TV broadcast,” Mozell observed. “So, those things were really tough, but again, I think we nailed it. I mean, I think the other side of it, the front end, the menu system and that went through so many iterations because



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everybody thought it was too dark. It didn’t look like the other EA Sports games. I think we ended up in a nice middle ground. At the time, it was seen as, what are you doing? They thought, this is not where we need it to be. We persevered and went through the iteration process, and we ended up with where we are.” It’s that perseverance that Mozell cites as a reason why the series has continued to be a fan favorite among so many retro gamers. “I’ve had a lot of my colleagues over the years have interviewers critique and analyze and say, ‘Why did EA Sports BIG go away, or this, or that? To me, I don’t look at it that way ’cause I know a business always evolves,” Mozell said. “I think that the success and everything about, ‘If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,’ and how far that went, that’s the reason why we had the opportunity to create NBA Street. I look at things holistically. But with that said, I will tell you that the most, the biggest compliment I’ve ever received on NBA Street. I’ve heard it so many times. It’s that when the game makes somebody a fan of basketball, [and] they weren’t a fan of basketball. “They played NBA Street because NBA Live was too complex. When they played NBA Street, they got to know these characters, they got to know these legends. They got to know Electronic Arts, ’cause we basically, without having a massive narrative, were trying to tell a story. We’re trying to let people connect the dots. But, for someone to come away from playing NBA Street and saying, ‘Wow, I love that game, but I’m not an NBA fan.’ I love that. I love to hear that they became a fan of basketball because of the game. That’s impressive.” Despite NBA Street Vol. 2’s success ­post-release, which led the way to two more games in the series, Mozell admits the development process was never easy. They knew what the expectations were, and they knew they had different gamers who wanted and expected different things from it. This led to one conundrum of sorts, one Mozell admits was just as big an issue during the first game’s development cycle. “Trying to innovate gameplay without breaking it,” Mozell said. “There were a lot of things going on behind the scenes at NBA Street. The AI, for example, had an amazing amount of sophisticated, intelligent glue logic. I think that’s what people would expect in an NBA Showtime or NBA Jam. So, one of the challenges is trying to say, ‘Okay, well, can we do away with that and actually make a game that rewards people for skill, and how they play the game and still make a really good game? I’ll tell you; we went back and forth on that a lot. “So, we mixed it up. There are some big hurdles in taking risks … you want to make sure you don’t alienate the people that made your game successful, your fans. What I actually was really pleased with is some of the gameplay moments. I remember the development team said they were not possible. The solutions, most of the time, ended up being so simple. It was like, ‘Why didn’t we do this in NBA Street?’ Those moments just added a layer of moments that were so accessible, anybody could do it.” In addition to the risks, there were also a bunch of ­pseudo-firsts in the Street series Mozell feels not only helped EA’s other basketball games, but everyone else’s moving forward. “It was the first time there was a character in an NBA licensed game without a shirt on— and tattoos. Tattoos had always been in NBA Live, but if you look at them closely, they’re just smears,” Mozell noted. “They’re just placements. They’re not actually there. So, I think what NBA Street did was challenging, but I think we broke new ground in terms of proving because it was a street game, what was culturally relevant and accepted and popular, which would lead to success in a title. Tattoos on the characters that were the real tattoo, even the soundtrack. All these things also helped what we were trying to accomplish in NBA Live. So, I don’t want to say that NBA Street was the pioneer. I think that because NBA Street was a breakthrough with the NBA license that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.”

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And it hasn’t been possible since, either. With no game in the series since the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 era, Mozell often wonders why the next crop of arcade basketball games haven’t borrowed from the work he and his team did two decades ago. He also has a question for his former employer, Microsoft. “What would be the next Street? This is a little bit arrogant, but I do know things without having to tell everybody. Whenever I play a game, I can tell what it’s missing, and why it has a hole in it, and why it can’t be NBA Street. There are definitely key things in gameplay, and it’s not necessarily about physics or anything. It’s just a recipe. Maybe I’m downplaying it because it took years and years to get that recipe. But it’s interesting ’cause I haven’t seen the recipe recreated, and whenever I play Street again, I know I played street. When I play other games like it that were released after it, I can’t believe they didn’t just do X or Y. I still think there’s an opportunity to bring that magic back. In the meantime, I wish that it was on the top list of Xbox 1 backward compatibility. “Maybe it’s harder, more difficult than we think. Maybe it’s not just, ‘Hey, let’s do it.’ Maybe it wouldn’t do that well, but I know if it was on the PlayStation 5 … I’m on my PlayStation everyday playing Fortnight, and I’m on my Xbox playing. I would love to be able to go and just do a session of NBA Street, especially Vol. 2.” Although the Street series will always be one of his proudest achievements, Mozell isn’t about to let it define his career. With a hearty list of accomplishments since the last game in the series released, Mozell is still hard at work making new memories for gamers. “When we started a Big Park in 2007, we were again in charge of innovating, and we were trying to create the first ­free-to-play Kart rider game for Xbox Live,” Mozell added. “The company was bought in 2009. I had an amazing six years at Microsoft as an executive helping grow the Xbox business, whether it was Kinect, whether it was even interactive TV, Gears of War from 2015 to 2017. I honestly thought that I was one of those guys that spent a lot of time in games, and I’m going to move on and do something else. Through the great opportunity to start advising a couple of companies, I got energized again, and rather than just being an advisor or a direct member, a director, I said, ‘I’m going to do this.’ “So, I started up a new company in 2019 called Sun Machine Entertainment. It’s a company that has big aspirations and a big vision, but we’re also very patient. Our first game came out in 2020, and soft launch, and it should have a strong launch in Q3 Q4 of 2021. It’s a mobile game about bringing people together and enjoying, connecting over great game experiences. It’s not a basketball game. It’s not sports. It’s called Go Big. It’s about smashing, dashing and growing. It’s a grow big game that has great inspiration from Katamari. What I’m doing is just focusing on growing future game opportunities. So, we have our team in Vancouver, we’ve been working remotely since March 2020, but there are studios in Shanghai and studios in Bangkok that I’m partnering with in the near future. “The goal is to have a portfolio of games, and I’m not sure if, if we’ll have something that is as remarkable as NBA Street, but I will tell you, I’ve come close to feeling as good as NBA Street, on some of the products that we’ve been working on. This is fresh—this is new. People are just going to love it. When I left games, I was 45 years old. I thought I was leaving games and tech, and here I am, I’m 50 now. I want to be doing this for the next 10 years. There’s no stopping. So, whether that’s mobile games, console, PC games for markets in Asia development teams globally, I’m all in.” With Sun Machine Entertainment hungry for success, Mozell has rediscovered the moxie, swagger and scrappiness that led to his biggest triumphs. It’s also more proof of how important his work on the Street series and the best game in the franchise NBA Street Vol.



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2 ultimately were. Although he’s moved on in his career, he’ll never get tired of listening to how the series affected people. “I really enjoy hearing about the moments people played it as they’re growing up,” Mozell reflected. “I’m not the type of person who would sit there and say, ‘Hey, it’s the best sports game, or it’s the best basketball game ever, ever made. I think at different times, there are games that have been incredibly successful for a specific reason, but I want it to be remembered as a product that brought Electronic Arts, kids and adults alike together to enjoy the NBA. “I want it to be remembered, like, the moment where they’ve enjoyed playing basketball in a video game, and it stands out as that unique time where it’s nothing but good vibes. Right. That’s how I think about it. That’s what you always want your games to be about. Awards are nice, great reviews are nice. What I’m all about is this game that brings people together, and they enjoy it. That’s all I care about.”

Conclusion Well, there you have it. That’s it. The final curtain, at least on this one. This was certainly an adventure for me. As I said in the Introduction and Preface, the PlayStation 2 had a massive effect on me as a gamer, as a writer and as a person. I hope that learning more about it has affected you as well. In the end, that’s always my biggest goal. While the process of conducting these interviews is enjoyable for me and an absolute labor of love, there’s a massive amount of time and energy that is involved as well. Obviously, it’s far from easy. For every book in this series, I send out hundreds of pitches, get ghosted by some developers, some never respond, some say yes, some say no. But for the ones that join this adventure, it’s always gratifying afterwards to review the list of people who saw what I was trying to accomplish and invested in me in order to tell their stories. To the developers featured in this book, thank you. Thank you, David Warfield, for agreeing to write the

Moments like this are why this series is special to me.

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foreword of this book and helping me get in contact with so many former Electronic Arts employees. Thank you to my friends and family for bearing with me, as I once again, went mad for eight months writing, researching and editing. However, that brings me here. This is kind of important. If you dug this book—hell, I’ll even say if you hated it, or used it as a door stop, tell the world. The only way authors know if they’ve affected you, is if you tell them. Over the past five years and seven books, I’ve met so many amazing people and have been given so many wonderful opportunities. This was all because I knew what my readers wanted, or in some cases didn’t want, to read. Letting me know how this affected you will ensure this journey is far from over. While I absolutely have ideas of where to take the series next, you can play an instrumental role by telling me. I’m all ears. You absolutely have the power to shape the next edition of this series. Take advantage of it. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or ­e-mail me. I want to hear from you. Together, we can redefine what video game history is for years to come. Let’s do it.

Index Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies ​ 154 ATV Off-Road Fury ​106 Bayless, Graeme ​142 Blood Omen 2 ​50 blue dart ​109 Buck, Jim ​146 Cage, David ​13 Call of Duty: Finest Hour ​189 Campbell, Diarmid ​76 Campbell, Scott ​89 Damacy, Katamari ​67 Dead to Rights ​183 Def Jam Vendetta ​135 DMX ​137 Downhill Domination ​109 Dragon Rage ​71

Hawk, Tony ​102 Henshaw, Scott ​96 ICO ​204 Indigo Prophecy ​13 Johnson, Benjamin ​71 Johnson, Jeff ​114 Kerrison, Craig ​212 Killzone ​173 Kiss, Eric ​220 Langteau, Scott ​189 Lawrance, Alan ​199 Leprince, Audrey ​150 Leyland, Robert ​101

FIFA Street ​124 FIFA 2005 ​118 Flores, Alan ​32

Madden NFL 2003 ​142 The Mark of Kri ​60 Max Payne ​183 Medal of Honor: Frontline ​157 Merghart, Jeff ​60 Midway ​114 Mister Mosquito ​36 Moriwaki, Tomo ​40 Mozel, Wil ​220 Mueller, Dan ​60

Gray, Lindsay ​67 Guirao, Paul ​26 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock ​ 32 Gutmann, Michael ​169

NBA Street ​220 NBA Street Vol 2 ​220 Neversoft ​32 NFL GameDay 2004 ​146 NHL 2002 ​130

Harrison, Bill ​118 Hatch, Kellan ​89

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy ​18

Eddy, Brian ​18 Everquest Online Adventures ​85 EyeToy: Play ​212

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Rainbow Six 3 ​150 Ratchet & Clank ​7 Red Faction ​199 RedCard 20–03 ​114 Run DMC ​96 Schofield, Glenn ​50 The Shadow of the Colossus ​204 Shubel, Kyle ​204 Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus ​53 SOCOM: US Navy Seals ​169 Spider-Man: The Movie ​40 Spider-Man 2 ​40 SSX Tricky ​96 Stitt, Craig ​7 Tarr-Forrest, Amanda ​85 Tekken Tag Tournament ​26 The Thing ​76 Tony Hawk Downhill Jam ​101 Twisted Metal ​90 Valentine, Luke ​36 War of the Monsters ​89 Warfield, Dave ​130 Warhawk ​89 WCW ​135 Whalen, Kerry ​124 Wong, Amory ​220 Zimmerman, Chris ​53