ign interview with Bioware over Sonic rpg

[Himu]

http://ds.ign.com/articles/799/799672p1.html

[demi]

why dont you just copy and paste it, distinguished mentally-challenged fellow

[Himu]

June 26, 2007 - Earlier last week, SEGA and RPG kings BioWare made a huge announcement: not only would the two companies be working together to create a role-playing game with SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog character in the lead, but also that the game will be produced for the Nintendo DS handheld. BioWare revealed a few months back that it had formed a division specifically for handheld development -- and the company managed to score a rather big project as its first.

We couldn't resist throwing BioWare a few questions regarding the SEGA deal, the Sonic project, and its handheld division. Greg Zeschuk, President, and Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare Corp., were right there at the ready to tell us what we wanted to know -- at least, what they could say with the game so early in production. Sonic RPG is a 2008 release, after all. Sega of America President and COO Simon Jeffrey also chimes in with a few answers.



IGN: Chicken or the egg time: Did the handheld division of BioWare form specifically for the Sonic RPG, or did the deal happen after the division was formed?

Ray Muzyka: We chose to form the BioWare DS group because we really wanted to develop for the platform - we're committed to developing great games for the Nintendo DS. We felt the Sonic RPG title was a great first product for our DS team - we're huge fans both of Sonic as a character and IP, and the DS as an RPG platform!

IGN: So, why Sonic RPG? What makes this project so special to be the first announced project from the handheld division?

Greg Zeschuk: We're huge fans of the Sonic IP and we jumped at the chance to work on it. As you know, roleplaying games - games focused on awesome stories and compelling characters, plus beautiful worlds to explore, addictive progression and customization and nail-biting combat - are BioWare's bread and butter and it's exciting to be able to bring a popular character with such a rich history into this genre for the very first time - it's a great honor for us to be entrusted with that responsibility by our publishing partner for this title, SEGA. While we haven't announced any feature sets yet, the Nintendo DS capabilities will allow us to innovate and create a very compelling game that will appeal to an all-ages worldwide audience while still providing a deep, rich experience to satisfy the traditional BioWare fan.

IGN: Give us a taste of what we can expect out of Sonic's first RPG. Is this going to be anything like what Square did years ago with the Mario RPG SNES title?

Ray Muzyka: We haven't announced any specific features yet, but obviously the DS is a very cool platform and we play games on it all the time as fans ourselves. Without giving away too much, we can say that we will be using many of DS's feature sets and we'll really be pushing the limits of what the system can do, always striving to innovate in what we deliver, as in all BioWare games.

Above all, we're committed to deliver a deep, compelling, unique and entertaining experience in this first BioWare RPG for DS. There are many fans of Sonic at BioWare and our love for the IP goes way back - I myself have an autographed (by the creators of Sonic) SEGA Genesis which is still plugged in side by side with my 360, Wii and PS3, and the main games I play on the Genesis when I go back to that system are Sonic I and II

IGN: Tell us about the talent within the handheld division. What sort of handheld background does the team have, and what makes you think you can bring the same quality of product as your console and PC teams?

Greg Zeschuk: We have a very talented group working on the game; many of the team members have been at BioWare for years. For example, the project director, Mark Darrah, has been at BioWare for ten years and has worked in senior roles on the Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter Nights and Jade Empire. His experience will provide great leadership to a very talented team. BioWare has very experienced teams across the board that know how to make a great game on any system. Our upcoming epics Mass Effect and Dragon Age, as well as our MMO at BioWare Austin and other as-yet-unannounced titles are other examples of great talent across BioWare.

IGN: What are some of the differences you've noticed, both in developing a product and what the market expects, between the handheld market and the console market. How will BioWare's handheld team approach these differences?

Greg Zeschuk: One thing that's very exciting about developing for a handheld product is that it operates on a much faster development cycle. For instance, if the team comes up with a really cool concept, we can often see it prototyped very quickly, often literally a few days later. Another obvious difference with a handheld device like the DS are the different system features such as the dual screen, touch-screen and WiFi capabilities. This type of functionality allows us to innovate in very different ways as compared to a home console and I'd argue that the DS is a near-perfect system to launch a new roleplaying game franchise on!

IGN: Sonic RPG is a pretty big deal, but this can't be the only project in the works at BioWare's handheld team. Or is it? What sort of projects do you have cooking with the team that's not hedgehog related? Anything not RPG focused, maybe something for the casual, non-gaming crowd that Nintendo seems big on putting a focus?

Greg Zeschuk: BioWare's handheld team is focused on the Sonic title - we're focused on making a great experience in our first DS adventure. We're definitely planning to announce new titles for DS in the future but our immediate focus is to make sure we deliver a great game in partnership with our publisher SEGA!

IGN: Any handheld development studio out there you've been watching as a prime example of doing portable gaming right?

Ray Muzyka: We have a lot of respect for Nintendo's DS development studios; they make some truly inspiring games. That said, we're also utilizing a lot of the knowledge that we've gained through the years from creating our own titles on a variety of platforms, both console and PC.

IGN: Now that BioWare's focusing on the handheld market, can we expect to see the "big" BioWare games, like Baldur's Gate and KOTOR going handheld, or should we not hold our breaths?

Greg Zeschuk: At this point, we are very focused on Sonic - like SEGA, we're looking at this as a title with huge potential. We have not announced any plans to bring any other titles to handheld yet!

IGN: Where did the spark for the idea of a Sonic RPG come from, was it a SEGA concept or was it an idea that spawned out of the BioWare division?

Simon Jeffrey: We recognized the need to revitalize Sonic and bring something new to the franchise. An RPG was something totally different for Sonic, it felt fresh and excting. Knowing that we had the opportunity to work with a renowned developer like BioWare on this game confirmed that it was the right opportunity for us to now bring this vision to life.

IGN: Why bring the idea to the DS? Why a handheld version and not a console design?

Simon Jeffrey: Being the first project coming out of BioWare's all new handheld division gave SEGA and BioWare the ability to grow together - for SEGA it was growing the Sonic franchise in a new direction and for BioWare it was extending its reach out into the handheld arena. It lessens the degree of risk for both companies. SEGA's risk goes down because Sonic's first RPG is being created by the masters of that genre. We know they will hit the ball out of the park. And for BioWare the risk is lowered because their first handheld effort is using a known and loved video game icon like Sonic with a built in fan base so they know the title will get high visibility.

IGN: Why did you pair up with BioWare for the game and not just have an internal SEGA team create it instead?

Simon Jeffrey: Sonic has been a consistently successful franchise for SEGA. Part of that success is constantly evolving with the video game industry and finding new ways to reach out to gamers - old and new. Collaborating with the BioWare team was an ideal way to ensure that there were two solid reputations behind the game - the creators of Sonic and experts in the RPG genre. The SEGA internal team will continue to be involved in the project though to ensure that the spirit of Sonic and the Sonic franchise stays intact.

[Madrun Badrun]

So PRish 

[hyp]

someone help me get hard again. 

sonic + rpg = sir limpdic

[Fragamemnon]

What a sad set of interview questions.

It should have been something like this-

BitterPCDuder: Has Sega given you permission to retcon subtractively at will in the Sonic universe back to the Genesis era? As both parties seem to agree from your statements, the series needs a cleansing enema of sorts, and badly.

BitterPCDuder: Is Amy coming back? Is she going to have an accent and stuck-up demeanor, which will slowly give way through the game, building up to some dramatic revelation involving Sonic and her later in the game?

BitterPCDuder: How does it feel to know that you are making a game whose most enthusiastic fans are the worst furries on earth-the hardcore Sonic cosplay freakouts? Does this bother you, or do you treat it like a joke-wait-are you some sort of furry?

BitterPCDuder: How does it feel, in 2007, to be working with hardware that's far less capable than even the systems you first used when creating the original Infinity Engine games well before Baldur's Gate was released?

BitterPCDuder: How much control does Sega have over the project? They aren't really known for top-shelf game design skills outsides of the arcade anymore, and most of their ideas would be about as bad as listening to the wishes of the furries I mentioned a couple of questions ago. Are you sure you aren't furries?

That would be a fun interview. No one does fun interviews anymore, it's all PR.