GR: It's easy to see where a company might view it as too risky. The execution has to be perfect, or it's a huge waste of time and resources.
VK: It can go wrong easily, yes.
AB: It was a bumpy ride sometimes, but there definitely was a moment where all involved saw the idea actually starting to work and it got a lot easier moving forward with the project.
GR: I hope we'll see the same type of innovative risk-taking in the design of the game.
VK: It is definitely a unique approach to the zombie theme. Combining open world with the tropical setting, zombies in plain daylight, spicing it up with RPG elements, there is a lot of stuff in there. So it definitely is a lot of work and also a risk of course. But putting a new IP onto the market always is.
GR: You couldn’t have asked for a better marketing vehicle. The trailer really caught a lot of people by surprise, and now suddenly there's all this attention and buzz around the game. With all that attention comes a lot of added pressure. It's a nice problem to have... so how are you handling it? Excitement? Stress? Long hours?
AB: Long hours!
VK: All of the above, exactly. But really, it’s added pressure. We try to make the best possible game anyway, as we are all gamers ourselves. Having so many eyes on you adds some pressure on top of it, of course. But I would say that´s good pressure, it would be way worse to put all the effort into a game and nobody looks at it. So we are glad that people want to see more and look forward to deliver some new cool assets soon enough.
AB: Very soon...
GR: Almost immediately, fans set about re-editing the trailer to put it back into sequential order. How did it feel to see all your months of work “undone?”
AB: Well, I cannot speak for everybody involved, but it is of course flattering. I guess everyone has seen the trailer the way we intended it, so there is no real harm done in fans putting their own spin on it. That's how I started out working with games as well.
GR: Doing machinima?
AB: Exactly. If you look at it from our perspective, we are able to tell stories we don't usually get to tell, we might not even get the chance to... we are limited only by our imagination.
GR: Who would you cite as your favorite filmmakers or animators?
VK: Uwe Boll. Kidding!
AB: Chris Nolan. And I would also add that Pixar makes more sophisticated movies than any other company out there. These guys are doing awesome work, using many different layers to revolutionize cinema one film at a time.
GR: Yeah, I love Nolan's fractal narratives. And Batman, of course.
AB: Who would have thought that Batman could actually be somewhat realistic, engaging and character driven? It works and appeals on so many levels, that is what I find most interesting about it.
GR: How he brilliantly reveals and develops character through blockbuster action sequences, action and drama perfectly tied together.
AB: He also showed us that people are willing to be treated more seriously in general when it comes to cinema or cinematic sequences. When you are talking about a concept that is more "out there," you need examples that it might work, that it isn’t too complex or too sophisticated for your audience. I think that Mr. Nolan gave more than enough examples that these can be interesting and also profitable in the end.
GR: I suppose it goes back to a studio, or game developer's willingness to forge ahead, away from what is "safe." I think a lot of people were surprised, for example, by Inception's commercial success. Do you think there are lessons there for the games industry?
AB: It needed to be a major success to show studios, that this setup can really work in the end. Character development, storytelling, and emotional attachment are basic values that are necessary in both movies and games.
GR: The latest videogame piece of the Batman franchise, Arkham Asylum, took some pretty big risks that paid off wonderfully too.
AB: They understood that a good movie does not automatically mean a great game. They certainly took some liberty with the IP, they only applied features that would work within a video game. It was my game of the year choice actually.
GR: Ours too! The sort of "business logic" of the entire entertainment industry is to keep turning out the same boring stale stuff. But these creative/commercial successes show that audiences of both movies and games are fatigued by sequelitis and formulaic product...
AB: I could go on for hours... I would love to talk more about that actually, but maybe we can open that bottle another time.
GR: Ah, I forgot. It’s beer o’clock in Europe! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to talk with me today. We’re looking forward to seeing more of the game as soon as possible.
VK: Thanks for your interest in Dead Island.
AB: Have a good day!
May 25, 2011
GR: Ours too! The sort of "business logic" of the entire entertainment industry is to keep turning out the same boring stale stuff. But these creative/commercial successes show that audiences of both movies and games are fatigued by sequelitis and formulaic product...
AB: I could go on for hours... I would love to talk more about that actually, but maybe we can open that bottle another time.
GR: Ah, I forgot. It’s beer o’clock in Europe! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to talk with me today. We’re looking forward to seeing more of the game as soon as possible.
VK: Thanks for your interest in Dead Island.
AB: Have a good day!
May 25, 2011
