How do you determine which console you release a product for?
When we first started the company, I was looking at going for the Xbox 360 or Playstation Network, because I thought they’d be huge. I’ve always been a Nintendo fan, and I knew they were going to do the virtual console downloads but wasn’t very sure about the WiiWare side of things, so I started discussions with all of them.
Microsoft run a very closed shop – it is very particular about the processes you go through to get a game approved and put onto Xbox Live or Arcade, and you’ve got to spend a lot of money getting the game to a certain point by yourself before Microsoft will even give you development kits, or approval. We started down that road, but for us it was a very risky proposition. If you’ve built a prototype game but someone comes along and cans it, you’ve probably already spent six to nine months of development time on that, and for our business it could have put us under.
On the other hand, everyone says Nintendo is a very conservative company but I found they were almost the opposite. Nintendo just wanted to hear ideas and what sort of experiences we could put on to the Wii, so we pitched about 10 concepts, detailed them up a bit more, and when the people there seemed happy with the ideas, we were approved. Since then, it’s been a really open system. As long as you fit within those boundaries, we’re allowed to make just about whatever software we like, which is brilliant.
What’s your opinion on the lack of the R18+ classification rating in Australia? Would Nnooo develop R-rated games in the future?
In terms of us developing R18+ products, probably not – there are a couple of ideas that I have that would be borderline, but they’re a very long way down the track.
Will it come to Australia? Yes, I think it will – I think it’s inevitable that Australia has to wake up to the fact that games are for more than just children. If you look at it as a medium, it has been a boy’s medium for so long, and it has explored all the things that boys predominantly find fascinating. But now the market it growing up.
If you look at TV, it has exploded into all kinds of different directions, such as Dexter, Californication and the Sopranos. They all explore different, but adult topics, and I think there’s going to come a point in games where you’re going to have a game that doesn’t necessarily involve violence but can still be a R18+ game. Those are the sorts of experiences that we want to start bringing to games – the idea that there’s deeper emotional content, than just running around shooting things or driving.
