• Do you think huge trade events like E3 are going to last? (Jeigh)
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• If you could re-make any previous-generation game for the PS3, which title would it be, and what would it be like? (KazeEternal)
• When did you know for sure that you belonged in the video game business? (Sindress)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• What is the hardest part about game development today? (osirisomeomi)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

Thanks to Ted, and everyone at Insomniac Games and SCEA Santa Monica who helped me put these interviews together. And thanks to all of you that watched (tens of thousands), commented, and asked the questions we’ve used.

While this wraps up our E3 interview, it does *not* wrap up our E3 coverage. Stay tuned to the blog for more, including MAG details.

IDS Series Links:
* Inside the Developers Studio: Brian Allgeier
* Inside the Developers Studio: Matt Morton
* Inside the Developers Studio: Rusty Buchert
* Inside the Developers Studio: Tsubasa Inaba
* Inside the Developers Studio: Kyle Shubel
* Inside the Developers Studio: Deb Mars

• What game(s) you have at E3 this year?
• Do you think huge trade events like E3 are going to last? (Jeigh)
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• How has the existence of PSN affected the way you think about games? (tirminyl)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• How often do you make technical changes to your games half-way through or late into the game development cycle based on something you’ve just seen or played from other developers? (P_tear_griffin)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

For more info on Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty, click here, or download yesterday’s press conference trailer from the PLAYSTATION Store.

We wrap up our E3 Developers’ series interviews tomorrow with one of the stars of yesterday’s press conference, Insomniac Games’ President Ted Price.

• What game(s) you have at E3 this year?
• If you could choose where E3 was hosted, where would it be? (Dubbedinenglish)
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• When did you know for sure that you belonged in the video game business? (Sindress)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• How often do you make technical changes to your games half-way through or late into the game development cycle based on something you’ve just seen or played from other developers? (P_tear_griffin)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

Matt Morton is an Associate Producer at Sony Santa Monica. He has worked on nearly every type, genre and style of video game and continues to look for the next interesting, new, but most importantly: FUN game.

What do you want to know about PixelJunk Eden? Ask and I’ll get the answers.

For the next interview, we leave Santa Monica and head over to Burbank… home of Insomniac Games.

As such, his answers are quite illuminating on the following topics (the Blog readers who asked these questions are in parentheses):

• What are you showing at E3 2008?
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• If you could re-make any previous-generation game for the PS3, which title would it be, and what would it be like? (KazeEternal)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• How often do you make technical changes to your games halfway through or late into the game development cycle based on something you’ve just seen or played from other developers? (P_tear_griffin)
• How has the PSN changed the way you make games? (tirminyl)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

If there’s more you’d like to find out from Rusty on Flower or Linger in Shadows, ask your question in the comments area.

Next interview: Matt Morton (PixelJunk Eden)

• If you could choose where E3 was hosted, where would it be? (Dubbedinenglish)
• Do you think huge trade events like E3 are going to last? (Jeigh)
• When did you know for sure that you belonged in the video game business? (Sindress)
• If you could re-make any previous-generation game for the PS3, which title would it be, and what would it be like? (KazeEternal)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

Tsubasa Inaba is an International Software Development Producer at SCEA Santa Monica. He’s been a part of SCE for 11 years, and has worked on Dark Cloud, ICO, Gran Turismo 3 & 4, and Tourist Trophy to name a few.

Now that you know who he is and what he’s showing at E3 – what game-related questions do you want me ask Tsubasa next week? Tell me below.

Next interview (Monday): Rusty Buchert (Linger In Shadows)

• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• When did you know for sure that you belonged in the video game business? (Sindress)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• How often do you make technical changes to your games half-way through or late into the game development cycle based on something you’ve just seen or played from other developers? (P_tear_griffin)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

Kyle is a 13+ year veteran of the game industry, currently functioning as the Managing Producer, International Software Development at Sony Computer Entertainment, Kyle has also functioned as Producer at Interplay Productions and Contraband Entertainment.

Now that you know who he is and what he’s showing at E3 – what game-related questions do you want me ask Kyle next week? Tell me below.

Tomorrow’s interview: Tsubasa Inaba (Siren: Blood Curse)

A few weeks ago I quizzed you to find out what *you* would ask our producers if you met them. Well, I took those questions and did just that. First up, Deb Mars, who’s working on the highly anticipated (and awesome, seriously) PixelJunk Eden.

Here’s what we asked (and which Blog readers asked it, in parentheses):

• What game(s) you have at E3 this year?
• Do you think huge trade events like E3 are going to last? (Jeigh)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• When did you know for sure that you belonged in the video game business? (Sindress)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

Deborah Mars is a Senior Producer in SCEA’s Santa Monica Studios. She joined SCEA in 2002, and is focused primarily on working with External development teams to bring fresh, unique and innovative games to the PlayStation Network. Mars has more than 17 years experience in Product Development, with an extensive background in interactive media, new business start-ups, and management consulting. She has held positions at Sony Computer Entertainment America, Scient Corporation, The Tribune Company, and Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Now that you know who she is and what she’s showing at E3 – what game-related questions do you want me ask her next week? Tell me below.

Tomorrow: Kyle Shubel (LittleBigPlanet and Killzone 2)

I want to extend a special thanks here to all the developers that lent us their time, to not only answer our questions, but to answer yours too in the many of the comment threads. If you missed any of the posts in this series, I’m linking to all of them here now, and as you’ll see, we have a new banner above that links to this collection too, so until we pick this back up, enjoy everyone!

Hermen Hulst, Guerrilla Games – Killzone 2
Julian Eggebrecht, Factor 5 – Lair
Evan Wells & Richard Lemarchand, Naughty Dog – Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Dylan Jobe, SCEA – Warhawk
Sarah Stocker, SCEA – SingStar
Seth Luisi, SCEA – SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
Brian Allgeier, Insomniac – Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Nina Kristensen, Ninja Theory – Heavenly Sword
Felice Standifer, SCEA – The Eye of Judgement
Erich Waas, SCEA – NBA ‘08
Travis Williams, SCEA – PAIN
Cory Barlog, Ready at Dawn – God of War: Chains of Olympus

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Killzone 2 is a Hostile Theatre of war where every hit has a dramatic impact (sorry, Killzone is just too big for five words).

3. Tell me about the game, what’s the story?
It’s two years later and the ISA are invading the Helghast home planet of Helghan. The goal is to capture the Helghast leader and bring the war machine to a halt.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
For us, we need a great deal of processing power to make our vision come to life. The PS3 really allows us to build Killzone 2 on a grand scale with a level of detail that is truly eye-catching, and something that we knew we could do, but needed the source of raw horsepower to make it happen. To give you an example, our character models on screen use the same amount of polygons as an entire level of Killzone on PS2.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
One cool thing to note is that we can now do many of the things we envisioned when we were creating the original Killzone. The PS3 hardware really gives us much more freedom in the development process. In my opinion though, at the end of the day, the thing I think about as a coolest aspect of the game really is the iconic Helghast image with the glowing eyes (as you can see in the screen above).

6. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
No big names really, I would most like to see the game in the hands of our fans. We want Joe six pack to play the game and beg for more time with it than just one hour. We’re really looking forward to getting our fans’ reaction to the game.

7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Probably Resident Evil 5, I’ve always been a fan of that franchise.

8. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
This is my 10th. I’m very happy to see this change in the format this year. There should be much less noise and an overall better experience for attendees.

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Again, it’s impossible to do this in under five words. My pre-E3 experience has left me buried in our project. Now that E3 is here, it feels like I’m about to get out of a very long tunnel. It will also be nice to get re-acquainted with my wife.

10. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
For us, E3 is all about exchanging an umbrella and coat for a nice pair of shades. Our team loves to adopt the California gear: sunglasses, flip flops and a nice convertible.

11. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
It is a very inspirational time for us as well as everyone who is a fan of games. E3 is where many great teams get together to show off a variety of amazing products. So my advice is to enjoy every single minute of it…it’s a great rush when you get to see some of the very best work from each of the companies involved.

12. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
I believe this new format for E3 will really allow for more tailored, intimate and customized experiences. A prime example is the event we did tonight for Killzone 2.

13. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
It is definitely the people. I enjoy working with the wide range of talent we have, including extreme creative types as well as the analytic, technical members of our team. It is this collaborative process that magically comes together during each project, allowing us to bring our vision to life.

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Dragons. Combat. Flight. Fight. Done.

3. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
The story is about Rohn, a dragon pilot and elite member of the military. The world is being thrown into chaos by natural disasters, the government is taken over by fanatics who exploit this, and Rohn has to fight a war that makes him question his moral stance. The story starts out very black and white, but it becomes grey and triggers a lot of questions, both for the hero as well as, we hope, the player. It’s not your typical video game story.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
The combination of traditional controls and radical new usage of motion control is certainly something only possible with the Sixaxis. That then combined with the 1080p graphics and 7.1 hi-def sound, I wouldn’t know of any other platform offering that combination. The PS3 and Lair complement each other rather perfectly.

5. Do you have any “firsts” in this game that have never been done before?
A lot, actually. There never has been an action game that goes seamlessly from the 10000 foot point of action to the very intimate on the-ground battles. There has never been a game that uses motion control and classic controls to bring visceral combat to life – and that in many different gameplay mechanics. And I think even in terms of story we are breaking new ground for video games as a more sophisticated
storytelling device with larger and very contemporary themes.

6. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
The control of the dragon. All these new things to experience that no game has done before. Well, that and the epic feeling of everything. Epic vs. controls, I am torn which one is cooler.

7. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
My Mom. The last thing we played together on a TV was Warlords on the Atari 2600 so she needs to catch up.

8. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Least of all my own. I hope to spend some quality time with Uncharted and Ratchet, especially since my kids are the biggest Ratchet fans on the planet. And let’s see how far Kojima-san’s newest Metal Gear has come. Outside of all things PlayStation I am a sucker for Mario Galaxy.

9. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
All of them. I am so old that I attended CES before E3 came about.

10. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Finishing Lair. Lot’s of sleep.

11. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
“Do you have a ticket for the Sony party?”

12. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
A ticket for the Sony party. Something for headaches. A friendly cab-driver

13. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
It’s much better experiencing it now than it was before. Less bare flesh and more quality game time.

14. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Less Crowds. More Focus.

15. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
Sharing the results with my children. They recently got into some of my older games and it’s so cool experiencing the games again through the eyes of my kids. And that would be a close tie with the perks of the workplace here at Factor 5, most of all fresh imported German beer on tap!

Also See
Lair Nears the Finish Line, Full Speed Ahead!