The game developer behind classic LucasArts gams like Maniac Mansion is exploring a new adventure with The Cave.
What similarities do you see today with digital distribution and your early days of PC game development at LucasArts?
Back then it was a lot easier to try new and weird ideas. Games were cheaper to make and there was a lot less risk involved. Due to digital distribution, we’re seeing that come back.
What impact have you seen Kickstarter open up for developers to become publishers of ideas and genres that typically would be ignored?
Kickstarter has been great. It’s a way to go directly to the fans of a person, studio or genera and get funding without the middleman. I don’t think Kickstarter is going to replace publishers or other means of raising money, but what it has done is provide another place to get games made and that is always a good thing.
What role do you see the more powerful tablets and smartphones playing in the gaming ecosystem today and moving forward?
Smartphones have already changed the entire business. Think about the gaming world before the iPhone and after the iPhone. What these devices have done is open gaming up to a whole new audience.
What excites you about the speed at which mobile devices processors are moving from a game development perspective?
More power is always good. More memory is always good. The more you have to play with, the more interesting things you can do.
What would you like to see from the next consoles from Sony and Microsoft?
More memory. Seriously. Load those things up with RAM. It’s always been a horribly constrained resource on consoles. And get rid of the physical drive. Go 100% digital. It’s 2013!
