I'm Executive Director, Worldwide Brand Marketing, which is a fancy way of saying I'm responsible for trying to get people all over the world to buy our products. Essentially, I am responsible for the strategic and brand marketing efforts including product positioning, packaging, and advertising for all of Fox Interactive's video game and computer software titles.
What's your history in the games market and when did you join Fox?
I've been here at Fox for about 8 years and for over 5 of them I've been working on our interactive business. Prior to that, I worked in our home video group and jumped into games when the opportunity came up. I'd always played games and was thrilled to be able to work on something that I have such a huge interest in.
What are some of Fox Interactive's past Mac entertainment titles and is Aliens vs. Predator a new chapter for the company?
We've supported Mac since our very first titles including THE SIMPSONS CARTOON STUDIO and INSIDE INDEPENDENCE DAY. Mac has such a loyal following in the creative community where many of our titles are started, so Mac has always been top of mind as opposed to an afterthought. The decision to bring AVP out on Mac was really an easy one--there really aren't any good FPS out for Mac.
How long was Aliens vs. Predator in development?
About 3 years if you count the first concepts.
How and when did the relationship with Logicware begin?
Fairly recently. They really demonstrated an interest in AVP and a determination to deliver the full experience of AVP on Mac.
What about Aliens vs. Predator will make it unique and appealing?
No other FPS has these characters, with all of the requisite horror, suspense and action that you would expect as if you were actually in the movies.
What are the main differences between the marine, alien and predator?
The Marine is a landbound guy with about as many weapons and tech toys as you could expect. If he uses them all properly, he might just live. The Predator has some really wicked weapons as well including a disk that's essentially a cross between a boomerang and a scalpel. He's also got vision modes that include thermal sighting which make it easy to target and kill just about anything. The Alien is just like you see in the film--it's got razor claws and jaws, moves about as fast as a Porsche in 360 degrees and if you shoot one too close to you, the acid blood leaks on you and can kill you.
Was balance between the three races a major issue for the development team?
Absolutely. The biggest issues is resolving who would win in a real world scenario. We still don't know, but most of us favor the Predator.
What makes Aliens vs. Predator scary when you've got the sound up loud and the lights off?
The fact that if you scream, there's no one there to help you. Unless you're in team mode in multiplayer of course.
I'm sure with the marine there wasn't much pressure to live up to any standard and the development team could take it any direction. However, with both the Alien and Predator, they had appeared in movies and there is a definite standard that had to be met. How did the development team approach this issue?
Ad nauseum viewing of the movies to start. It really comes down to studying ALL of the source material on those characters including the models, props in addition to their moves in the films. But the Marine was by no means easy--there's more than enough standards to beat there--Quake and Half Life have Marine characters that we need to match or beat, and then you've got different Marines in Predator (Arnold for one) and than the Colonial Marines from ALIEN. Just try finding a Marine as bad--ass as Vasquez for instance!
It has been said that one of the main problems in the Aliens vs. Predator port was its 3D acceleration - specifically, that the PC version uses Direct3D, a Microsoft library which has not been ported, which has forced Logicware to rewrite the code in OpenGL. Has this difficulty been overcome?
It's a necessary step to porting so it's not really that problematic. We're going to make sure that this game delivers on the Mac and Logicware is committed to that goal as well.
How much does the multiplayer aspect of Aliens vs. Predator contribute to the overall experience of the title?
It's like most things in life--it's more fun to be doing with somebody (or to somebody) that it is to just be alone. Multiplayer broadens the experience for me from just abject terror to sheer exhiliration, but it's different for everybody.
Will Aliens vs. Predator come with a "finder" utility for Internet gaming? Is support for GameRanger, the only Mac online gaming service, planned?
That's currently the plan.
What are some of the things that convinced Fox Interactive to develop Aliens vs. Predator for the Mac?
1. That we're fans of the Mac.
2. That we've always supported Mac.
3. Mac owners deserve a game like this.
Do you believe that Fox Interactive will continue to bring games to the Macintosh? Or will the sales of Aliens vs. Predator affect your overall stance on the platform?
We're committed to the Mac users for as long as they plan to be Mac users.
What kind of things are planned for the AvP expansion pack?
Some pretty great things, but we've got an announcement coming in the next month or so, so I can't steal the thunder from our PR director!
Are there plans for a Mac version of the AvP expansion pack?
Yes.
Would Fox likely go the same route again of hiring an outside company, in this case Logicware, to do the Mac version of a title?
It depends on the title.
What are Fox Interactive's plans after the Aliens vs. predator expansion pack and are there any Mac plans for that title?
We really aren't going to make any announcements right now. But it's safe to say that like many of our Fox franchises, we're committed to them long term.
What does Apple need to do to enhance the Mac game market?
Grow the installed base for one.
