NY Comic Con 08: Epic Prez Mike Capps on Gears 2, PC Gaming, and Unreal 3
Want to know how to make a great first-impression on the President of Epic Games, one of the most profitable development houses in the industry?
Show up twenty minutes late to the interview.
Then, as soon as you begin asking questions, subtly glance down at your digital tape recorder to find that it’s just run out of battery.
Not one of my finer moments.
Thankfully, Mike Capps is one of the most easy-going corporate heads you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting and didn’t even seem to mind when I spent the entire interview furiously scribbling his answers down by hand.
Here are the cliffnotes from our interview:
On What Sets Gears 2 Apart From the Original
This definitely feels more like the “War for Humanity.” New Unreal Engine 3 tech provides hundreds of enemies on-screen simultaneously, so expect battles that are “bigger, better, and more badass.” Also, writer Josh Ortega has penned a script that focuses more on strong storytelling and well-developed characters than Marcus’ first outing.
On Gears 2 Relatively Short Development Time
The team started working on Gears 2 before Gears 1 shipped. Also, a slightly larger team that was becoming increasingly knowledgeable about UE3 meant the game could be made in about two years.
On Gears 2 for the PC
Nothing officially announced yet, but it’s something the team certainly hopes to do.
On Planning A Multi-Medium Franchise
At Comic Con, Epic announced a partnership with DC Comics to release a series based on the Gears franchise. A Gears of War movie is also in the works. I asked Mike if its something the team plans from the ground up when first designing a franchise or if it’s something that gets slowly added to over time. He revealed that it’s more the latter and very much dependant upon fan feedback.
On The Likelihood of Unreal 3
There’s nothing being planned at the moment, however the series certainly hasn’t been retired.
On Web-Based or Free-to-Play Unreal Tournament
I noted titles like iD’s QuakeLive and EA’s Battlefield Heroes and inquired if Epic has plans for anything similar. Mike said no, but he’ll personally be keeping an eye on both those titles.
On Early Epic Classics (Jill of the Jungle, ZZT, Jazz Jackrabbit) on STEAM or XBLA
The tech isn’t there to run them easily on modern PC’s (most are pre-Windows 95) and no plans to port them just yet, since the team is particularly busy with developing Gears 2 and continuing to support Unreal Tournament 3. But Mike himself would love to see a modernized Jill with “sweet foliage and physics effects.”
On Future Epic Titles Being PC-Exclusive
Unlikely. Mike noted the poor sales of certain fantastic, PC-only titles like Crysis and thinks its just not possible, with things like intergrated graphics and piracy, for a company to be successful releasing a PC-exclusive.
On Epic’s Relationship With The PC Gaming Industry and Community
Mike stressed that Epic is still a “PC-centric” company. While it definitely wants to be the “tail that wags the dog” and continues to shape the PC gaming industry, the market is currently going through a serious transition and vigilance will be required.
I’d like to take this opportunity to both thank and apologize to Epic Game’s President Mike Capps. He’s one of the most forgiving game makers I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing.
Gears of War is being released exclusively on the Xbox 360 this November. Look for more coverage in the coming months, here at Primotech.
PS- Later that evening, I figured out that my cell phone has a pretty good voice recording function. How embarrassing.
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[...] recently had the chance to speak with Epic Games president Mike Capps about the game at New York Comic [...]