A new Pandemic interview*great read*

[Loudninja]

Last week in Las Vegas, Resnick was en route to a poker tourney, but he still took time to sit down with Next-Gen in perhaps the only bar within the extensive Green Valley Ranch Resort that had decent beer on tap.

Here, Resnick comments on a variety of topics, including the progress of Pandemic’s big upcoming sandbox-action-blow-‘em-up game Mercenaries 2, managing and growing a 300-person independent studio, PS3 and Xbox 360 development and his reaction to outgoing Entertainment Software Association president Doug Lowenstein’s farewell D.I.C.E. speech.



On Mercenaries 2

So exactly how far along is Mercenaries 2 right now?

Gosh, really far along. Obviously we’ve announced a publishing deal with EA, but [Mercs 2 is] announced for release in the second half of ’07. We haven’t actually discussed the specific month yet, but we’re on target. It’s a massive effort we’re putting behind this game because it is such a huge … undertaking. It’s super, super ambitious but we’re feeling good about the second half of ’07. We’re going to hit that time period so that means we’re getting close to Alpha. We’re a few months away from Alpha right now.

Is it simply the overall scope and the sandbox nature of the game that makes this such a huge undertaking?

Yeah. I mean [Mercs 2 is] one of the most open-ended sandbox, go anywhere, do anything, blow anything up, interact with anything type games, and because of that there’s just so much work to do. I mean, not only conceptually and art-wise but technology-wise too. This is going to be Pandemic’s first big jump into next-gen and it’s just a lot of foundation work we’ve had to do to support this kind of ambitious franchise.

What is Pandemic doing in the online space? Will Mercs 2 have online?

We’re going to have an announcement coming out on that in the next little while but nothing I can comment on right now. Suffice it to say, again, Pandemic has always had a presence online with our products and I don’t think Mercs 2 is going to be an exception.




Yeah. I mean [Mercs 2 is] one of the most open-ended sandbox, go anywhere, do anything, blow anything up, interact with anything type games, and because of that there’s just so much work to do. I mean, not only conceptually and art-wise but technology-wise too. This is going to be Pandemic’s first big jump into next-gen and it’s just a lot of foundation work we’ve had to do to support this kind of ambitious franchise.

What is Pandemic doing in the online space? Will Mercs 2 have online?

We’re going to have an announcement coming out on that in the next little while but nothing I can comment on right now. Suffice it to say, again, Pandemic has always had a presence online with our products and I don’t think Mercs 2 is going to be an exception.

On choosing the PlayStation 3

Now, Pandemic is entering the next-gen on the PS3. Why choose Sony’s platform?

We made that decision a long time ago and we … think we’re known for pushing the limits of innovative gameplay, mixing genres, and kind of having a fun sensibility of kind of irreverence that’s built into our games.

But another thing we’re known for is kind of eking out the firepower of the systems. On the PS2 we really got deep into that system and really made some great games on the PS2 that really stood out visually in terms of what we were able to push. With PS3, we looked at it and said we really think that’s going to be the biggest challenge for us, it’s going to be the hardest nut to crack. We wanted to power through that first and foremost. And Sony was really cool, got us systems early on and we spent a lot of time powering through that and we wanted to be able to really establish ourselves there and then look at other systems and stuff if that makes sense, but [PS3's] where we started.

So the choice was simply because the PS3 was the biggest challenge?

Yeah, we wanted the biggest challenge. Sony’s always been a great partner for us, and you should never count Sony out just [because of] all the talk about all the missteps Sony has made. Hey, Sony’s not going anywhere. It’s one of the biggest brands out there and to Phil Harrison’s point in his speech at D.I.C.E., it’s like, “Look guys, we’re coming out a little bit later than the other systems, we’re having a little bit slower start, but believe me we’re going to be there in force.”

We know Sony’s going to be there in force. We’re not coming out until the second half of ’07 [with Mercs 2], so do I want Sony to have a ton of platforms out there so that we can get Mercs out there to as many homes as possible? Absolutely. I want them to succeed. I’m a big fan of the 360, big fan of the Wii, big fan of some of the [older] platforms, we just saw the Sony system as the biggest challenge and we wanted to kind of jump in and tackle that first.

So you mentioned Xbox 360, and there are rumors still floating around about a 360 version of Mercs 2. How much has Pandemic dug into the Xbox 360?

You know, we have six projects at Pandemic right now. We have a history of releasing games on multiple platforms. Five of these projects we haven’t announced yet. Let me just say we have a wealth of experience right now working on the 360—love the platform.

You have six games going right now?

We have six projects, we’ve only announced one. All of them are next-gen

Pandemic “loves” the Xbox 360, believes the PlayStation brand will remain strong as ever and has five unannounced projects in the works. Read more in this Next-Gen interview with studio president Josh Resnick.
Last week in Las Vegas, Resnick was en route to a poker tourney, but he still took time to sit down with Next-Gen in perhaps the only bar within the extensive Green Valley Ranch Resort that had decent beer on tap.


(The following are highlights from the interview

On Mercenaries 2


On Pandemic’s “measured growth”

What’s the current headcount at Pandemic right now?

We have 300 at Pandemic right now between our Australian studio where we have two teams, and we have four teams in L.A.

So what’s going on in Australia?

We have two offices down there. The last game they released was Destroy All Humans 2, and early last year we started a second team [in Australia]. Both of those teams are working on unannounced titles right now that are frankly quite awesome.

As head of Pandemic, how are you keeping track and managing 300 people and six projects?

The easy answer is that I manage it with great people. We’re coming up on our ninth anniversary as an independent studio and for nine years our philosophy has always been to grow--carefully grow in a measured way [without being] stupid about it. We're growing because we have these really great concepts and we want to put them out and share with people, so we’ve been very focused on being selective on who we bring into the company and, again, having measured growth.

So I’ve been slowly over the years building an infrastructure and a foundation that would support that growth and support having multiple teams, working on multiple platforms, having multiple proprietary technologies developing in-house on many different types of genres across a portfolio of different publishers. We made that our strategy very early on in our history at Pandemic and I think that’s boded really well for us. Is it a challenge? Absolutely. The bigger we get, the more teams we have, the more properties we take on, it becomes more and more challenging. But I manage that by bringing in really, really smart people and being very careful to invest in our tools, technology and processes and staying very humble as a company.

[We’re also] making sure we’re looking at other developers and other companies and ... what the best practices are that we can share and collaborate on. Frankly the deal we did we Elevation and Bioware was another important development for our growth and stability. We looked at Elevation and said, okay, here’s a group of very smart people who are committed to supporting content developers like us and making fantastic content. They’re all about quality. And you think about Elevation and you go, “Oh they’re a private equity group and they’ve got billions of dollars and all they care about is money,” but it’s the absolute opposite with Elevation. They’re a real rarity.

When you talk about measured growth, do you ever worry that with even measured, careful growth there’s a danger of diluting what you guys do?

We’re not though. You can think about it. Think about all the opportunities that are out there, Microsoft's [Xbox Live Arcade], handheld, cell phone games, episodic content, micro-transactions. There are so many different areas and this is a very exciting time in the industry right now. There are so many emerging models, so many emerging platforms, there’s a lot of great stuff out there.

If anything, arguably we’re a little bit too concentrated, because what we focus on doing is making a certain type of experience on the mega-platforms, on the big consoles. So if anything, what we’re looking to do is to start little small experiments in some of these other areas here to see where our sensibility and expertise, technology, etcetera, etcetera, might lend itself to some of these other platforms.

So I think we’re going to have some exciting announcements coming up in the next year or so, but we are actually quite focused and concentrated right now. We really aren’t spreading our bets too thin. We’re putting out two or three new products a year, but again, we have the infrastructure to do it.

On the recent publishing deal with EA

Pandemic has said that EA Partners is the “best fit” for Mercs 2. Does “best fit” just mean “more resources”?

For a lot of it, [it does]. Fortunately, we have our choice of some wonderful partners out there. There are a lot of great companies we’re talking to now about all of our products. There were a lot of companies who were interested in working on Mercenaries 2. It was actually a pretty tight call because each company has its different strengths that would make themselves a good fit with Mercenaries, but at the end of the day we had to make a choice and we looked at, really, the passion that EA was bringing to this project. They were across the board—from marketing to sales to production to executive management to their producers who were going to be working with us—very, very excited about this property specifically. Secondly EA, like some of their counterparts... has a unique amount of muscle worldwide that they were going to bring to the launch of this title.

And by the way, what your readership needs to understand is that this deal is a per-publishing deal, so it’s not a standard deal with EA. Pandemic owns the intellectual property, we have full control of the creative. We’re really partners with them … This deal with EA is actually proving out our new model now of have more of a collaborative partnership with companies like EA as opposed to the standard dev-pub model.

On Lowenstein’s speech

Now during Doug Lowenstein’s D.I.C.E. speech, he talked about his pet peeves of the industry. Do you have any peeves that align with Lowenstein’s?

Oh absolutely. His point…I unfortunately was unable to hear his whole speech but then I actually went online and read a little bit more about it, and I’ve been talking to other [D.I.C.E.] attendees about his remarks, and I actually agree. The industry is under assault right now. We are much stronger as an industry if we unite and we are an army if we chose to be. We have a lot of great things for us to be proud of. I think there really is … in some respects unfair bias in some quarters among politicians against the industry.

We have a lot to be proud of. We should stand up as a group, we should register with [the Video Game Voters Network] and we should make our voices heard. Someone who I admire a lot and who I’ll call out in this interview is [Insomniac head] Ted Price. For example, as a developer he has taken time out and I really admire him for that, to go out there and stand up and really put a lot of effort and work and thought into saying, “How do we stand up and really get our voices heard and do right by the industry?” I’m really impressed by that.

It’s hard for people to find time to do it. We’re all focused on running our businesses and stuff like that, but we have to find time to do that. We have to make more of an effort to come together and do that. So I admire Ted’s work, I admire Doug’s work. We have to make sure we do more as an industry. We should be proud.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?op...1&limitstart=0

Great read guys good news for both PS3 fans and 360 fans

[BluBoi22]

Sorry but this was posted already today! I think I saw it in the games section.

[PS3 rocks]

Please Pandemic, make Starwars battlefront 3, please! Hopefully SWBF3 is the game that they are developing for the 360 also since it's always been multi platform.

[Nunalho]

One more game being published by EA...

[DMB14]

I wonder what those 5 unannounced projects are?

So I guess it's not exclusive after all...

[Loudninja]

Mercs is exclusive did you read they way he tlaks about, but those other 5 games are not

[40s]

One more game being published by EA...

So Lucas arts didn't step up, it's still Pandemic and they make great games.


Mercs is not exclusive: "We have a history of releasing games on multiple platforms. Five of these projects we haven’t announced yet. Let me just say we have a wealth of experience right now working on the 360"

He didn't even go so far as to say "we have no plans to release it on the 360 at this time"; I bet project 2 is mercenaries on the 360. Mercenaries did better on the Xbox than it did on the PS2, combine that with the 360's installed user base and it just wouldn't be smart for them not to launch on the 360.

[DMB14]

Mercs is exclusive did you read they way he tlaks about, but those other 5 games are not

Yeah it could mean anything. He might mean "we have plenty of experience with the 360 so putting Mercs 2 there would be no problem." IMO that's most likely what he meant because the question was really about Mercs 2 on 360.

[P209]

good interview

I'm at the moment high on Merc's because I know they took this step with PS3 in mind if it's being developed for 360 that is fine long as PS3's is smooth.

I hope it's exclusive that would rock.

[Loudninja]

Why the PS3?
We made that decision a long time ago and we … think we’re known for pushing the limits of innovative gameplay, mixing genres, and kind of having a fun sensibility of kind of irreverence that’s built into our games.

But another thing we’re known for is kind of eking out the firepower of the systems. On the PS2 we really got deep into that system and really made some great games on the PS2 that really stood out visually in terms of what we were able to push. With PS3, we looked at it and said we really think that’s going to be the biggest challenge for us, it’s going to be the hardest nut to crack. We wanted to power through that first and foremost. And Sony was really cool, got us systems early on and we spent a lot of time powering through that and we wanted to be able to really establish ourselves there and then look at other systems and stuff if that makes sense, but [PS3's] where we started.

So the choice was simply because the PS3 was the biggest challenge?

Yeah, we wanted the biggest challenge. Sony’s always been a great partner for us, and you should never count Sony out just [because of] all the talk about all the missteps Sony has made. Hey, Sony’s not going anywhere. It’s one of the biggest brands out there and to Phil Harrison’s point in his speech at D.I.C.E., it’s like, “Look guys, we’re coming out a little bit later than the other systems, we’re having a little bit slower start, but believe me we’re going to be there in force.”

We know Sony’s going to be there in force. We’re not coming out until the second half of ’07 [with Mercs 2], so do I want Sony to have a ton of platforms out there so that we can get Mercs out there to as many homes as possible? Absolutely. I want them to succeed. I’m a big fan of the 360, big fan of the Wii, big fan of some of the [older] platforms, we just saw the Sony system as the biggest challenge and we wanted to kind of jump in and tackle that first.

So you mean to tell me this does not mena its exclusive? He was talking abotu those other games not mecrs

[40s]

So you mean to tell me this does not mena its exclusive? He was talking abotu those other games not mecrs

I stated my reasons clearly (see A.), all you're going on is his ambiguous avoidance of the games existence on the 360.

A. Mecinaries on another platform would likely count as another project. Mercenaries did better on the Xbox than it did on the PS2, combine that with the 360's installed user base and it just wouldn't be smart for them not to launch on the 360. He didn't even go so far as to say "we have no plans to release it on the 360 at this time".

[Loudninja]

I stated my reasons clearly (see A.), all you're going on is his ambiguous avoidance of the games existence on the 360.

A. Mecinaries on another platform would likely count as another project. Mercenaries did better on the Xbox than it did on the PS2, combine that with the 360's installed user base and it just wouldn't be smart for them not to launch on the 360. He didn't even go so far as to say "we have no plans to release it on the 360 at this time".

Because it dont exits? Can anyone read here besides me?People wnat to take words and twist them . Its funny he never said not one word abotu a 360 version, he only talk about the PS3.Mrrcs did better on the PS2 and not the xbox

[40s]

Because it dont exits? Can anyone read here besides me?People wnat to take words and twist them . Its funny he never said not one word abotu a 360 version, he only talk about the PS3.Mrrcs did better on the PS2 and not the xbox

IN YOUR FACE!


fanboyism clouds all.

[AFMR-PS3]

IN YOUR FACE!


fanboyism clouds all.

Wow buddy, calm down.

Ninja had a point at the time...there have been so much rumours going on that ppl should not jump into conclusions...but on this particular case, multi-plat was written all over...EA being the publisher and all

But yeah, taking a chill pill wouldn't harm you

[YoungMullah88]

merc.2 is not exclusive:check it out. thanks to EA

The entire community has been waiting for the announcement regarding the exclusivity of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames for the PS3. Electronic Arts and Pandemic Studios recently announced that Mercenaries 2 will be released on four different platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, and PC. The release of all four games during the holiday season this year will be simultaneous. So this means that no matter which of the systems you own (aside from the Wii), you will be able to play a version of this game.

While we are happy at the fact that they are showing multiple systems love, we are a bit worried that the game might just be a port of one console or the other. We hope that the game will be individually optimized based on the capabilities of the consoles. That said, we wish the best of luck to EA and Pandemic with their venture.

[Stewie Skywalker]

I don't think you can blame EA for everything devs are not going to sit back and waste money making it for PS3 when they can get all their money back on another system. It's common knowledge SONY ain't paying up than we move on to all systems.

[YoungMullah88]

i was just singing the fanboy tune, thats all

[UnReaL]

Think Pandemic had more to this than EA. Yeah, we knew when Pandemic signed a deal with EA, you knew the game would not be "Exclusive." If Pandemic wanted to only make this for the PS3, than they would have signed a deal with Sony to publish the game.

or

Pandemic dropped the soap, and took it from EA.

Anyways, anyone really surprised? "Exclusives" means nothing anymore, unless its made by Sony, MS, or Nintendo. Its about making as much money as possible.

[babyface]

I think "Mercs 2" is a timed exclusive at best anyway. Especially since the 360 will have the bigger market share for some time throughout this year or even the end of it, even if the PS3 will sell like hot cakes (which it undoubtedly will). Pandemic has stated several times in interviews that they need to get even on their investments and make enough money out of their games so they're gonna release them on any relevant platform. Reading between the lines that means they're not much into exclusives.

However, I couldn't care less if "Mercs 2" is coming to 360 as well (good for the Xbox gamers), as long as I'll have it on my PS3, and it's well done!

[Sparc]

IN YOUR FACE!


fanboyism clouds all.

I'm sorry but that's completely uncalled for. At the time it was a debate between whether or not it was exclusive. You was not certain it was coming for the 360 as it hadn't been announced. Loudninja was giving you his view. In this instance you are right, but it could have gone the other way.

Getting it right then gloating completely removes all traces of respect people may have had for you. Sorry, but your attitude in the post was very immature. Furthermore, and while there are fanboys in these forums, I really don't consider Loudninja to be one of them.

[chartwel]

I think "Mercs 2" is a timed exclusive at best anyway. Especially since the 360 will have the bigger market share for some time throughout this year or even the end of it, even if the PS3 will sell like hot cakes (which it undoubtedly will). Pandemic has stated several times in interviews that they need to get even on their investments and make enough money out of their games so they're gonna release them on any relevant platform. Reading between the lines that means they're not much into exclusives.

However, I couldn't care less if "Mercs 2" is coming to 360 as well (good for the Xbox gamers), as long as I'll have it on my PS3, and it's well done!

new interview says all will be released holiday 07 simultaneously.

[Booneabal]

Think Pandemic had more to this than EA. Yeah, we knew when Pandemic signed a deal with EA, you knew the game would not be "Exclusive." If Pandemic wanted to only make this for the PS3, than they would have signed a deal with Sony to publish the game.

or

Pandemic dropped the soap, and took it from EA.

Anyways, anyone really surprised? "Exclusives" means nothing anymore, unless its made by Sony, MS, or Nintendo. Its about making as much money as possible.

Pandemic Self-financed this game, if you had $15 million of your own money tied up in an asset wouldn't you do everything you could to guarantee that you would recover your investment?

When 2nd and 3rd parties decide to go exclusive it is usually because they are getting hard cash or MAJOR development assistance that is equivalent to a cash injection..

[Carl]

Took a while to read but was well worth it. Was a great read.

I cant wait for Mercs to to come out. Sounds like it will be fantastic, i am glad it is for the PS3!

I hope it incorparates Online well. Should be even better if they do Will be a great game if it is as good as what Merceneries was

[40s]

Wow buddy, calm down.

Ninja had a point at the time...there have been so much rumours going on that ppl should not jump into conclusions...but on this particular case, multi-plat was written all over...EA being the publisher and all

But yeah, taking a chill pill wouldn't harm you

I'm sorry but that's completely uncalled for. At the time it was a debate between whether or not it was exclusive. You was not certain it was coming for the 360 as it hadn't been announced. Loudninja was giving you his view. In this instance you are right, but it could have gone the other way.

Getting it right then gloating completely removes all traces of respect people may have had for you. Sorry, but your attitude in the post was very immature. Furthermore, and while there are fanboys in these forums, I really don't consider Loudninja to be one of them.

I said he was wrong, I didn't call him a shemale for crying out loud.

With ninja saying things like:
"Mercs is exclusive did you read they way he tlaks about, but those other 5 games are not."
and,
"Can anyone read here besides me?People wnat to take words and twist them."

I don't think saying in your face was me going to the extreme. But maybe it was too vicious to put the letters in bold font .

[shadowstalker]

Two thumbs up for the material, finally some moral reading for us low lives. Keep up the researching ninjaboy!!!