Black Isle Studios Interview
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GB: As with Fallout 3, Baldur's Gate 3 may or may not ever exist. Can you tell us what the concept and background was behind the game? Was it going to be a continuation of the "Child of Bhaal" saga, or something altogether different? John: It had little to do with the original Baldur's Gate series. It was a beautiful story of the player, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds himself wrapped in a web of intrigue, lies, and mysteries.
I know that's very vague, but that's where I'm going to leave it. Baldur's Gate 3 was the child of Josh Sawyer, whom I respect very much. He put his heart and soul into the design of that game and its cancellation left a deep wound. If there is anything more to say about it, I leave it to him.
GB: Fans of PC games have begun noticing a disturbing trend with their favorite developers either porting games to console systems or developing games exclusively for console systems. In fact, GameSpot even reported that some of the larger retailers, including EBGames and GameStop, may start taking away much of the shelf space used for PC games and allocating it toward console games instead. Do you feel there is anything to be worried about for fans of PC games? Or do you think PC games will always have a market?
John: The development of games on console systems is, in my opinion, more costly and returns less of a profit than PC games. However, development of games for a console system is easier. You know exactly what video card, sound card, and control system a console supports and you know its memory limitations. A lot of the guesswork of PC development is removed in console development. Also, console systems cost significantly less than the average PC machine required to run today's games. There are likely to always be more console systems in the marketplace than PC systems.
This is very attractive to developers, especially small ones, who want to get the highest return for the least amount of expenditure. I see more and more companies hopping on the console bandwagon and I think that this trend will continue. However, I don't see the PC ever becoming a thing of the past. Or so I hope.
GB: What do you think about the issue of multi-porting games in general? Deus Ex: Invisible War for both PC and the Xbox comes to mind... and its stubborness to conform to previous PC standards and instead be a blend of console and PC gameplay for both systems. Do you think there's a chance this process has the potential to dilute the gameplay experience for any particular platform?
John: I feel that games should adhere strictly to the standards of the platform that they are released on. I play PC games for depth and content. I play console games when I want to have quick fun that I can walk away from in a given amount of time. I think a lot of gamers feel the same way. The one thing that really annoys me about multi-platform games is the controls they use. Nothing upsets me more than buying a game for my PC and then discovering that the controls were intended for a console. I refuse to buy a game pad for my PC.
GB: What might be the future implications or impacts to the gaming industry be, due to the increasing porting to multiple platforms?
John: Once again, I think this is a matter of economics for the developer. They create a game for a console, port it over to the PC, and completely ignore the expanded capabilities and assets that a PC has to offer. It cheapens the PC market. Why bother? If you can't do it right then don't do it.
GB: Have you kept in contact with many of the former BIS employees? Has there been any discussion to possibly form a new game studio or even purchase rights to the Fallout franchise?
John: We've all been keeping in close contact with one another. We would all love to work together again. However, it all boils down to financial constraints. We can't afford to start a game studio or purchase the rights to Fallout. If someone were to do this and they wanted a dedicated and determined team to work on the title... By all means let us know.
GB: Switching the subject a bit, which RPG do you feel has been the most influential to the gaming industry in the last 15-20 years, and why?
John: Without a doubt I would say that it would have to be Quake. I know it's not what I would consider a true RPG but look at what it did for the industry. It gave birth to networking games which in turn gave birth to online games which in turn gave birth to online RPG's. Online gaming is, in my opinion, the way of the future.
GB: Which three RPGs in the same timeframe have been your personal favorites, and why?
John: My three personal favorites would have to be Ultima III: Exodus, Ultima Underworld, and after that it becomes very hard to choose. Exodus was the first RPG that I ever played. It opened my eyes to a world of possibilities that I had never dreamed of and was the inspiration for me to become a game designer in the first place. Underworld because of the same reason, only it was first person instead of top down view. That was yet another ground breaking concept for me.
If you force me to choose a third... then I'd say System shock... no Thief... no Morrowind... no... doh!
We'd like to issue a sincere thank you to John for taking the time to provide the above information about the recent events concerning Black Isle Studios. The division was responsible for some of the best (if not the best RPGs) ever created, and the recent news serves as a major blow to the gaming industry as a whole. We wish John and the rest of BIS the best of luck in their future endeavors!
