Entropian Reverie
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What about the theatership? What kind of reference material
did you use?
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Minaba-san, the art director on FFIX, had a very raw sketch of a
wooden ship, which I was in charge of redesigning. I created this mix between
a wooden hull and an upper deck that resembled a Versailles-style French castle.
First, the Japanese design team rejected this combination of styles, but later
they built it and ended up liking it so much that the airships in Final
Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy VII are now created after the model
of the theatership.
You’re also a consultant for Hironobu Sakaguchi. What does that entail?
I was involved with the development of Lost Odyssey for Sakaguchi's new company Mistwalker. I created some high-end paintings for him.
So are you a gamer?
Yes, I still game. But I have less time than I used to. I rent many games and play the first couple of levels to analyze the mechanics of the product. The last game I actively played was Shadow of the Colossus.
What did you think of it?
I’m a big fan of the game.
I mean, some love it and some hate it. But it certainly cleaned up at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
I think Shadow of the Colossus creates a distinctively unique mood and completely captivates your imagination. The player almost takes pity on the magnificent giants they’re sent out to slay. I believe that the real mission is to liberate their souls, which are trapped in these gigantic bodies...
That’s a really interesting way to look at it. You were art director for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King game, and the game industry is notorious for its excessive hours and intense crunch periods. Was this the case in your experience? Is the workload different from that of the film industry?
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Both the film and game industry have very busy crunch times. Movies, however,
are more regulated through unions and production guidelines, so there is less
risk of abuse. Some game companies simply try to take advantage of their often
very young employees, but things are definitely changing. I enjoyed working
on Return of the King with a crew that was inspired and motivated
despite the long hours.
Let’s jump to PC games and talk about Spore, which has garnered a tremendous amount of attention and it’s not even out yet. Your planet and creature designs are beautiful. Can you tell us more about them?
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I was asked to help visualize the worlds of Spore. I created about
ten prototypes of planets, each with their own creatures, cities, vehicles,
etc. For a universe creator, this was a great assignment. The important thing
was to design building blocks and visual concepts that would allow individual
players to create their own worlds. I truly believe that Spore will
revolutionize gaming on a creativity and play-value level.
I imagine it’s great to work on a completely original game concept.
Creating a new game from scratch is always fun because designers are involved in the writing process. For Spore, I wrote entire short stories about the different planets and their inhabitants.
How does it compare to working on a title based on an established concept?
Well, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, for example, offered
a different type of experience. I had 15,000 images from the three movies
to work with. I love the universe of Lord of the Rings, so it was
great to be able to build and explore all the locations of the books and movies.
Keep in mind that many of the scenes that only take up a couple of seconds
in the movie are extended to many hours of game play.