Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Preview

VideoGamer.com: Do you see the Operation Flashpoint brand as one that could be turned into a franchise? Perhaps not yearly updates like Call of Duty, but perhaps every two years?

TB: 100 per cent. Codemasters have put a lot of time, effort, money, blood, sweat and tears into Operation Flashpoint, so it would be foolish to release it and then that’s it. We’ve got a very big community following. We’re hoping that’s going to get even bigger with the release of Dragon Rising. It’s a product that Codemasters is very proud of. So yeah, it’s pretty easy to assume that Operation Flashpoint is here to stay. We can’t say any more on that.

MS: We can do so much with the technology we’ve got.

TB: Yeah. There are so many different locations and conflicts and things we could do with Flashpoint. It’s not as if we don’t have a huge amount of things to choose from.

VideoGamer.com: So maybe in a couple of year’s time we might see another Operation Flashpoint game?

TB: Who knows?

MS: Wait and see!

VideoGamer.com: I can’t not ask about ArmA 2. Have you guys played it?

TB: I had a bit of a look at it. We’ve been rather busy trying to finish Dragon Rising so we haven’t had half the amount of time we would have liked to play on it.

VideoGamer.com: The game’s out now. From what you’ve seen, what do you think?

TB: Me personally, I think the game’s interesting. It’s got some very fun things in it. It’s a different game to what Dragon Rising’s all about. After playing it I’m pretty happy with the decisions we’ve made on what we’re doing with our game. Would you agree?

MS: Yeah I think that’s pretty much spot on. It’s interesting what they’re doing. I’m very proud of what we’ve done with Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

VideoGamer.com: So you think there’s enough difference between the two games for people to be able to distinguish between the two games?

TB: Absolutely.

MS: It comes from the core game experience. Someone picking up and playing our game, even if they’re not a milisim head, or if they are, I think they’ll connect with ours quicker. We’ve spent a lot of time making sure accessibility is paramount.

TB: A lot of people have said you’re either going to choose Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising or ArmA 2. I totally disagree. Why go for one over another?

VideoGamer.com: Money, I guess. Some people can’t afford both.

TB: True, but we are releasing several months after Armed Assault. It’s one of those things. There’s room on the shelves for both titles, as far as I’m concerned.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is due out for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 9.