Pirates: Duels on the High Seas Interview

With WiiWare being the next big thing in digital distribution we caught up with Oxygen Studios Project Manager Phil Merricks to talk about the studio’s two upcoming Nintendo platform titles: Pirates: Duels on the High Seas on DS and Pirates: The Key of Dreams on WiiWare. Read on for info on what it’s like to develop for WiiWare and the size of team needed.

VideoGamer.com: You’ve got two Pirate games due out very close to each other. How do they relate?

Phil Merricks: Our DS title, ‘Pirates: Duels on the High Seas’, was created first using our internal technology ‘Ozone’. In this game you take on the role of a Pirate looking to solve the mystery of seven cursed keys, hidden throughout the seven seas. The curse must be broken in seven days or legend has it ‘your life will be forefeit’. The game features 35 single-player levels and 35 multiplayer levels across 7 environments.

Our WiiWare title, ‘Pirates: The Key of Dreams’ followed this, and from a technical point of view was our first title to use Ozone on the WiiWare platform. The plot relates to the DS game, too. It is a prequel to the DS title, telling the story of one of the first keys from that game, ‘The Key of Dreams’.

There are 10 levels in the single-player game and the fact the game is on Wii allows those levels to be much larger than their DS counterparts. It also features a unique multiplayer mode with 35 multiplayer arenas across 7 environments.

VideoGamer.com: What audience are you trying to reach with the two games?

PM: Anyone who likes pirates, treasure, nautical shoot-em-ups, and frantic multiplayer fun with their mates will enjoy our games.

VideoGamer.com: Key of Dreams is a WiiWare title. Why choose to develop for Wii and not XBLA and PSN?

PM: We’re experienced Wii developers, so familiarity with the way the console works is a huge benefit and allows us to focus on having fun with it, rather than learning new technology. Our multiplayer mode on Pirates WiiWare is specifically designed to play to the advantage of the screen format and controls, rather than being a straight port of the DS game.

VideoGamer.com: The Wii is seen as the console for casuals. Do you as a developer pigeon hole gamers into groups or do you aim to make games with broad appeal?

PM: We don’t make the distinction of ‘casual’ gamers. Certainly, there are types of gameplay that are more suited to the Wii, but that has everything to do with the innovations made by Nintendo to the user interface both in terms of controls and accessibility. To say it is a console for casuals implies to us simply that it is easier to use by more people, some of whom would not be interested in a system that doesn’t offer the benefits to the user that Wii does.

VideoGamer.com: Does releasing a game on WiiWare have advantages over the rival download services?

PM: For us it has the advantage of being a system we’re already familiar with, and a great working relationship with those nice folks at Nintendo. The unique features of Wii also make it an exciting proposition to create innovative new ways to play.

VideoGamer.com: What are the main differences between developing a retail game (Duels on the High Seas for DS) and a downloadable game (Key of Dreams for WiiWare)?

PM: The differences are subtle, but a few things need to be kept in mind. Download size needs to be optimal so players aren’t waiting a long time before they play, and also storage of the game on the consoles AND memory needs to be considered. As there’s no physical manual, an Electronic version is provided that can be accessed at any time. Players can even look at the manual before they buy the game to help them make their purchasing decision. Other than that, no other restrictions are placed on us by Nintendo; we’re free to take advantage of all those great features with very few constraints.

VideoGamer.com: Oxygen release a number of games on the DS. What kind of life-span do you see the handheld having?

PM: Every week you see something new and different done with the DS to allow players new ways to play. As long as there is innovation and fun, the DS has a great deal more life left in it.

VideoGamer.com: Can you give any info on the cut you as a developer receive for each game sale? Before digital distribution became common there was much talk of it generating more money for developers. Is that really the case?

PM: We’re not at liberty to disclose that kind of information, sorry!

VideoGamer.com: In this modern age of games costing many millions to develop, will we see a resurgence of smaller developers focussing on smaller titles?

PM: This modern age of games makes it scary for small developers even considering the smallest of titles – certainly WiiWare makes it more possible. The spirit of the WiiWare system is to allow for small teams to create innovative content with few barriers, but it also allows larger teams to try out their ideas.

Confidence in new platforms is always a little wary to begin with, but with support of the players and the press, WiiWare will blossom and everyone will see great new ideas that previously would have been difficult to bring to market.

VideoGamer.com: To put development of your two Pirates titles into perspective, do you know how many people worked on each and their respective budgets?

PM: Pirates DS was developed in 6 months by 7 people. Pirates WiiWare took a similar amount of time but only needed four people. That isn’t to do with WiiWare versus DS, it’s just that we did the DS first, and the second game was inevitably quicker as we’d learned from the first experience.

VideoGamer.com: Mobile development seems to be an area that people think will see large growth in the coming years. Could your Pirates games make their way to phones?

PM: We’re always looking for new ways to play. As a studio, we’re focused on console development so it’s not something we’d do in-house, but we work in co-operation with a number of other teams to bring our titles to other formats, so you never know…

VideoGamer.com: Finally, what further plans do you have for WiiWare and other digital distribution services?

PM: We’re considering titles for each of the services, and keeping a close eye on how things go with WiiWare in the coming months.

VideoGamer.com: Thanks for your time.