Total Gamer Zone: Indie Revolution

TGZ recently got a chance to ask Greg Szemiot, Director of Crossbeam Studios a few questions. They are currently developing three Nintendo Revolution projects, Orb, Thorn, and Darkness. Crossbeam is an independent developer.

TGZ: What made you decide to switch over from PC development to Wii?

Greg: Basically our decision was made once we realized how much the Wii controller opened up our game with new ways to play and experience games.

TGZ: How big is the Crossbeam development team and do you plan on moving into a single location at some point?

Greg: CSE currently is comprised of around 21 people, but we’re always looking for more people to work with. We hope to move to a central location either with a publisher’s help, or by our own means as soon as possible.

TGZ: Was the lower development costs compared to other next gen consoles a reason for Wii development?

Greg: In part, but also the new interface played a role.

TGZ: Have any publishers expressed interest in your projects?

Greg: A couple have, but we are not really in talks with any, we’d rather meet with them face to face, and E3 is going to be our first chance to do so.

TGZ: Will you be at E3 and in what form?

Greg: We will be at E3 as media; however, we are also meeting with publishers and media outlets to show the Orb PC prototype.

TGZ: How will the new control method be implemented for your games, specifically Orb?

Greg: Well, the first game will use the Wii controller to give a unique feel to our fighting, exploration, and magic systems. Really we’re hoping to try to use it where ever we can and try to do some new things with it.

TGZ: Could you give us a quick rundown on the premise of Orb and what the object of the game is?

Greg: Orb follows three students on a quest to save their abducted teacher, at least that’s what it is if you boil it down to it’s very basic motivations. The world however is very rich in history, culture, and traditions. there’s alot of magic, and weapons and myth and lore... it’s going to be very exciting to see how players react to the universe we created, and to see what types of ideas they come up with in the magic and weapon customization systems.

TGZ: Once Orb has been completed what game will you focus on next?

Greg: Depends on the size of the team, and it also depends where the designs for Darkness and Thorn are at that point. If the team can handle two simultaneous projects, then we’ll work on both, if it can work on one, we’ll see, if it can work on three, we’ll also start work on Orb 2.