Gearbox - Developer Profile Feature
Derek dela Fuente
15/02/2005
Gearbox President chats to TVG but leaves us in the dark on Halo 2 PC...
Although moderately small in size, compared to many other leading developers, Gearbox is not only well formed, growing and a highly successful team but also has the pedigree of working on brands such as Half Life, Halo and Tony Hawks.
Having cut its teeth with a number of highly praised and successful Half Life expansion packs and taking Valveâs franchise to the Playstation2, Gearbox Software were put under the spotlight when assigned the task of taking Halo to the PC.
With conversions out of the way, Gearbox began work on Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 for Ubisoft, currently billed as one of the most eagerly awaited titles for 2005.
Derek dela Fuente got the opportunity to speak with Randy Pitchford, President at Gearbox Software, about the past, present and the future.
TVG: You employ 30 people at Gearbox which is a small number especially looking at the kind of games you have produced and the success you have had with them. Has it been a conscious decision to stay relatively small?
In 2005, Gearbox now employs about 50 people full time. Over the past 12 months, Gearbox has also worked with over 90 independent contractors.
Gearbox has typically kept a core group of developers who do most of the creative work. This group has grown slowly and steadily over the years. Gearbox works with independent contractors to supply testing support and other specialised assistance where we think it would improve quality or provide content that we cannot generate ourselves. For example, one of the contractors we worked with in 2004 was the Prague FILMHarmonic â“ an 83 piece orchestra that performed the score for our game about the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne, Brothers in Arms.
I imagine that Gearboxâs careful growth trend will continue as we move forward with technology and content into the next generation.
TVG: What kind of R&D department do you have at Gearbox and how important do you believe it is to create your own set of tools?
Gearbox has a few people dedicated in a support role. These people and other members of the development team have created, over time, a growing collection of proprietary software that has contributed to Gearboxâs success. Typically tools are planned or purchased as projects require them, but some efforts are on-going infrastructure improvements.
TVG: Gearbox is one of the few developers committed to the PC. With fewer and fewer games appearing on the PC and more publishers committing to the next gen machines and new range on handhelds will your commitment continue and can you give a reason, with the power and upgradeability of the PC, why the console scene is growing?
Gearbox is a multi-platform developer. As a developer of interactive entertainment, Gearbox wishes to bring our creations to as many people as possible. Our most recent game, Brothers in Arms, is for the PC, Xbox and Playstation 2. PC gamers are a different kind of customer than console gamers. I think the growth of the console market has a lot to do with the accessibility of the console platforms and the accessibility of the software. In any case, we want both PC and console gamers to enjoy our games.
TVG: What are your thoughts on the next batch of consoles â“ XBOX 2 and PS3 â“ do their technical merits excite Gearbox?
Gearbox is very excited and committed to the next generation.
TVG: A statement from Gearbox is that you create games that are technologically advanced, creative and above all, fun to play, which would be the aim of all developers but you have achieved this on all of your projects. Do you have a basic formula to the design and creation of games and what kind of input do you allow publishers?
Itâs all about the people here. The team here seems to only allow real gamers who are also very skilled game makers to join the group. This sort of closed minded hiring attitude creates a culture here that has very high standards. We have found that our best games are the ones we have the most control over. We are very, very proud, for example, of Half-Life: Opposing Force and Brothers in Arms â“ two games we had total editorial control over. Often, however, we like to work on other big games and we enjoy working within the design goals and objectives of the people who are making the decisions for their franchises. Even though we may have done things a little differently ourselves, our experiences working with Microsoft, Activision and Electronic Arts with Halo, Tony Hawkâs Pro Skater and James Bond were all very enjoyable and we expect to do more of that kind of thing in the future.
TVG: Your current game, your first original project, Brother in Arms is receiving rave previews. What would you say are the gameâs innovations and do you feel that greater realism and authenticity is the prime focus for most developers to move onto another level? To continue, are there still many technical restrictions on your creative ideas?
We are very proud of Brothers in Arms. I think it may be the best game I have ever worked on. Brothers in Arms is innovative in many areas. The hallmarks of Brothers in Arms and future games in the series include a degree of authenticity that far surpasses anything you may have experienced before, a narrative with compelling characters that really capture the brotherhood between warriors, and exciting squad based game play that really puts you in the boots of a real soldier.
In achieving our goals, we are always influenced by technology. What we have been able to achieve with current hardware is far beyond anything that we have done before, of course. But we are excited to bring things to new levels in the future.
TVG: Could we see a slight change in direction from Gearbox in creating and developing their own original titles as opposed to working on conversions?
The fact that Gearbox has developed some great games with partners who have strong franchises while also developing its own original games is not something that feels like a change to Gearbox. This has always been the plan. In fact, even though Gearbox had only announced Brothers in Arms in 2004, it had been working on it for many years before then. In the future you can expect Gearbox to do more original titles as well as excitedly work with the best franchises in the industry to help push them to new levels.
TVG: Could you tell us about one of your in-house tools that you believe is pretty unique?
Gearbox has a number of proprietary tools that weâve been considering marketing, but I would have to say that our best tools are the people here.
TVG: What can gamers look towards in 2005 from Gearbox and if you had one wish for the progression of the gaming industry what would it be?
Gearbox and Ubisoft will launch Brothers in Arms in the first quarter of 2005. And, Iâll be going to E3 this year to talk about our next title!
I think these are exciting times. The world is about to learn about new technology that can take us to new levels. But, the consoles and computers we already own are capable of amazing things and the games that appear here at the end of the cycle tend to push our hardware like nothing before it. 2005 is going to be a great year for video games.
TVG: Finally, can you divulge anything pertaining to the Halo brand on the PC; perhaps the possibilities of Halo 2?
Sorry, I do not have anything to share.
TVG would like to thank Randy Pitchford for taking the time to answer our questions.
