Why was Pipeworks founded? (Was it economic pressures? Couldn’t find work anywhere? Thought something was missing from the market?)

Pipeworks was founded in 1999 out of an opportunity. Myself, and my co-founder Dan White had both been working at a publisher-owned studio called Dynamix. We had been wanting to leave Dynamix, and do console games. In the fall of 1999, Dynamix downsized, and we formed Pipeworks Software, Inc. and immediately went looking for console work.

With the extreme wealth of knowledge and experience at Pipeworks, why haven’t we seen more from you guys?

Every time you turn an Xbox on, you are seeing our work. We wrote the boot screen for the Xbox, as well as all the demos for its launch. We did have another project that got cancelled in 2001, which you can read about in the book Xbox Unveiled.

Is the development process at Pipeworks much different from other development houses?

I’d say probably not. Every development house has the same ingredients. Programmers, artists, designers, sound-guys, production people, and a healthy dose of talent.

Will hardware capability eventually reach a ceiling?

I don’t foresee it happening in our lifetime. We can’t yet play a game, that really looks like T.V. and has interactive opponents that you cannot differentiate from real people. I mean there has been great strides, but Vice City still plays like a game, not a movie.

In the gaming industry how important is word of mouth?

In our industry I’m not sure word of mouth is that important. However, in the retail world, I think word of mouth is huge. There are a lot of games on the shelf, and most people won’t buy a game that they know nothing about.

Did you pay much attention to how Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (DAMM) was received by the gaming media? Or is the response from regular gamers of more importance?

We were most interested how Godzilla:DAMM was received by the Non-Gaming media. Like Newspapers, FHM, Popular Science, etc… The Gaming media is usually slightly biased by the publisher, platform, and other factors. We pay attention to the regular gamers, but then at the same time, we realize that someone who posts 100 messages on a Godzilla Message Board, is not your average Godzilla Game Player.

What was the impetus for DAMM?

Kirby Fong came to us from Infogrames with the idea. At first we thought that’s a great idea, then when we looked at other Godzilla games more closely in the past, we declined, as all the Godzilla games we saw were terrible. Kirby Fong however convinced us, that as long as we did a great job, nobody would care about the old games.

Does everyone at Pipeworks have their own favorite monster? (And do these favorites represent that individual’s personality?)

Back in December of 2001, every employee picked their favorite monster, as well as their nemesis. It was then their job to become as good as possible at beating their nemesis, with their favorite monster.

How much did DAMM change from its initial design to the game we play now?

The major things that come to mind, are people, and throw-able buildings. We had people in at one time, but they were so tiny, we took them out. The original design also called for throwing cars. But again, the scale just didn’t make it seem very gratifying.

What was the most difficult part of developing DAMM?

The schedule. It kept moving up on us.

Does Godzilla paraphernalia litter the offices of Pipeworks?

Hey, we are in Eugene, we don’t use the term paraphernalia, but we do have a ton of Godzilla reference material, and toys.

Why is there a need for such secrecy in the gaming industry between developers? Or is it common to find developers bouncing ideas off each other?

There are two reasons for secrecy. One is, you don’t want to spoil the game for the consumer. Just like a movie, you don’t want to let everybody know the ending before it comes out. It spoils the surprise. The other reason is that we are competing against other game developers, and we don’t want them to copy our ideas.

Pipeworks is being tight-lipped about their current project. What factors go into deciding when a game will be announced? Or is this the realm of the publisher’s PR department?

It has been on several sights now that there is an Xbox version of Godzilla: Destroy all Monsters Melee. It really is the realm of the publisher’s PR department to determine how, what and when they want to tell people. We are just too busy trying to make the best game that we can.

How would you explain the Publisher/Developer relationship?

It’s really quite simple. They fund our creative development, make sure that we stay on budget, and on track. Then its up to them to sell it for us. They give us a royalty back

Do you follow what the game industry is doing at any given time? Or do you just pay attention to what directly affects you?

To be successful you have to.

The 4^th Quarter is important, but just how important?

It’s usually the only quarter that game companies actually make money.

Is there much in the way of office politics at Pipeworks?

Not Really.

What was the beverage of choice for the team during the development process of DAMM?

I’d say water, followed closely behind by Coke-Classic.

Have you had a chance to read Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence by Gerard Jones? Would you agree with its basic message that it’s okay for kids to express themselves in rough play and play violent videogames (among other activities that society reacts strongly and negatively to)?

I’ve not read the whole 261 pages, and I’d say its one of the many grey areas in life.

Is DAMM a game suitable for the pre-teen crowd? Does Godzilla (as a character) appeal to all ages and across genders?

According to the ESRB rating it's not. Which means parents should evaluate for themselves if they think it is appropriate for their pre-teen child.

Will electronic transmission eventually replace the Postal System?

Until Fry’s Electronics can beam you a new motherboard, I’d say no. And frankly, I still like the ability to buy a book, and read it, without any electronic gizmos. I think the real question is, will electronic transmission ever put publishers as we know it, out of business. At some point developers like ourselves will only need marketing.

What’s more fun: E3 or the Game Developers Conference?

For me the GDC is more fun. But I’m basically a nerd. And I actually get more out of E3.