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Raising the Dead, Again: Can Howard Marks Revive Acclaim?
HM: I think players are different in our market, and we need to offer games that are satisfying to our audience. We have brought in talented directors like David Perry to work closely with the teams to build a great game. Unlike other publishers who will remain unnamed, we take great pains to adapt the games to our markets, and we are not just offering a badly translated Korean game. We think this is a disservice to the player. Ultimately, our players will be voting with their game play time whether our games are fun or not. GS: Would you say that it's more difficult to import Korean-style MMORPG play than it is to export a North American MMORPG? HM: I think they are both difficult. World of Warcraft is an exception to this because it transcended both cultures. GS: What online game category in Korea do you think would translate successfully over here for the North American and Western gamer demographic -- something that we haven't seen yet? HM: I think there is a lot of potential with music-based games (MMO type) in our market, also action-oriented and sports MMO games.
GS: Is the new Acclaim planning to develop for the consoles? How about the Xbox 360's Xbox Live? HM: Yes, but Microsoft needs to allow us to offer an online game that is larger than 50 MB. People are downloading 1 GB demos on their Xbox 360. Microsoft needs to take the bold move and say they will support online games. GS: We have yet to see a game for a console platform that captures the imagination and enthusiasm of gamers on the level of what World of Warcraft has done for the PC. What do you think are the challenges that might be inherent in using game consoles for MMORPGs? HM: The biggest is the user interface. The console is an experience in the family room, whereas the online PC game is an experience with a keyboard. Chatting is challenging on a console. I think that as console devices get better the fun factor will increase. Online games are social games, so the console needs to become a social platform as well. GS: The old Acclaim died as a company that cranked out shoddily made games to cash in on licensed properties. What do you hope the new Acclaim under your command will be known for? HM: We hope that Acclaim will be known for bringing back the fun into games with affordable entertainment accessible to everyone. For us, multi-player games are simply more fun. |
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