Ready At Dawn: Die PSP im Fokus

PlaystationPortable.de: Why did you decide to develop for Sony's PSP?


Didier Malenfant: The decision was made last year when the PSP was announced at E3. It was simply the most exciting platform to work on, even back then, and looking at Sony's past and future strategy we were certain it was going to be a huge success. I'd worked on the original Playstation before its release, and then while at Naughty Dog I worked on the PS2 before its release and the reasons were the same back then. As a small startup you have to focus on one thing and do it right, for us it meant one game and one platform and the PSP was the obvious choice for us.

PlaystationPortable.de: What do you think are the most important features of PSP?

Malenfant: I'd say the screen without a doubt. I think it will revolutionize the way people think about handheld games. Not being stuck on a tiny little screen is going to make a huge difference. Second to that I'd say the wireless capabilities. 802.11 or Wifi, unlike Bluetooth, has a pretty big range and it's going to be awesome to see the many different ways games will use this. We definitely have our own ideas on the subject.

PlaystationPortable.de: Are there big differences between developing for psp and developing for pc and consoles?

Malenfant: Developing for consoles and PC is a very different thing, which is why we decided to develop our games exclusively for consoles. Even with Andrea and Ru (our two other founders) coming over from Blizzard and the world of PC games, deep down we're all console gamers and we like the types of games you see on console better. Also a console is a known quantity in terms of hardware and it allows you to optimize your code to get every single drop of performance. On PC it's a little more, let's say...sloppy.
As far as the PSP goes, the main difference is that it's a handheld console which means that players will expect to play games they can easily put down and pick back up while they are, for example, on the bus or something. In that respect it does affect the design of the games.

PlaystationPortable.de: More and more studios are going to support the next generation of handhelds. Is mobile gaming the most important future trend?

Malenfant: I think it's the one where you'll see the most growth explosion in the coming years. With a machine like the PSP coming out, you finally have access to games that are of the same quality as the games you play at home and that is going to be a small revolution in itself.
Everyone who saw the PSP at E3 is dying to get one and I think it's going to become a very important platform for games, music, movies, etc... If it can replace a few of the gadgets that I carry with me, I can't wait.

PlaystationPortable.de: Ready At Dawn has been founded by experienced people. Has your first project something to do with games like Warcraft III or Heart of Darkness?

Malenfant: Our first project is definitely influenced by our past but I can't say any more at this point. :o)

PlaystationPortable.de: Would you also like to make a game for Nintendo DS?

Malenfant: As I said above, we like to focus on one thing at a time and our current project is taking all of our time right now. I checked out the DS at E3 and the touch screen thing is very interesting, but for now we've got more than enough on our hands.