E3 2010 Exclusive Interview with Realtime Worlds CEO David Jones

Oliver "Threedog" Campbell sits down in his exclusive with Realtime Worlds' CEO Dave Jones, discussing a bit about his impact on the gaming industry, upcoming APB, and his new project!

Oliver: So you're just wrapping up with APB- it's going to be launching June 22nd?

DJ: June 29th, in the US.

Oliver: We've gotten a lot of play time in, gotten to spend some time with EJ (Moreland) and everyone.

DJ: Great.

Oliver: One of the things I wanted to cover was, you're kind of secretive, almost an enigma in the gaming industry.

DJ: (laughs)

Oliver: Like, you just don't pop up on the radar much. And then you come out, you've got these huge projects and they blow up into something huge. It's really interesting to think that, when you first started off with Grand Theft Auto, how much that changed the industry, how things are made, altogether. Just like how Mortal Kombat put blood right there in front of the whole audience. So if Grand Theft Auto started it, and you eventually went on to make Crackdown, and you're just growing, growing,  growing these open, sandbox, crime-style worlds, is APB for you the epitome of that crime world?

DJ: No, APB for me is just the start of something new again. So, no, I don't see it as a logical progression. I just wanted to do the same thing I normally do, just move into the online space this time. I said I wanted to do something a bit different, sort of challenge the conventional thinking and do something different and unique in the online space.

Oliver: Absolutely. The payment plan, or payment model, that you have is completely different. I was like, "These guys aren't going to come up with anything too different", and then you surprised me. I was like, "Whoa, this is actually very different." It's very, very flexible for everyone, even for a full month it's actually cheaper, so there's no reason you shouldn't pick it up.

DJ: That was the goal, you know. I didn't want to put anybody off. And that was the goal, you know, I don't think every game can suddenly become a subscription game just because it's online, if you can't afford to.

Oliver: What is really the brainchild for this, for you, where does it come from? Obviously, you don't seem like a very violent, criminalized type of guy.

DJ: (laughs)

Oliver: So really, what drove you into the direction of this genre?

DJ: Probably because I'm not that kind of guy, and it's an alternate world, an alternate reality. You jump in, you think, you know, "wouldn't it be cool if...." And to be honest, that's how the very first GTA came about. You build a little sandbox, you try things out, and we just kept saying "Wouldn't it be cool if we could do this? Wouldn't it be cool if we could do that?" That's truly where it came from, you know, it's very intuitive design. You sit down, you build some basic building blocks, and my job is to find the money and the people and the talent. So, you just keep pushing it, and pushing it and pushing it, until we've got something we feel is very unique, very new, but it's just driven by, you know, gamers. "We want to do this, we want to do that, we want to do this."  

Oliver: Because of how gaming  and the industry is- it's really interesting to see how much of a driving force and kind of a "problem-causer" you've been, for not just games but also the media. Every time someone turns around and says "Someone was playing Grand Theft Auto, and went off and did this, that..." does that kind of make you smile to yourself, or does it irritate you?

DJ: Um, it is kind of weird, sometimes, because obviously, it gets picked up- you're right- all the time, everywhere. It feels strange, because I'm just a little game creator in Scotland, but everywhere you go, it still gets mentioned. It is surreal to me, it is. You try not to think about it too much, but you're right, it just crops up all the time, and you sit back and think, I don't think we realized what we created back then. It's cool and surreal.

Oliver: I know that at one point, you were working on APB with Webzen, correct?

DJ: That's right.

Oliver: And originally that was kind of planned to also include PC and Xbox 360?

DJ: Yep.

Oliver: Are there any plans still to bring APB to consoles?

DJ: No definite plans just yet. When we bought the rights back from Webzen, we said, look, first of all, it became apparent that making a big, online action game like this is hard work. So we said that the best thing we felt we could do was really focus on one platform, get it done. PC's an open platform, so it was just easiest for us to focus on that. Obviously, there aren't many, as you know,  persistent online games in the console space. You've got to deal with issues like servers, having to integrate with the manufacturer's networks, business model. So, you know, we'd still love to, at some point, but I think the best thing for us to do is make APB- it's kind of a misunderstood game, I like to say. Everyone has their own visions in their mind about what this game is, what it can be. So let's just finish it, let people see what it is, let them see the business model, and let's sit down, if there's interest then from Microsoft or Sony or whoever, other publishers, say "we think this could be a great console game as well". It's action-based, it's suited for console players. So we hope to have those consoles, I hope to see it on console at some time.

Oliver: You've been in the crime genre for a couple of decades now. Have you thought about exploring any other genre?

DJ: Absolutely. Our next project, I can definitely say, is not in the crime genre.

Oliver. Not in the crime genre? Now, that's going to be fun.

DJ: (Laughs)

Oliver:  Because people are going to have to speculate with that... "Now Dave Jones is working on a fantasy game" or, it's going to have to be something like... Nintendogs, or something like that. You're going to have to really throw me.

DJ: (laughs) All I can say is, you have absolutely no idea, and no one could ever guess what this thing is going to be.

Oliver: So this is something nobody has ever seen?

DJ: Absolutely.

Oliver: Holy cow.

DJ: (laughs)

Oliver: Thanks, Dave!

And this is where he proceeded to give me a big wrap around and handshake for our photo. And let me tell you, that guy is frickin' huge. It was like getting grabbed by a giant scottish Santa Claus. And it was AWESOME.

David Jones is the CEO of Realtime Worlds, developers of Xbox 360 title Crackdown, and All Points Bulletin for PC. All Points Bulletin is available now in North America and due for release July 2nd in Europe.  More about the company and game can be found at Realtime Worlds and APB, respectively.