Dylan Cuthbert: The Future of PixelJunk

Dylan Cuthbert: The Future of PixelJunk

Future plans for PixelJunk 1-4 (and beyond!), inspirations for PixelJunk Eden, and what's become of mysterious game PixelJunk Dungeons.

GDC 2009: PSN Preview Guide -- PixelJunk Eden Encore, Fat Princess, Rag Doll Kung Fu

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Dylan Cuthbert: The Future of PixelJunk

Cuthbert hints at the future of PixelJunk in this new GamePro Q&A

PlayStation 3 owners who play PSN games are probably familiar with the PixelJunk series. PixelJunk is a collection of small, simple, addictive games that are walking contradictions: they're retro styled (2D graphics!), and yet oddly modern in their design. Given the addictive nature of PixelJunk Monsters and PixelJunk Eden, I've been dying to learn more about Q Games' future plans for the PixelJunk series. What genres will they tackle next? Will PixelJunk ever go 3D? And what's up with PixelJunk Dungeons and PixelJunk "1-4"? Luckily, at GDC 2009 I had a chance to chat with the man behind PixelJunk, Dylan Cuthbert, to learn more about this innovative series of PSN games.

Was your vision always to create a whole series of completely different games unified by the PixelJunk brand?

We actually prepared about 20 "idea cards" [when we pitched the concept to Sony]. We laid them all out and said that these were the kinds of games we wanted to make. Out of those ideas, we made the four games...and there's a fifth and a sixth coming as well.

The existing PixelJunk titles are all 2D games. So we've got PixelJunk Racers, all the way up to PixelJunk 1-4, which hasn't been announced yet (ed note: see PixelJunk 1-4 in the June 2009 issue of GamePro). Will there ever be a PixelJunk 2-1?

Yes. We're currently experimenting, so there's no solid plan yet. But we are looking into a second series... we want to make the ]series 2] all 3D games.

If PixelJunk Monsters was your take on the RTS genre, is PixelJunk Eden your vision of the platform genre?

Um...there was a game a long time ago on the Sinclair Spectrum. And it was called Bugaboo the Flea. It was a hideously difficult game (watch YouTube footage). But the art style was surprisingly good and original, and the game always left an impression on me. I'd always wanted to somehow bring elements of it to a future game I would make. So PixelJunk Eden is kind of the raw essence of Bugaboo, plus our take on platform gaming.

How long did it take you to develop Eden? Monsters? Racers?

Our iterations are pretty quick. Eden took a bit longer, because we did some prototyping in the beginning and the technology [on the moving tree limbs] is actually quite advanced...so it took about a year. Monsters was seven to eight months, Racers was about six months.

You've got PixelJunk Eden Encore out now, and the ever-elusive PixelJunk 1-4 is coming soon [judging by your Twitter account]. Are you any closer to giving PixelJunk 1-4 a final name?

No, not yet. We can't say anything about that one yet!

And obviously you guys have publicly mentioned a game you've called "PixelJunk Dungeons." Is that still coming? I'm a huge Diablo fan, so I'd love to know something about that.

We are developing it -- we aren't trying to make a standard dungeon crawler. We're trying to implement something over it, something on top of it to make it much more...original. Otherwise, it's hard to differentiate from the competition.

It might be a bit...out there. [laughs]

So PixelJunk Dungeons is a long ways off...?

No, not time-wise. I mean "out there" in terms of the gameplay. It will be something a bit different, like Eden was different for platforming.

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ChokaDaChicken

Those pixel junk joints are cool and all. ( believe me, I know about some joints ) but they are not for everybody. "casual gamers" I think they're called. But they're cool. Game on

DoctorIrish

I loved PixelJunk Monsters and Eden (Racers, not so much). Obviously these guys have a lot of creative potential, and I'm looking forward to playing their next games.

PaganFest

DoctorIrish wrote:

I loved PixelJunk Monsters and Eden (Racers, not so much). Obviously these guys have a lot of creative potential, and I'm looking forward to playing their next games.

monsters was the best! and racers did suck

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