Interview With .hack Developers

What does it take to make a game within a game within a game? Bandai talks with GamePro about its four-volume RPG/anime hybrid project.

One of the dark horses of E3 this year is .hack ("dot hack"), a brand-new RPG project from Bandai that's already taking on some massive proportions. Four .hack games are already planned, all of them taking place in The World, a simulated online RPG that's far more than it seems to the teenagers who delve into it. Each volume will be packed with a free 40-minute anime DVD covering what happens to the characters in the real world, offering some helpful clues to unlocking the game's secrets along the way.

Bandai only has three .hack demo kiosks set up in their booth, spelling out long lines for anyone wanting a play on the show floor. Instead of waiting around, though, GamePro took the direct route and intervewed Daisuke Uchiyama and Hiroshi Matsuyama, the two spearheads of the project in Japan. Read on to find out what they're up to and what they have planned for game and anime fans in the U.S.

GamePro: So what are both of you doing for the .hack project?
Hiroshi Matsuyama: I'm the president of CyberConnect 2 Corporation, the development company behind the game, so I'm involved with the creation of the basic game and battle system.
Daisuke Uchiyama: I am the sub-leader of Bandai's video game planning department. I'm mostly in charge of the game story, making sure that all the plot elements meld together across each volume of the series.

GP: How did the original idea for the project come together?
M: Well, about three years ago we had the idea of creating a game set in this sort of vast online world, which was still a pretty alien concept to most people back then. We figured that it'd probably still take at least three years before online games became truly universal; even now it still takes a lot of money and resources to build up a solid online title. That's why we decided to create an offline game that takes place in an online world. If you're familiar with online games you'll be right at home, and even if you're not it'll still be extremely interesting to play.
U: Online still isn't very cost efficient for most companies, after all. Also, people like online titles because they can interact with other people and "create their own story," so to speak, but we think offline RPGs are fun precisely because of the deep stories they have to offer to gamers. That's how we came up with the idea of creating The World, a simulated online RPG, and that was the point when Kazunori Ito (writer of Patlabor, the Ghost in the Shell movie and other robot anime) came along to write a script.

GP: Is the World based on any real-life online RPGs like Phantasy Star Online?
M: Certainly Mr. Ito took a good look at everything available at the time, but I don't think he was actively looking to make The World seem like any real-life MMORPG. The idea was more to build this gigantic game system that, if the CC Corporation (the creators of The World in the game) actually existed, it would make sense for them to be behind. So it has similarities to some online RPGs we're seeing today, but much of it is still very futuristic and alien.
GP: Do you think you'd like to make The World truly online in the future, recreating the fictional game in .hack?
U: Well, it's a definite possibility. If the series becomes popular enough that we end up making more than the four volumes we have planned, then we might just be able to do it.
M: The first volume of the game isn't even on sale yet in Japan, but already we've got gamers over there asking us about making a real online game. (laughs)

GP: All four volumes of the game are definitely coming to the U.S.?
U:Oh, yes. Both the Japanese and American sides of Bandai are 200 percent behind this project, so there'll be at least that much. Currently we have the game series and the original animated DVDs that come with each one, but we'll be expanding in the future to other merchandise, TV broadcasting, and so on.

GP: What's been the most difficult part of development so far?
U: Well, the project was built as a PlayStation 2 game from the start, but the PS2 system wasn't even out when we first started work on the game, so our first major obstacle was figuring out the capabilities of Sony's system.
M: The big challenge storywise is making it seem like an online RPG as much as possible. We've had to pay close attention to making all the non-player characters act and speak like they're being controlled by actual human beings playing from some other part of the world.

GP: Do you see online games becoming the predominant force behind the industry, the way The World is in the game?
U: I think there's a lot of interest among gamers right now in what online gaming has to offer. A lot of people are already using PCs to explore virtual worlds and meet other people online. I don't think offline isn't going to go out of style anytime soon, though. Offline and online games each have their own special characteristics; people will just choose what they like.
M: Take Dragon Warrior VII, for example. If Dragon Warrior went online then probably 70 percent of the game's style would be lost, because that series is just so story-driven. If Yuji Horii (the designer of the Dragon Warrior series) lost control of his own game's storyline, it wouldn't be half as interesting to play. That's why it's silly to think that anything can be made better simply by putting it online. There's room for both sides.

GP: Finally, tell me what's grabbed your eye so far on the E3 show floor.
U: Well, .hack, for one?E(laughs) Nintendo's games are hard to beat, and I'm still extremely impressed with the capabilities of the Xbox.
M: Personally Sega's Shinobi impressed me the most. It's not exactly an accurate representation of Japan or anything (laughs), but I'm very glad to see the series come back to life.

GP: Thanks very much for taking the time out to talk to us!
M: Thanks.
U: Thank you.

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment