Q&A: An Inside Look at Cloning Clyde

It's quirky, addicting, and earning rave reviews from critics. Cloning Clyde, available on Xbox Live Arcade, has become one the most popular games on the Xbox 360. Harassing Ninja Bee president Steve Taylor and lead designer John Nielson, here's an inside peek into the making of Cloning Clyde for the Xbox 360.

Where did the inspiration/influence for the game come from?

John Nielson: I was sitting there one day thinking about what I could do that would work on the Arcade, and BAM, just like that, Clyde entered my mind.

How big was the Cloning Clyde development staff? How long did the project take? Can you share its budget?

Nielson: The team varied from two to about eight hard working people. It took approximately a year and a month to make from concept to completion. The budget would probably be considered low-to-average for Live Arcade games, but making this game was only possible because we had an engine with a lot of the technologies in place, and had previous experience working on the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Live Arcade.

How will the Xbox 360 Marketplace affect the games distribution system? Is it possible that digital distribution such as this will completely eclipse the brick-and-mortar stores in, say, ten years?

Nielson: This is of course just my opinion, but I think that this distribution model has a lot of potential for its future. I personally don't know if it will ever completely do away with today's standard in-store distribution model, but I certainly think that there is a chance of it given the rate of technological advances. Whatever the case, we are on the edge of seeing great leaps forward with distributing downloadable content.

Did you consider any other models of distribution, or was this always intended as an Xbox Live game?

Nielson: Cloning Clyde was absolutely intended for the Xbox Live Arcade right from the start. In its creation and design, we kept that constantly on our minds. This played a big role in its development.

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