Joystiq interview: Creat Studios' Vladimir Starzhevsky
PlayStation fans are familiar with the work of Creat Studios. The team's recent PSN-exclusive efforts, such as Magic Ball and Cuboid, have given the studio a newfound audience of loyal followers. We spoke to Creat's CEO Vladimir Starzhevsky about the benefits of working with Sony, and the team's future, Smash Cars and beyond.
The company has worked on a number of games in the past, but has recently grabbed the attention of gamers and press. What is the driving force behind the company's transformation?
Thank you for noticing the transformation. We have been working very hard to achieve this. Two factors have been key. First, we made the investment in becoming a publisher for PlayStation Network. Some saw this as a risk, but it has given us much more freedom and opportunity to develop and publish both our own IP and licensed IP of our choosing. Second, a great new group of talented and experienced individuals have joined the Creat team over the past year, including the addition of a marketing team. Their contributions, and those of our hard working veteran team in Russia, have made quite a difference.
Recently, the company has also published games on the PlayStation Network. What opportunities for expansion do you see there, and have companies approached Creat for publishing?
The opportunities are endless. As more of the industry migrates to this model, where the smaller budgets and scope allow for more risk and more innovation, Creat is very well positioned. We are speaking to other independent studios about publishing, and hope to have announcements soon. But in the meantime, it would be nice to see more independent studios join us in the e-publishing arena. We have greatly enjoyed our experience with Sony's PlayStation Network, and we know developers the world over would benefit from going in this direction as well.
All of Creat's games are powered by the Creat Engine, which spans titles from PS3 to PSP. Is the company interested in licensing the engine to third parties?
We have had some discussions about that. Currently, our focus is on making great games.
One of the big things at this year's CES was 3D. What is Creat working on and how does it differ from what other companies are also pursuing?
Creat has not limited our focus to any one area, as we continue to develop for both console and downloadable, and we anticipate 3D will play a part in our games in the not too distant future. In fact, Creat has been focused on 3D for quite some time. Nearly two years ago, Creat was the first company to develop a 3D gaming application for consoles with our partner, iZ3D. We plan to continue playing a leadership role in 3D technology's integration into mainstream video game development as we work with leading hardware manufacturers to deliver this next level of innovation and excitement to the industry.
Creat's staff is split in Boston and Russia. What are the challenges of such long-distance work, and what are the benefits? Does it make Creat stand out in the development community?
Creat is unique in this respect. Few other developers can offer the benefits of both an American developer and an eastern one. We refer to it as "in-sourcing," where we offer western publishers the communications benefits of working with an American company, with the economic advantages of our large studio in Russia. Since our teams in both offices are familiar with each other, and communicate regularly, we are able to maintain an efficient pipeline, and pass the advantages on to our publishing partners.
Smash Cars is next in a long line of PSN-exclusive games. What has the partnership with Sony been like, and will you continue to offer exclusive support?
Sony is just great. They've been a true partner in this experience, from tech support to marketing. We're always discussing possible new exclusive games for the PlayStation Network, so stay tuned for some exciting announcements in the near future.
At GDC, Sony announced a new program for exclusive development on PSN. Have you looked into this service and will it factor into your upcoming projects?
We have started speaking with Sony about this, as we feel it is a great program. It's further proof as to the kind of commitment that Sony is making to its independent publishers, and we plan to take advantage of this opportunity in the not too distant future.
Creat is licensed for Wii and Xbox 360 development. When will we be seeing projects on these platforms?
We have many exciting projects in the works, across the spectrum of platforms; however, at this point, there's nothing that I can officially announce. Creat has plans to make 2009 our biggest year ever.
