Over the past week I've been sitting behind my MacBook Pro, pondering my next blog entry between sessions of beta scheduling, motion graphics editing, and Guitar Hero III rocking. My intent is to give you more insider information behind the creation of "Hail to the Chimp" while keeping things entertaining. However, events of the past week have left me feeling anything but impish.
First, as many of you know, a gorilla among chimps threw his hat into the political ring. Stephen Colbert announced his candidacy, a courageous endeavor that sent hope coursing through the hearts of Americans everywhere. Our publisher, Gamecock Media, was quick to announce its support of Mr. Colbert, and while there was no press release to indicate so, we at Wideload were bristling with anticipation of an '08 political Battle Royale. With cheese. While extremely disappointed at the rude rebuke Mr. Colbert received in South Carolina, the show must go on, and we are keeping our "Colbert '08" campaign buttons at the ready.
Second, as many of you probably don't know, one of Chicago's foremost game developers was forced to close its doors. EA Chicago, developers of the critically acclaimed Fight Night series, took the punch in the collective EA gut for falling profits and sadly is no more. While every game developer is technically Wideload competition, we never would wish this kind of fate on our Mountain Dew drinking brethren. We'd like to wish the best to EA Chicago employees and their families and we hope they get up off the mat swinging.
As you can see, politics and game development are not so different. Both are games of risk and reward where one must take the proverbial plunge, making the best, most informed decisions possible while hoping the stars align to produce profitable results. The American consumer is the ultimate decision maker in both arenas. The person who casts their vote in November is the same person who buys our games. EA Chicago made games that didn't conform to some game development formula, and sadly the outcome of their venture is now history. It's unfortunate that a candidate like Mr. Colbert, who also doesn't fit the stereotypical mold, did not have the same opportunity to let the American voters/consumers decide his fate.
While I had hoped to use this time to introduce the candidates of "Hail to the Chimp," the outside world conspired against me. Next week I will talk more about the process of developing the animal candidates and their personalities... how we start with a blank canvas and end up with 10 unique players, each with their own agenda, political platform, and unique way of delivering both to the animal kingdom. Please check out www.chimplove.com for more information about "Hail to the Chimp" in the meantime.