Interview with David Jaffe, God of War Creator and Eat, Sleep, Play Founder
Written by admin on February 1st, 2008 in Gadgets and Devices.
Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition , a PSP to PlayStation 2 port, launches on Tuesday. The game is the first release from Eat, Sleep, Play. That’s a new design studio founded by David Jaffe and Scott Campbell, head of Incognito Studio. I got a chance to speak with Jaffe about what’s going on with the new Twisted Metal and what else is in the pipeline at Eat, Sleep, Play.
Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition, is, as Jaffe says, “a goodbye letter for fans of the series.” The game is loaded with new content and new levels. As we reported a couple weeks ago, Jaffe’s been blogging about this game and posting some behind-the-scenes stuff for fans. But that’s nothing new. He says he’s blogged since God of War came out, and there’s every indication that’ll continue.
The special fans edition of Twisted Metal is the first work from Jaffe’s new studio, Eat, Sleep, Play. Started in 2007, there are between 24 and 48 people working on the majority of the development in Utah. Jaffe says Scott Campbell handles the day to day work out of that office, while he stays in constant communication from San Diego, California. Jaffe makes regular trips out to the studio every 4-6 weeks, but spends time in online video chats. Additionally, since the PlayStation 3 games are online, he can get in some more time with them that way.
God of War
Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition
The team itself has been with Jaffe in some capacity over the past 14 years–many from the Twisted Metal team. But some of the team also came from Incognito, the studio that created Warhawk.
Right now, Eat, Sleep, Play is just working for Sony. Jaffe’s company agreed to create three new games for the PlayStation 3. The games are going to be “mechanics driven, with not a lot of story,” according to Jaffe. But he was unable to say any more about them. The studio is looking into outside projects, possibly some downloadable PC titles; however, that’s far in the future. The PS3 titles Eat, Sleep, Play is working won’t be coming out until 2009 or possibly even 2010.
God of War and Twisted Metal are both solid titles with great fanbases, but I had to know what linked them. Jaffe says it’s all about his philosophy about game-making compared to others. While some people are inspired by play mechanics, Jaffe is inspired by action movies. Jaffe looks to take the excitement of watching movies like “Mad Max,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” and “Clash of the Titans” and translate it into an interactive experience. He says some inspiration also comes from reading comic books.
Part of the reason Jaffe wanted to own his own studio was that he could own his work. He recognizes that giving up excellent games comes with the territory. He says of God of War, “The first game was my baby. When it was finished, I was done.” Looking forward, he wouldn’t mind if Eat, Sleep, Play acted as consultant for God of War III, but for now the game is Sony Santa Monica’s. And so far, Sony has not asked for his help… yet.
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