JERK GUSTAFSSON:Todd [Howard], hes a bigIndiana Jonesfan.
Hes been wanting to do this game for many years.
So basically, he called me and asked, Would you be interested in doing this game?
Indiana Jones and the Great CircleMachineGames
We had a lot of back-and-forth discussions between Todd and me.
We then thought about how we can do that from a MachineGames [standpoint].
Those discussions happened before we started direct contact and research with Lucasfilm.
Its what people are familiar with.
It is how weve defined who the character is over the years.
DEADLINE:What is your relationship with theIndiana Jonesfranchise?
GUSTAFSSON:I grew up withIndiana Jones[in Sweden].Raiders of the Lost Arkcame out in 1981.
Those types of matinee adventure movies were so entertaining and special in their own way.
REILLY:Im a kid of the 80s.
I had the pleasure of seeingIndiana Jonesin theaters with my dad.
DEADLINE:Why do you thinkIndiana Jonesstill has such relevance in the pop culture space?
REILLY:What makes Indiana Jones timeless is that hes an everyday guy.
Hes a professor, not some highly trained operative.
GUSTAFSSON:We are very happy about the reception, of course.
We knew that we were taking some risks by doing something different compared to other titles in this genre.
Even internally, there was a lot of, Should we really do that?
Regarding Indiana Jones himself, Steven Spielberg said, Hes a non-superhero superhero.
I think we have really tried to embrace that.
Hes like 35+ years old.
Hes fit but not acrobatic; its tough to climb a ledge.
What is rare is that you worked with an actual cinematographer.
Talk about working with Kyle Klutz.
GUSTAFSSON:This is the first time we have worked with a DP.
Then, we did the in-game cameras internally in the studio after the shoot itself.
By doing that, we wanted to have a go at continue with a similar feel throughout the game.
So thats when we started to talk about bringing in a DP for the performance capture session.
It was quite interesting and educational for us as a team to have Kyle helping us out.
DEADLINE:What were some non-negotiables that absolutely had to make it into the game adaptation?
There are important things that I talked about with Todd in that first call.
The other thing was I pushed hard to get the [photo] camera in.
Then you also have Indiana Jones commenting on the photos youre taking as well.
So, it has been a pretty smooth ride in that sense.
Obviously, its very difficult and challenging to make games.
We all know that.
So, we are usually pretty good at sticking to our plan.
DEADLINE:The game also has a little bit of a third-person element.
Was that a compromise that had to be made?
GUSTAFSSON:Not really.
That was 20 years ago, but we had this character played by Vin Diesel.
Thats where it all starts.
But we also understand that these characters are very clearly defined.
So, we continue to stick to what we always have done.
But here, we also have the opportunity to use it to our benefit in gameplay.
The whip is a good example.
I like the mix of it.
Its the best of both worlds for me.
What were the challenges or benefits of being able to explore this?
There was a reason why we decided to put it betweenRaiders of the Lost ArkandThe Last Crusade.
So, what has happened there in between?
Thats something that we wanted to explore deeper.
And I think thats one of the main focuses when it comes to character development in the game too.
I think the whip is a perfect example of that balance.
How does it animate?
What kind of situations do you use it in, or not use it in?
Same thing goes for the gun.
You have a gun.
We applied that thinking to everything.
