Just Cause Interview: Directors Sundberg and Blomberg

In the run-up to Just Cause‘s late September release, BlogCritics.org sat down with Just Cause Creative Director Christofer Sundberg and Technical Director Linus Blomberg to discuss the game. Discuss they did, and the interview revealed just how ambitious they were in creating this game.

Like, for example, eliminating loading times while offering a big free-play environment over a thousand square kilometers big. The Avalanche Studios team behind the game essentially programmed a “streaming” game environment that contiuously loads itself in the background. What’s even more ambitious is that this is done on all the release platforms – the high-spec Xbox 360 as well as lower-end PCs, the PS2, and Xbox. Of course the low-end versions cut down on graphics resolutions, but it is still the same game environment and gameplay, Linus assures.

Christofer explains how Just Cause was born – an idea for a free-play game with lots of vehicles in it, with its Caribbean setting finalized over a few drinks of rum at the bar (rum and the Caribbean… how appropriate!) – and the initial scketches of its lead character Rico Rodriguez. He also reveals that the team was inspired and influenced by a lot of old movies, news, documentaries, and comic books when designing the game. To those who’ve noted that Just Cause feels like GTA, James Bond, and Far Cry thrown together, Cristofer also says that they weren’t looking in those directions while designing this game. “I think Just Cause stands on its own two legs.”

Both confirm that they’re kicking around ideas for a Rico sequel, but right now there’s another project on Avalanche’s plate.

In the run-up to Just Cause‘s late September release, BlogCritics.org sat down with Just Cause Creative Director Christofer Sundberg and Technical Director Linus Blomberg to discuss the game. Discuss they did, and the interview revealed just how ambitious they were in creating this game.

Like, for example, eliminating loading times while offering a big free-play environment over a thousand square kilometers big. The Avalanche Studios team behind the game essentially programmed a “streaming” game environment that contiuously loads itself in the background. What’s even more ambitious is that this is done on all the release platforms – the high-spec Xbox 360 as well as lower-end PCs, the PS2, and Xbox. Of course the low-end versions cut down on graphics resolutions, but it is still the same game environment and gameplay, Linus assures.

Christofer explains how Just Cause was born – an idea for a free-play game with lots of vehicles in it, with its Caribbean setting finalized over a few drinks of rum at the bar (rum and the Caribbean… how appropriate!) – and the initial scketches of its lead character Rico Rodriguez. He also reveals that the team was inspired and influenced by a lot of old movies, news, documentaries, and comic books when designing the game. To those who’ve noted that Just Cause feels like GTA, James Bond, and Far Cry thrown together, Cristofer also says that they weren’t looking in those directions while designing this game. “I think Just Cause stands on its own two legs.”

Both confirm that they’re kicking around ideas for a Rico sequel, but right now there’s another project on Avalanche’s plate.