Broken Sword Zone - Hi Steve! How are you doing?
Very well, thank you.

What was your role within Revolution?
I’ve had a number of roles over the years. I started out as an artist, working on backgrounds and background sprites for Beneath a Steel Sky and some concept work for Broken Sword. I then moved into the role of producer and was in that role for a number of projects, overlapping it with an increasing amount of writing and design work, particularly on In Cold Blood, El Dorado and Broken Sword – The Sleeping Dragon.

With the recent situation at revolution how has it affected you?
I was initially devastated. I always enjoyed working at Revolution and I owe an awful lot to Charles, Tony, Dave and Noirin for giving me the chance to prove myself and to develop my skills by working on a series of quality games. It was a real wrench to have to leave, but I’m now a freelance writer and designer.

How are you approaching new jobs?
Each job is different and I approach it based on what the client wants. The one thing that they all have in common is that I approach each one with a completely professional manner and bring to bear all the benefits of my years of experience.

Are you working on personal Projects?
I have five projects based on my own ideas that are in different stages of development, from a single page synopsis to more well developed proposals

What are some of the games you are either working on or wanting to work with?
I’ve just finished script editing the English version of The Westerner. That’s a fun game with lots of puzzles that are very logical within the world they’ve created. There are lots of games I’d like to work on, but so many of them have a fully-fledged team in place already. Other projects in the offing are things I’m not at liberty to discuss.

What is your feeling on Broken Sword 3?
It’s an excellent game that everyone should go out and buy, even if they’ve already bought it. :) Seriously, it’s hard to know what to say. I enjoyed working on it tremendously because it gave the opportunity as a designer and writer to develop the story and gameplay in ways that we couldn’t in the first two. The move to 3D also meant that the characters felt much more alive than they did previously. As to how good it is from a player’s point of view, it’s hard to say. We got some great reviews and award nominations, yet hardcore adventure fans seemed a little cool towards it, which is a shame.

What about BASS2 (Beneath a Steel Sky 2), do you feel this is a good option for revolution to take?
I have a great fondness for Beneath a Steel Sky, probably because it was the first game I worked on at Revolution. It always struck me that, because the game only showed a very small part of the city, it was only scratching the surface of the world it was set within. A sequel would be so exciting.

How do you feel about the adventure gaming situation at the moment, on a low or a high?
I see elements of adventure games cropping up in other genres, so it’s clear that it’s had a huge influence on gaming in general. However, there’s a danger that it’s becoming a niche market and may suffer without the right marketing to take advantage of the people out there that still want to play quality adventures. What is needed is a way to make games that approach the quality of BSTSD without those same costs. I think there is a great future for adventures, we just need to realise that we cannot compete with Half-Life or Max Payne any longer.

And finally Steve, What do you feel about the rumors of a Broken Sword 4 in 2D?
It would be a shame to have to go back to 2D having developed all that wonderful art and animation in 3D, but if it’s felt that 2D offers a more cost-effective way of producing games for the reduced market then it will be more than interesting to see how that moves forward. The key is in the gameplay and the story after all, and not in the graphics.

Thank you for your time Mr. Ince, Good luck with the future and I look forward to speaking with you at another time.
Thank you for showing interest in my work.

Rob Stella At Broken Sword Zone