PX360: Are there plans for a release of a demo for Xbox Live or PSN? If so, how do you weigh the feedback from a demo when it releases to the community?
Simon Woodroofe: It’s as a direct result of feedback that we have decided to do a pre-launch demo, everyone that played the game during our preview events and our focus testing really loved the game when they got hands on so we wanted to maximize our awareness by allowing the gaming community to have a small sample of Wheelman before release.
PX360: Has your work with the Unreal Engine 3.0 been as successful as you would have liked?
Simon Woodroofe: Unreal Engine 3.0 has been teased and tempted into doing things it simply wasn't ever intended to do by Midway's tech teams. Now we have a situation where we get all the advantages of working in Unreal AND it's capable of doing some of the things we need to do (such as open world streaming). Ultimately, the road has been long and bumpy - as expected - but the results speak for themselves and the Midway teams are in an incredibly strong position going forward to capitalize on their experience in the technology from ALL of Midway's titles.
PX360: With the recent layoffs at Midway, how has the work environment been recently?
Simon Woodroofe: The work environment has been fine - we're all super excited that Wheelman has come together so well and is a fun and genuinely top drawer experience for gamers. Most of us are either putting the finishing touches to it or working up the concept for our next title - it's a genuinely exciting time to be here at the moment.
PX360: What’s next for the development team after The Wheelman is released? Any plans for a sequel in the works?
Simon Woodroofe: We're going to use the technology and lessons we have learned from Wheelman to really shake up the open world genre. Wait and see.
PX360: Last question for the day, what makes The Wheelman a must-have title?
Simon Woodroofe: Wheelman is a pure Hollywood inspired action title - it's accessible, it's intense and it's fun as hell. It's the summer blockbuster title that allows you to feel like an action hero from the comfort of your own living room.
Thanks go out to Simon and the whole team behind Wheelman for taking the time out of their busy development schedule to sit down and chat with us; stay tuned for more features on the game as it nears it's late March release.
