5> As of May 16th, you have announced that Microsoft will be your publisher. Does this mean that your company will gear itself more towards the Xbox platform? Or will it remain the same between PC and Xbox games?

It’s really too early to say anything about the game itself… suffice it to say that it will truly be a next generation massively multiplayer game and that both Sigil and Microsoft are committed to playing a major role in this emerging genre, regardless of platform.

6> There is a game which is currently under development now. Without giving too much away, are you able to reveal the time in which the game takes place? Futuristic or Middle Age?

I apologize, but it’s simply too early to reveal the genre or theme… we’re still early in development and design.

7> For people that inspire to be a game designer, have a creative imagination, and love games; if they came to you and asked how they could get into the industry, what would you tell them?

Wow, that’s a tough question, especially for a designer.  As a programmer you can put together an impressive demo, or as an artist you can assemble a spectacular portfolio… but for an aspiring game designer, it’s much harder.  I think you need to make yourself visible to the various game developer companies somehow… the Internet is truly a powerful tool.  Make yourself known, write articles, submit design ideas… maybe even take other entry level jobs and then work your way up.  I know quite a few MMOG designers who began their career as GMs and then climbed the corporate ladder from there.  I will say this, however:  if you want something bad enough, and you believe in yourself, and you never give up, you’ll get there.

8> With technology advancing as it is, do you think it will be possible to maintain performance in these types of games on a 56k modem?

Unfortunately, as long as bandwidth stays relatively expensive, the cost issues and constraints really lie on the host’s side.  In other words, even if every customer had a cable modem or DSL, it’s still cost prohibitive to take advantage of that bandwidth.  One day I’m sure that will change, and hopefully by then most people will have broadband, after which it will be a win-win for everyone.

9> As a personal opinion, since you have left Sony, are there any changes in EverQuest that you really disagree with as far as game design implementations? Or on the flip side, really like? 

Just as I’ve always declined to comment negatively about the competition, so also would it not be appropriate for me to second guess the current EQ Live/Expansions team.  They’re a great bunch of people, many of whom are my friends.  I think overall they’re doing a great job, and many of the recent changes and additions have made EQ an even better game.  For example, I’m really excited about the new interface.  I recently logged on to the Test Server to check it out and not only is it new and improved, it also still feels like EverQuest – they really did a fantastic job. 

10> Do you have a timeline at which we might expect an announcement on your upcoming title? And could you elaborate on how far you are in the design phase?

Well, you know the dates as to when we put this deal together, and you can see from our web site that we’ve assembled quite an all-star first year team.  I don’t really have a date as to when we’ll announce anything specific, but we are fully underway designing and working on the game.  When the time is right, both from Sigil and Microsoft’s perspective, I’m sure there will be a big announcement, and we’re definitely looking forward to that time – we can’t wait to start brainstorming and chatting with our future players :)