GCC recently got a chance to sit down with the gang over at the newly formed Flagship Studios (story). Today we present our chat with ex-Diablo big shot Bill Roper about the new direction now that they have left Blizzard (story) and formed their own company:

What game titles can they follow up on without violating licenses owned by Blizzard, and how many titles are currently in development?

All of the games we worked on while at Blizzard are franchises that Blizzard owns, so we do not have any rights to them in any way. The game we are currently working on is an entirely new creation, although we do think that many of the design philosophies we adhere to will allow players of our previous games to easily grasp the fun concepts of our new game.

Does Flagship eventually plan to establish a rival "battle.net" type multiplayer service?

One of the great things about Battle.net is that it was never created to be a rival to another gaming network, but instead was designed with supporting the players of Blizzard’s games. In that regard, we do intend to establish a gaming destination for gamers to play games created by Flagship Studios with and against each other. We believe that robust, but easy to use, multiplayer support is essential to the longevity of a game. Besides, we all love playing multiplayer games too much not to make ours one.

Which original titles that they worked on do they feel merit the efforts for them to expand/remake under Flagship?

Although we think every game and world we worked on merits continued support and new creation, that task is up to Blizzard. Flagship Studios is looking to create an entirely new universe and a unique gaming experience that is far from a redo of our past efforts. We want to learn and grow from our past efforts without simply repeating them.

Will the creative teams at Flagship Studios have more input to the operations and support of programs than they had under the "French Imposition"?

There was actually very little “imposition” placed on us from our parent company while at Blizzard, so we are hoping to have a similar level of creative freedom to make the best game possible. We do want open lines of communication between any publishing partner and us, and we love it when people play our games and offer us good feedback, so having a high degree of project visibility for our publisher is something we are looking forward to.

Which genre(s) of gaming will Flagship focus the most resources on?

We aren’t quite ready to talk too intimately about the game, but we are going to create a game with both a compelling single player and multiplayer experience.

Of the team members at Flagship, how many came from Blizzard? Any other talent we would recognize from elsewhere?

There are nine of us here and we all worked together at Blizzard North for many years. One of the great things about the core team we have put together is the fact that we know how to make a game together and that we are more like a family than a company. It’s a very tight-knit group of guys and it really helps the development process move along.

When can we expect a release of the first product?

Although we have a development timeline in our heads, we’re not going to publicly put any dates out there because at this early stage of development it is honestly impossible to foresee all the changes the game will require. Those changes can affect the schedule in 100 different ways, and like the game itself, the schedule is a very organic thing that has to be constantly monitored and adjusted.

What is the focus and attitude of the new group, and did any continuity of teams from Blizzard reform/reunite under Flagship?

We’re all excited and energized to be coming into a work every day working on something that is new and truly ours. We’ve all worked together on projects in the past, so we have a nice continuity in many regards flowing through the even the earliest stages of the game. Some of us have known each other for so long we finish each other’s sentences, and that makes the creative process really smooth a lot of the time since we instantly know where someone is taking an idea.

Look for more coverage on the great things happening at Flagship Studious as we hear it! If you have questions you would like addressed, please feel free to join our discussion, and post your thoughts there. GCC prides itself on getting the results our members want.

Michael "=][= Maximus" Kerr - October 2003