Zombie Command

After our week of showcasing the Zombie Game Experiment we catch up with CEO of Hive Media and the brains behind the projects for a few questions about how an idea like this came to be and where it’s going.

ZC: How difficult was it to get an idea like this put into action?

WW: It has taken a few months to get everything in order, such as the legal concerns answered, website up the current development model and more. We had very little budget to work with to get this going. However we had brains, a talented team and a passion for game developing. With these attributes we were able to pull together what you see today and backend items which will come into play in the future.

We are still refining the development model, the community and the website. We are very happy with our accomplishments so far and are looking forward to working with the community to develop this fun game.

ZC: What has been the biggest difficulty in starting up so far?

WW: Getting the word out has been hard for us. While this project has a larger than normal chance of “going viral”, the needed push is difficult as I am a pretty busy guy and a lot of the promotion has been all my doing up to this point. The growing community is certainly helping. We are going to really need the community to help spread the word as we do not have the budget to hire the expensive PR firms which large game development projects have.

ZC: Why did you decide to make the game an isometric shooter rather than say the more popular first person zombie shooters?”

WW: There are more than enough FPS zombie games in development right now. A zombie shooter which may be goofy in nature would be hard to pull off in an FPS camera angle. The funds needed to properly develop a FPS is far above what I expect this project to raise. This development model is a first, let us start with the proper goals in mind.

ZC: This is similar to the fan funded The Indywood Project. What is it you think that appeals to people where they get to finance a game or film?

WW: In our case the design community, those who donate $10 or more, which is what, a trip to get fast food anymore, has the ability to help design the game and interact with the developers.

If you choose to help donate to the project you become a part of the project.

ZC: A lot of the effort being put into this project is being subsidised by your team. Can we be sure you’re giving your all to making the best game possible?

WW: Look at it like this, all of that development you see on the website was created with Team Hive Media’s and my own resources. Hive Media’s name is attached, which I built from nothing but a few connections, a couple of dollars in the bank and a hell of an awesome team of top talent artists.

We are putting forth the same dedication which grew this company into our client’s projects and The Zombie Game Experiment.

ZC: What happens if you don’t hit your donation targets? Will you complete development with what you have or extend the time frame?

WW: We have no time frame right now. I strongly believe in the “when it’s done” development principle with a project like this. Now, do not take this to mean we are looking at Duke Nukem Forever development time but do not expect it to be finished in a few months. Late 2010 or early 2011 is a realistic goal with the time it takes for refining this development model, which we are still working on and taking the time to build and nurture a good community.

We will continue to build the game, refine the development model and grow the community until, and after, the proper funds are raised.

ZC: Are you looking for sponsors at this time?

WW: Yes and they may contact us with the contact form.

ZC: Do you worry that if decisions are going against a group of players that you’ll lose their interests and contributions; perhaps even to the point of a negative campaign against you?

WW:(Laughing while answering) I don’t think we are large enough to get a campaign against us. Really though, if complications arise we will do our best to find a compromise which makes everyone happy.

ZC: If this goes well, will you bring it to XBLA/PSN or any other platform?

WW: Steam is most attractive and we will be contacting them in the future. We are open to other publishers and partners as well.

ZC: If you only had a 30 second pitch to encourage people to donate and get involved what would it be? (and I’ll be saying it out loud to confirm it fits in the time!)

WW: You can help to design a zombie game on your own time with a donation of ten dollars or more, about half the cost of a take-out pizza anymore. You receive the game when it is finished and 25% of the revenue generated by the game goes towards the battle against Parkinson’s disease. So join our community at zombieexperiment.com, tell others to join, participate in the design community and have a great time!

I clocked it at 25 seconds. ;-)

So, for more details about the project head on over to the official site or follow the experiment on Twitter.

Don’t forget to check out our other articles on The Zombie Game Experiment.