GameSpot got the chance to speak with Spore creator and gaming guru Will Wright in what turns out to be a very lengthy, but quite juicy interview -- at least in certain parts. So, for your convenience, we've highlighted some of the better bits of information to slip out of Will's mouth.
Check after the break for Will's view on E3, next-gen, and the future of Spore.
A playable Spore at Leipzig
We'll have [Spore] on the floor so that people can actually come up and experiment with it. We'll be doing demos. [Editor's note: According to EA, Wright himself will be present on the floor, giving demonstrations in person.]
-- Wow, those are some lucky German gamers. We've never wanted to be in Germany so bad before.
Thoughts on E3 and its future
E3 was always a one-month distraction as we were trying to get together our presentation, and that takes away from your development timeline. E3 is turning into some kind of "industry insider" thing. So, Leipzig might become the big show that we attend every year. Who knows.
-- So, Leipzig is the new E3? Wow, who woulda thunk that? By the way, someone tell Will he is considered an "industry insider."
Talking next-gen
We were kind of assuming that the next-gen consoles would all be superpowerful, but now we're looking at how expensive the Sony [PlayStation 3] is, trying to leverage the value of Blu-ray; we look at how cheap the Nintendo Wii is going to be and its innovative controller; we're looking at Microsoft's early mover advantage and its focus on network games.
-- See. Even Will thinks the PS3 is expensive.
Spore's future beyond the PC
We're certainly looking at [Spore] as a franchise. The PC [version of the game], for me, is the tip of the iceberg. We're not announcing anything yet, but it's pretty obvious that I want Spore to take over the world (laughs). I think [Spore] definitely wants to go beyond being a computer game. I don't feel Spore is as constrained to its original platform.
-- Oh, Will, you're such a tease. Just come out and tell us we can play it on our BlackBerry. You know you want to.
A release date
We're saying the second half of next year [2007] for now.
-- We would have been happier with tomorrow.
There's some other interesting stuff in the entire interview, like technical things about the game, so check it all out if you are so inclined.
