"I've always wanted to run my own development studio," Blackman told Joystiq earlier this week. "It's been something that I've been thinking about for the last five or six years and have entertained a few other times in the past and this seemed like the right time. I had a great time playing in someone else's sandbox for the last twelve years but now I really want to see if I could build my own. Star Wars is arguably the most recognizable and powerful IP in the entire world and I was extremely fortunate to get to explore that universe."I'm a big horror buff, and we've got a couple concepts we're exploring in that vein.- Haden Blackman
Operating outside of the confines of Lucas' Death Star-shaped sandbox, Blackman says, "At least in the short term, we want to remain independent and build the games that we want to build the way we want to build them and with the people we want to work with." To that end, the fledgling studio already has "six different concepts" in the works. "They range from big action games similar to what we've done in the past with things like Force Unleashed, to hardcore horror. I'm a big horror buff, and we've got a couple concepts we're exploring in that vein." One description that Blackman consistently uses to define the types of projects Fearless is working on is "story-driven."
"I think most of the concepts that we're exploring right now really do fall into this bucket of what we're calling 'story-driven action games,'" Blackman said. "But that's a really broad category that can encompass a ton of different mechanics. Both Cedrick and I have worked on almost every genre out there and we're really interested in combining elements of different genres. I absolutely agree with Cliff Bleszinski when he says that shooters are going to incorporate more and more RPG elements. Things like that are definitely the way the industry is headed and we want to embrace that."
Blackman says they like "the games that feel like thrill rides," pointing to recent classics like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Batman: Arkham Asylum as examples of work that he thinks has raised the bar. He acknowledges that "constantly surprising the player," one of the key elements of success in those games, "is difficult in horror. You get desensitized over time."We do have a number of concepts in development, some of which might fit better in an iPhone or XBLA category as well.- Haden Blackman
Not all of Fearless' concepts are destined to become AAA retail titles, though. "Whether it's a big, AAA console title or something smaller that would be released for digital distribution all depends on the vision of the game," he said. "Certainly given our background and our experience on titles like The Force Unleashed and the big action titles that we've worked on in the past, that's really kind of our wheelhouse. And many of the concepts that we're working on right now focus on that area, but we're not ruling anything out at this point." He continued, "We do have a number of concepts in development, some of which might fit better in an iPhone or XBLA category as well." Also of interest to Blackman: episodic content and episodic storytelling. "We're really thinking strongly about that and keeping that top of mind," he said.
When asked about the difficulty of leaving LucasArts and whether it was related to the seemingly constant upheavals at the San Francisco-based developer, Blackman told us, "I've been through that several times over at LucasArts. After thirteen years, I saw a lot of change and was instrumental in rebuilding the studio twice, kind of from the ground up. It didn't have so much to do with that, that's something I've been through before and had no problem doing again. It had more to do with this desire to go off and do my own thing."
When asked about the recent hiring of Far Cry 2 designer Clint Hocking, Blackman said, "I think Clint Hocking is a fantastic hire for LucasArts and I expect him to do really amazing things at LucasArts and hopefully he can continue to revitalize Star Wars as a gaming franchise, just as I felt that we did with Force Unleashed, and take it in all new directions. If anything, a hire like that would've made me want to stay at LucasArts, other than the fact that I have this other opportunity."
Blackman and Collomb are being assisted in this "other opportunity" by interim CFO – and Seahorn Capital Group founder – Marc Jackson, who's serving a "financial advisory role and business advistory role." Jackson previously helped Arkham Asylum creator Rocksteady finance its first title Urban Chaos: Riot Response, and is looking to help put Fearless Studios on the map. We'll know how successful they are when we learn more about Fearless' first game. "Conservatively, I hope we'll have something to announce in the first half of next year," Blackman told us. That only gives them eight months, at the most, but Blackman would probably tell you, there's nothing to be afraid of.
