Artikel: Interview with Guido Henkel

Interview with Guido Henkel (English)

Mittwoch, 21.11.2012 | tbr

We had the chance for a little small-talk with Guido Henkel (Realms of Arkania, Planescape Torment) about his newest Game "Thorvalla". Enjoy the interview! (Hier klicken für deutsche Version!)

Gamers.de: Hi Guido, thank you for your time and for this opportunity. I´m really curious about "Thorvalla" and I hope that I might get a few new information from you.

Guido Henkel: I am glad that you give me the opportunity to talk a little more about the game. After all, it’s been a while since I last made a full-blown computer game.

Gamers.de: We haven´t heard much of you in the last years and because of that the announcement came kinda as a surprise. What where you up to in the last decade after your departure from Black Isle? What was the reason for your comeback and why now?

Guido Henkel: I’ve been working in the mobile field for the last ten years. I’ve been on the bleeding edge when mobile gaming started to establish itself and it was a fun ride, but it also became a little repetitive, and the climate has changed a lot so I felt it was time to move on.  I’ve also been writing a lot these past three years and I created and published a dime novel series called “Jason Dark: Ghost Hunter.” That was a lot of fun to do, but when Kickstarter began rearing its head, I became immediately curious.

After having been frustrated with the way the computer games industry had shaped up and the way publishers treat developers, I had no inclinations to go back into that industry. With Kickstarter around, I suddenly felt an opportunity coming on that would allow me to create larger scale computer games while circumventing the traditional publisher route. That is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. I am somewhat surprised that it took so long for a venue to present itself that makes this possible but now that it is here, I am stoked to work on “Thorvalla,” a new, full-size role playing project. The fire of passion has always been burning inside me and never went out.

Gamers.de: You aren’t the only famous name who reappears on the screen lately. Neal Hallford, who´s going to work with you on "Thorvalla", Chris Roberts, David Braben or the "Shadowgate"-Devs David Marsh and Karl Roelofs to name but a few. All of these respective projects have one in common. According to publishers, the chosen genres (all traditional PC-Genres) are all unprofitable in popular opinion. Do you personally see a change in the current industry? If yes, how do you judge/value it? 

Guido Henkel: Let’s face it, most publishers wouldn’t know a good game when it bit them in the behind. I mean, your question already provides the answer — “unprofitable.” Well yes, if all you care about is the dollars, sure you need to stay away from it, but truth be told, I am glad they are not interested in what we are doing because they would just once again ruin the entire affair.

Fortunately there is a group of people who still care about games for their own sake and do not share the fat-cat Wall Street mentality that has possessed every publisher in the industry. Fortunately for all of us, they are on their way out, already becoming relics as the world moves on to creator-owned distribution, and I will not shed a single tear for them. They have been the bane of the industry for too long.