WGE MAG: 05
JFD: Yes and no. We have an organic, yet structured process in which art, story and gameplay are kind of built together. This allows departments to influence each other and, as we move forward, it gives us the flexibility to adapt to new ideas that might arise on the way. AR: How long did it take from the initial conception of the game until the finished product? JFD: While I can’t specify, what I can say is that Eidos-Montreal was founded in 2007 and this is the studio’s first game. AR: How many people worked on Deus Ex Human Revolution? Was it a global effort? Any developers from my homeland Brazil? Second, in the original timeline of Deus Ex, there was an era where mechanically-augmented people started to burgeon in society before the event of nano-augmented people. The distinction lied in the fact that nano-augmentations were invisible and the mechanical augmentations were not. We thought it would be an interesting theme to explore from both a gameplay and an ethical/moral perspective (the benefits and dangers of such a world where some can afford to get augmented while others can’t). AR: What were the most difficult challenges to make this game?
JFD: We had quite a few foreigners on the team from countries such as the U.S., France, Canada, Netherlands, China, Morocco. And yes, we have one mofo crazy Brazilian programer. He’s passionate and very professional. He’s also a big metal fan, like me – we have a lot of fun together! He’s actually at the origin of one of our easter eggs in the game in which we pay homage to Charlotte the Harlot, a character featured in several Iron Maiden songs. AR: What do you know about the Brazilian game market?
JFD: Building the studio and the team while reviving the Deus Ex franchise. We also had to convince the team that building content that might not be seen by all players was necessary. It seems obvious but in a competitive industry where every dollar counts, it can be tough to justify that kind of vision. AR: A game like Deus Ex HR requires a team of writers to create all the text and the numerous variations in the story because of the player’s decision made at every step. Did you find this influenced much of the game art, doing scenarios and environments that would only be accessed in the event of a specific response?
JFD: I know that Brazil is very passionate about their video games, and is the biggest market for Deus Ex: Human Revolution on PC in South America! And, of course, I’m a big fan of Sepultura from their beginnings to Roots. AR: We know that Montreal is a major base of games development today. How is the gaming market in Canada and the participation of Montréal in the world of game development today? JFD: I think that the Montreal game industry is quite vibrant with a lot of talented developers and I’m happy to be part of it; we can be proud of our contribution to the market landscape. AR: The game has received fantastic acclaim for its artwork. What were the processes which went into the artistic direction? JFD: The hardest part was nailing the art direction and the design of the main character, Adam. We spent about two years on the iteration of him. It was hard because we didn’t have much reference for what we were trying to achieve (e.g. cyber-renaissance), so, we were constantly experimenting - going too far sometimes, not enough at other times. Basically, finding the right balance, the perfect recipe, was tremendously hard. AR: What has been the reaction of the gaming public to Deus Ex: Human Revolution? Are there plans for another game in the near future? JFD: The reception from gamers has been amazing and a little overwhelming. We obviously wanted to create a great game that lived up to the Deus Ex name, but Deus Ex: Human Revolution has exceeded our initial expectations. To read all of the e-mails and forum posts by fans telling us about their appreciation for the game is pretty awesome.