Over the Lag / Limit

I'm extremely in to what Jack Swagger is doing on WWE programming as of late -- he's truly a refreshing heel that the fans consistently boo. I do wonder however, what his match will be like with Big Show on Sunday's "Over the Limit" PPV... Speaking of the PPV, have we seen the last of Batista? Only time will tell. I bet the match of the night will be CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio though -- watch!

This week was a rough one. I've never been off of this continent before, so I really didn't know how my trip to Japan last week would truly effect me. Well, I found out, and I'm just NOW feeling normal again (says the guy who is up at 1AM...). The game is really starting to come together. Working with an external developer is unlike any experience I've ever had, so it was important for me to go over to Japan to see the other side of things as I get acclimated to this new environment. I figured out the THQ side of things, but I really didn't get everything as a whole until I went over to Yuke's. Now I'm pretty happy with the knowledge I received while I was out there.

I know a lot of you want to know information about SvR '11, but please be patient. In this business, there are such things as timelines. We, the dev team, have no control over this. We're a public company, that has a ton of stakeholders, it's a much bigger thing than myself, so I'm never at liberty to spill the beans on things until I'm allowed. What I can do is take suggestions, and you guys have really given us a TON this year -- thanks for that.

We got our E3 schedule today, and I'm going to refrain from doing interviews this year. I'm happy with this, considering I came on late in the project, and the rest of the team would do the game more justice. I will be at E3 though, and I'm very serious about that community meetup. We just hired our new Community Manager, and I'm EXTREMELY excited about him coming on board. He's incredibly experienced, and shares the same passion for community engagement like I do. BTW -- I'm watching Smackdown (recorded) at the moment, and Kelly Kelly has really stepped it up a notch in the wrestling department (don't laugh at me).

Before I stop this random, late night post, I wanted to address something that I'm seeing pop up in the community a lot. Expectations. I can't say this enough, but apparently some out there are still not under the impression that we make a game every single year. I'm not saying this as an excuse, so please don't ASSUME that. What I'm saying is do the math. Your suggestions are ALL valid, we have a limited time from one game to the next to do things. Take a look at SvR '10 for instance. Before I got here I was AMAZED at the amount of "stuff" they were able to fit in the game. My experience with annual sports titles is pretty vast, and I can say that annual titles NEVER get as much in as SvR '10 did. But seriously, manage your expectations. Help us make a great game from year to year by giving us constructive suggestions, and understand what we can and can't do. We want to do EVERYTHING, but it will just take longer than a lot of you would expect -- no worries, we'll get there! I can't say enough how talented our design team is. We all share a huge passion for the wrestling genre, and strive to make nothing but ultimate wrestling game every single year.

Guys, I'm being open and honest to all of you. Don't take my words and scramble them please. The only reason why I say that is because I've seen it happen on boards.

I'm pretty excited for this weekend. I've got Red Dead Redemption to play (it's so dope guys), UEFA Champions League final, then a night out with my wife on Saturday night, then a LA Galaxy game on Sunday followed by the recording of "Over the Limit".

Enjoy your weekend everyone, and let me know what you think of "Over the Limit"!

Land of the Rising Sun

I was up until about 5 AM last night -- haven't done that in YEARS! Why is that? It's because I spent the last week in Tokyo, Japan. Yuke's, our external developer is headquartered there, and this was my first experience there. I didn't really know what to expect, as this was my first trip off the continent. I made sure to take my wife because of this, because you only get one first time...

We arrived in Japan, and after a 11 hour flight, we had to get on a bus from the airport to the hotel which took two hours. Needless to say, we were beat! The next morning was work time, as we boarded a subway train to Yokohama Station where Yuke's is located. I must say, if cars are not necessary in Tokyo -- the subway system is AMAZING!

Since we're getting pretty close to completion on SvR '11, we needed to review with the dev team (engineers), what was currently in the latest build, and give our detailed feedback on what exactly we'd like to see. The Yuke's office was cool, because it was my first experience at a Japanese studio, I didn't quite know what to expect. The office is rather small, but you definitely get a sense of what the studio has accomplished over the years (with SvR, UFC, Japanese wrestling games, etc.). We quickly got into it though, with the Yuke's 3 representatives from the game team watching us as we go through a build calling out our feedback (through a translator of course), while listening to their reasoning.

I'm not familiar with this process, because at EA, our dev team was right there with us. But, I quite enjoyed this part, as it's something different, and provides a challenge. The build is coming along nicely... We have alot of work to do, but we'll get there.

Tuesday was my birthday, and towards the end of the day, I heard a faint singing, and then the door busted open, and in came a herd of Japanese guys and girls, with a cake singing their rendition of Happy Birthday. I was overwhelmed, completely overwhelmed. They put a party hat and sash on me. They also gave me a hand drawing they did (picture above), and gave me a copy of Wrestle Kingdom 2 signed by the game's director. They hardly knew me, yet they treated me like they've known me for years -- this was a common feeling I got in Japan. I was humbled for sure.

By the time we left Japan, I didn't want to go to be honest. I loved my experience there, and can't wait to go back!

Next stop -- E3. Will you be there? How about that meetup!

I Can't Talk About SvR '11 -- Here's Why (An Education)

What's up everyone? What did you think of the WWE Draft? Some exciting stuff there, particularly how it effects SvR '11 is what kept all of us at the office here interested. I did an interview with GamingRing.com on Tuesday night, which you can listen to here.

I'm getting alot of questions about whether or not I can talk about SvR '11. The quick answer -- no. Why you ask? Every single game in this industry has timelines on when they talk about things. There's a strategic element to it, that people smarter than I have jobs for. We (THQ) are a public company, and there's an order to how things are done. Therefore, I can't even answer the smallest question about SvR '11 though -- it wouldn't be fair to the franchise. I know, I know "But wouldn't telling us stuff early lead to more excitement?" Sure, but that's not my call guys. The people who read this are the guys I'm trying to educate about PROCESS. This, is part of the process. Then there are the assumptions (remember -- never assume ;) ). "If you can't say anything, you're holding something back!" That's never how it is done. This is a BIG industry with ALOT of games in it. When we release information, is an idea that is thought about constantly.

Hope this sheds some light on things guys.

Getting Prepared for Japan

Been a few days since I updated, but that's because we're knee deep in work at the moment. Our Japan trip is coming up soon (May 10th), and builds keep coming in from Yukes for us to look over. I went to the Yukes LA office this week to check out a latest build, and was encouraged to see alot of changes this time around. It's quite a different experience than what I'm used to, working with a Japanese developer. I'm enjoying it thus far though, because the culture is so different, and the respect that Yukes has for us is flattering, but the feeling is mutual on our end too!

I'm getting excited to start talking about SvR '11 with all of you. I know there's a lot of skepticism, excitement, and general wonder about what will be included -- you'll just have to wait and see though.

My attention lately has shifted towards you guys, the community. What can you guys do to help us out more? Right now the community is pretty fragmented, does that make sense? You have a bunch of different sites talking SvR, but no acknowledgment of one another. In my opinion, it would be more helpful for us to get one clear message from you hardcore fans. The Gaming Rings, the IGN boards, OS, CAWS.ws, and even Firepro's boards all have the same kinds of issues, but they're said in different ways. I'm wondering if maybe we could do some sort of weekly conference call with the "heads of the families," in a "Godfather"-like fashion, where we discuss the issues you guys are seeing on your sites. Also, maybe time booked at E3 would be good too so people could meet like-minded people face to face...

Just thoughts guys, tell me what you think...

Think Annually...

Happy Monday everyone! If you didn't watch last night's TNA Lockdown PPV, you missed an EPIC, MOTY candidate, showdown between Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson. It's moments like these that make you appreciate watching legends in the now.

Anyway, I won't make this long, but I've been reading TONS of wish lists lately, and I must say thanks first of all for welcoming me into your communities. Now, as you write an idea down (or a complaint / demand ;) ), keep in mind that we make this game annually. This isn't a secret. Put SvR in the SAME realm as simulation sports games. Now that you've done that, does your wish list change? Do your complaints lessen? If not, let me know!

HATE

So I spent alot of time on message boards yesterday, and I noticed alot of negative things said about some of my team members at THQ. This should stop guys. You have every right to complain about things that you buy, but when it comes to personal insults, that's just not necessary. Here's a newsflash -- WE ALL WANT THE SAME THINGS YOU GUYS DO!

Some think they know what goes on, but unless you've been there, you have no idea... It's just a fact guys. BUT, I think that we can help with that moving forward. Bring you guys in on what's going on, get you involved in these conversations.

Now, enjoy the weekend everyone! Come back fresh, insult free, and ready to rock on Monday!

YOU Tell ME...

I've heard it about 2741073980174380173498021783490 times -- "Why can't you just make SvR like No Mercy combined with HCTP?"

I, like all of you, loved the AKI wrestling games, but is "No Mercy," and "WrestleMania 2000" what you really want? Let's discuss...

I see constantly on boards that you guys want a simulation game, and then you turn around and say "I miss the AKI games." Well, I'm just going to say it...the AKI games weren't sim wrestling games. Were they an absolute blast to play? Absolutely. But were they sim? Nope.

I won't go into why I think so, but if you really take a step back and judge those games based on what you think is a true representation of the WWE, then I think you'll know right away that they weren't sim. I think we often blur the lines between fun and sim, and alot of good sports games are like that now (NHL, FIFA). Also, and it's natural, but everyone thinks of the "heyday" as the better time. I'm not starting a SvR vs AKI argument, I'm just saying that it's important for us to separate our feelings from our desires. We all feel that we loved the AKI games, but we all want a sim wrestling game as well.

If you want a sim wrestling game, then the AKI games are not it.

Now, I realize I opened myself up to this, so I'm fully prepared to be wrong with this. I'd love it if you guys could tell me exactly what you loved about the AKI games, and what you'd like to see implemented into the SvR series from what the AKI games did. If you're one of those "I want a sim wrestling game" guys, then tell me what you liked from the AKI games from that perspective. If you're one of those guys that doesn't say that, tell me generally what you liked from the AKI games.

I want to make one thing clear though, this does not mean that what you write down, we'll build because that's just not how things work. I'm always looking for ideas, and I'd be a fool not to tap into a community of passionate fans. But look at this blog as a sounding board to get your ideas and points across.

Here we go...

Back to Work and Ready to Kick the Flu's A**!

I'm back to work after a few days with the flu. It's still not completely gone, but I'll survive. While sick, I was thinking about what my workout schedule would be like once I got back. At EA, I worked out religiously because there was a gym in the office. There is NOT a gym at THQ (that needs to change), so instead, I'm going to get a membership at the OG of gyms -- Gold's Gym in Venice Beach. After I get started back up at the gym, I'm going to begin exploring pro wrestling training. One of the guys on the team trains in Anaheim with Disco Inferno, so I might try my hand at that. I'm not looking to do shows, but rather just get the experience training since I've always wanted to.

I really enjoyed both shows last night (WWE and TNA) for different reasons. I'll spare you guys why...

I'm currently at my desk fleshing out a high-level design for the FUTURE (said in sci-fi narrator voice)!!

I wanted to address something, and I couldn't have picked a better time...

I'm seeing alot of negativity towards SvR as of late on some of the various boards around the world wide web. I knew what I was getting into coming in, so I expected that. We have some extremely hardcore fans of this business, and more importantly, our game. I'd say this is a plus for us, BUT it's very important that your expectations are in check. We make a game annually, so while wishlists are important, start to think about what we've done in the past, and how realistic it is to get to something in the next installment. Once you're thinking on those terms, I think we'll see a lot more progress in the wishlists that are provided. My goal here is to teach everyone about the development process of their favorite game, and in turn, you'll become more educated (in a good way) so that our two way communication is productive for everyone! I won't ever speak for our entire team, but In my time with these guys, there's no doubt that they know what they're doing. With that said, here are a quick FYI's for all of you as we move forward:

1.) Never assume - This is one of the first things you learn in game development, and I thought it would be an ideal place for all of you as well. Never assume how things are done, unless we tell you, you don't know. It's not me standing on my soap box declaring it, it's just a fact. With that said, I'll always be honest with you, even if the answer you get isn't something you want to hear. Honesty never hurts anyone :)

2.) Constructive Criticism - I love to hear what all of you have to say about SvR, so for the sake of time (for both of us), if you have a complaint about the game, be precise in what you're talking about and offer up a solution on what you would do if you were in one of our shoes. Everyone can complain or praise, but it takes some effort to explain why.

3.) We're human - We don't sit in a death star with storm trooper helmets on, we're real people that enjoy doing this for a living. You would right? I personally read pretty much everything that's said about our game... if you've written it, I've probably seen it.

4.) Time is limited - A new game comes out every year, and I'm doing my day job. As I put myself out there, understand that I can't answer or talk with everyone. I'll do my best, but if I don't answer, don't take offense -- it's nothing personal at all! Also, please take note of what's previously been said before. If 10 people have already said that something is wrong, it's just a waste of time to read about the 11th person saying it. In the end, it benefits all of you to know what's been said already.

That's it for now, but I'll add more when I think of any. I hope this doesn't come off as snobby or cocky. I love interacting with all of you -- it's my background, and I believe that it is necessary in order to have a game that satisfies everyone.

If you have any questions at anytime, please feel free to Tweet me, or PM me on the message board you go to. My name on messageboards is always "stephensonmc"

Day 2 of the Flu...

Three days in our new place, and I have the flu...

A couple of the guys on our SvR team invited me to the PWG show on Saturday (Pro Wrestling Guerilla), but I didn't feel so hot. It's a shame because I really wanted to go...

RAW and Impact tonight. I anticipate Mondays so much, because the show's happenings serve as our team's discussion topics for the rest of the week. It makes you feel pretty lucky to work on a passion of yours.

I've really been enjoying NXT lately. I think I just love seeing the new blood out there. Which reminds me, I'm JUST asking, but how would YOU implement NXT into SvR? I know a "career mode" is the obvious thought, but how would you go outside of the box with it? Please don't jump to conclusions, I just wanted to ask...

What's your NXT rookie order? Mine:

1.) Bryan
2.) Heath Slater
3.) Gabriel
4.) Wade Barrett
5.) David Otunga
6.) Skip Sheffield
7.) Darren Young
8.) Tarver

I'm seeing alot of wishlists in the various communities across internet land -- keep them coming. If I can't answer something guys, please don't take offense. I'm here to have discussions with you guys, but for obvious reasons, there's really no way I can answer everything.

And so it Begins....

Today, Pastapadre.com announced that I've left EA to go to THQ to work on the WWE Smackdown vs Raw series.

I must say, this is a change that I'm extremely excited for, but life in this industry, on a corporate level, has been all EA SPORTS for me since I started -- so that will be a different feeling for sure. When I first got to EA, people knew me from my MaddenMania.com days and thought I was "in bed" with EA. Egg on your faces now right? ;)

Anyway, my wife and I are still in Vancouver, BC until March 19th, but I've been talking with the team at THQ about designs for WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011, while coordinating the move to LA.

With all of this time off though (I put my two weeks in at EA two weeks ago), It's been a wrestlefest (no pun intended) of video games, dirt sheets, and DVDs that I own.

Two going away parties for us this weekend, but I must say that I'm ready to leave. Alot of it is because of the new job that awaits me, but the most important thing to me is moving to a new city with my wife -- it feels like an adventure!

I'm going to really sink my teeth into this role at THQ. If you're a fan of the series, let's take this thing to another level! If you're not a fan, get on board.