Executive creative director, Jim Lee, chats exclusively to eu.playstation.com about developing DC Universe Online on PlayStation 3.
DC Universe Online is such an enormous project; can you talk us through how it came to be?
Well, I had heard that DC was interested in developing a massively multiplayer online action game (MMOAG) based on the DC Universe. After flirting with developing it internally, WildStorm partnered up with Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) based on their expertise in the field and the success they forged with EverQuest. I happened to be a huge EverQuest fan so I was already very familiar with this type of game and saw the incredible potential an MMOAG based on the DC Universe could have.
It really was the intersection of my twin passions of comics and games and I made it known I had to be involved. Being a hardcore EverQuest gamer, it allowed me to jump right into the project and work with SOE from day one, and it has just been an amazing journey.
What were your main goals for DC Universe Online when you began working as the game's executive creative director?
My goal was to capture the look, feel and excitement of the DC Universe in a game, and make the game so immersive it felt like you were actually a superhero or supervillain in the DC Universe. I also wanted to allow players to unlock their inner DC. Imagine getting to create your own unique superhero, give him or her a code name, choose a physique, a costume, a set of powers and then diving into the DC Universe where you get to meet and ally with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the entire pantheon of heroes.
Imagine getting to team up with friends and other players from around the world and take on the likes of The Joker, Lex Luthor and Deathstroke. Imagine getting to use your network of contacts to go on missions and adventures to incredibly diverse environments. Imagine gaining fame and notoriety, forming leagues of superheroes to battle one another or taking down Brainiac himself.
It's not hard to see how awesome a game like this would be, and it's really the chance to play around and do so many different things in the DC Universe which is the big draw to gamers and comic book fans alike. It really is about taking on the biggest fantasy there is in the world of comics and making it a reality.
How much of the art style in the game is your own and how much is taken from other artists working in the DC Universe?
The goal was to bring my art style and apply it to DC Universe Online. It's an impossible task for one person to do so WildStorm was hired to do all the concept artwork for the game. We have a small team of really gifted, well known artists like Carlos D'Anda, JJ Kirby, Eddy Nunez, Oliver Nome, Michael Lopez and Livio Ramondelli working with me on creating the look of the game.
We worked closely with SOE Austin art directors Jared Carr and Mark Anderson to make sure the style worked best for what the game was about. I approved and tweaked all the art and assets and it was a huge undertaking involving many talented artists, modellers and art directors. Senior lead character artist Jason Smith and SOE concept artist Mike Pedro were just a few of the many standouts on this project. It really ended up being a labour of love as everyone just put in so much effort to make sure the world looked as good as we could make it. At the end of the day, I think DC Universe Online really reflects the endless excitement that is the DC Universe.
Check back on eu.playstation.com tomorrow for part two of our exclusive interview with DC Universe Online executive creative director, Jim Lee.
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