CODA THE FAQ PAGE: KIM SWIFT Develop grills respected figures from the global games industry
that is a direct reflection of our sense of humour and the atmosphere of the team. We’re all a bunch of really weird, silly, quirky and odd human beings.
What was the first video game you ever played, and when was that? I have no idea. Something on a Nintendo; I was really young, maybe three or four.
What was the most recent game you played, and did you enjoy it? The most recent game I played was actually Touch My Katamari on the PS Vita, and I did enjoy it. In fact I beat it the other night.
Do you have a favourite game ever? Oh yes. Without hesitation I can say it is Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
I miss the '90s where it was OK to have a
Portal and Quantum Conundrum creator Kim Swift says she would like so see publishers taking more risks
Who are you and what do you do? My name is Kim Swift, and I’m the creative director on Quantum Conudrum.
What are you working on right now, and at what stage is the project? I am working on an unannounced project right now, and it’s one that I can’t really talk about, but it’s very fresh. It’s been underway for about a month. Quantum Conundrum is out; we’ve been wrapped up on that for around a month or two now, so we’ve submitted and we got our Steam release date, which was June 21st, so people are going to be buying it on Steam right now. We haven’t got our launch dates for console – XBLA and PSN – nailed just yet, but it should be pretty soon.
What aspect of Quantum Conundrum do you think will impress people most? I hope the humour of it will impress people most. What I really love about our game is
stylised game. Just because a game has a unique, colourful art style it doesn’t mean that it is for kids.
What area of the games industry need more investment? That’s tricky. I would like to see publishers take more risk in investing in new ideas. Square Enix US has done that for us. I love sequels and I love reabsorbing myself in an atmosphere I’ve enjoyed in a previous game, but I also like seeing new stuff too. The downloadable space is where we see the most new IPs and fresh ideas today.
What disappoints you about the industry? The one thing that actually disappoints me, because I get I get asked it all the time, is the question ‘Quantum Conundrum is cartoony, so it’s a kids game, right?’. I miss the nineties where it was OK to have a stylised game and
it was the thing to do. Just because a game has an interesting or unique art style and is colourful, it doesn’t mean that it is for kids. In the same vein of thought I’m also disappointed in us as adults underestimating children, because they are better game players than we think they are. I remember playing Battletoads as a kid, and I don’t know if you’ve played it, but holy crap, it is so hard. And yet as a kid I thought it was amazing.
How many hours a week do you get to spend playing games? Not a lot. Usually I have to make time to play games. I actually really love smaller games, because I don’t get a lot of time to play. I would say maybe on average four hours a week, most of which is done at lunch hour or at weekends.
Of all the game’s you’ve been involved in, what is your favourite, and why? Honestly, I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s this one. I really love Quantum Condundrum, and I had so much fun making it. I love my team mates so much, and coming to work with them is a pleasure and an honour.
Which game would you liked to have worked on? Some of those old school Nintendo games. I think they would have been a lot of fun. I adore Miyamoto’s work, and I think it would be amazing to work with him or meet him.
What do you do in your spare time that isn’t related to games? I cook, snowboard, longboard – and I love skydiving and kickboxing. I like extreme, weird sports in general. It’s a real escape, but I do break myself a lot. I want to start capoeira next.
What is your favourite book, movie, TV show and album of all time? Book would be Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, movie would be Princess Bride, album would be Bad Religion’s Against the Grain, and TV show? This is a bit random, but I really liked Gargoyles: The Animated series.
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Contributors Al Bickham, Ana Kronschnabl, John Broomhall, Nick Gibson, Stewart Kosoy, Will Luton, Rodrigo Braz Monteiro, Simon Prytherch, Mark Rein, Todd Tribell
82| JULY 2012
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