Evan Wells on Jak PS3 potential, Manhunt 2, more

via Eurogamer


Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells has just completed a live interview with you about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and a host of other things - including confirmation that he would like to do a Jak game for PS3 and his views on next-gen console development and the recent Manhunt 2 fiasco.

"Everybody here would love to do a Jak game on the PS3," Wells said in answer to a question from kissthestick. "However, I'm not sure about the timing. We want to stick with only working on one game at a time to maintain our focus. Everybody is taking a much deserved vacation right now and we will decide what we're doing next when people get back."

Wells also addressed Obli's query about whether Uncharted would be possible on Xbox 360. "I won't say that it would be impossible," he answered, "but it would be very difficult and we most certainly would have to make enough concessions that it would start to feel like a different game. One thing that would be particularly difficult would be keeping the game load-free. The HDD really came in handy and allowed us to have pretty big open levels with lots of detail."

There was a lot more to get through during the hour-long head-to-lots-of-heads, but another response that stuck out was his reaction to SeeThroughAll's question about the Manhunt 2 ban and whether the game's violence justified the degree of censorship the game faced. Answering from a US perspective, Wells wrote: "I don't think that video games should be treated differently than other forms of media or entertainment. I think there is a place in this world for titles that should only be played by those over 18.

"Our problem is right now is that we [in America] don't have any retailers who are willing to sell those games, therefore you end up 'banning' the game by giving it such a rating.

"However, I really don't see the appeal of the game and I really do think they are just using the shock factor to try to sell a mediocre (at best) game. I would much prefer to see somebody make something with a little more substance that still pushed the artistic boundaries of our industry."

To read the entire transcript, which also includes some neat insider information about Uncharted - and even its relationship with PlayStation Home - head over to the Evan Wells interview. Thanks again to Evan for all his time, and to you for yours! And look out for more of these features in future.