We got a chance to sit down with Norvell Thomas, VP Business Development & Marketing, of WhiteMoon Dreams Inc. to talk a bit about their upcoming development initiatives.
WhiteMoon Dreams is a startup digital entertainment company, producing and developing high quality video games experiences to a wide array of consumers led by industry veterans, previously from Electronic Arts; Sony Computer Entertainment; Disney; and other studios.
First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to sit down with us to answer a few questions. With big name developers it is always good to see fresh new development companies bring something new to the table. I hope to get a glimpse of what great things that will be happening with your company.
Toby: How did the name WhiteMoon Dreams come to be created?
Norvell: The Japanese word for daydream literally translates to “white noon dream.” Scott took that and replaced “noon” with “moon” and it just felt right. The people that make up our studio are all very talented, but more than that, we have big dreams and aspirations for not only ourselves, but also this industry that we know and love so well.
All of the staff members around here call ourselves dreamers, both because it’s a corny play on our name, but also because we see nothing wrong with believing in something much bigger than yourself.
What engine are you going to be using to develop your games on the different platforms that are out right now?
Sorry Toby, we can’t disclose that info yet. But in time, I assure your readers that we will give more detail as time goes on. The important thing is that for our studio, the tools that feed the data to the engine are the more important part. We have the ability to use any engine we want, but our proprietary toolset is what will make our first games so special.
What types of great games can we expect from your company?
We don’t have a particular “type” of game we do. We choose a project based on what we have the passion for and what we feel fits the studio’s goals at the time, then execute on it. We have the expertise, ability and drive to create anything from puzzle games to platformers to FPS and more, and we certainly have designs for multiple genres of titles. We aren’t going to be a studio that’s pegged as an “RPG house” or an “FPS studio” or anything like that. We have great designs for different types of games and we expect to build all of them.
Can we expect Down Load Content (DLC) with these games?
At this point, we can’t confirm or deny that for any of our current projects, but as gamers, we are HUGE fans of downloadable content.
Do you see Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation Live right now in one of your focuses to concentrate on?
The whole online distribution model is a wonderful avenue for us, especially due to the way our games are created. This doesn’t imply that we don’t do retail products, of course, but online distribution is such an exciting avenue that we definitely intend to see how we can best work with it.
With a Japanese publisher can we expect same day releases in US, Japan and UK? If not will there be a couple of months for translation?
I would love to discuss our publisher’s plans for same day releases, but I will have to defer to them to make that announcement.
With all the great consoles which one does your company plan to make exclusive titles for each system or share the names with all?
Right now, we like all the consoles, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re making the same game for all three. There are different features across the main three that our company finds very appealing.
I think Nintendo is doing great things with their system, including bringing a whole new generation of gamers to the industry. Likewise, Sony is offering a very competitive product that is very powerful and will likely yield great results. And of course the XBOX 360 has been a huge hit for gamers across the board. So, like I said, we really do find all three quite intriguing!
I know some companies like Bungie, Rare and Digital Extremes have websites. Is there a website gamers can go to preview, give feedback, and just talk about your games?
Right now, our official website is under development. We do promise, however, that when it comes online gamers and other interested people will be able to learn a bit more about who we are and what we are offering.
The “core” target audiences being between the ages of 18-34 for your games. What kind of ratings can we expect?
It really depends on the game. We have several products in our development pipeline and they range from E to M. Some titles are accessible to everyone, and some definitely have more of an edge, if you will. As stated earlier, design is our core philosophy. If a particular design requires that we include more blood, gore or violence, then we will target an M rating. In the same respect, if we feel that a particular design is intended to be accessible to a wider audience, then we will target an E to T rating.
We do not let the potential rating of the title dictate the design; we let design dictate the rating. We will not sacrifice our design in order to meet a certain rating if it compromises the integrity of the title. To that end, we are proud to have a talented design team that has created a wide variety of concepts that span across different rating categories. That being said, as a studio, we do have subject matter that we would rather not portray in any design and we will hold true to that ethic.
Ultimately, what we have to offer is a top-notch gameplay experience for people across all walks of life, without losing focus on what makes playing video games fun. So, whether you are a hard-core gamer or a relative newcomer; young or old; there is something for everyone in the games that we are building.
I know it is too early to ask, but with the release of games there has been any talk about collector’s editions or special editions and what will be with them?
That’s also something we can’t quite discuss yet. Of course, as gamers, we’d LOVE to do special editions, so we’ll have to see what we can wrangle for our first few titles.
Well that wraps it up. Thank You All at WhiteMoon Dreams for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak 2old2play.com. Good Luck and can’t wait to see what AAA titles you create.
Norvell: Thank You!
In describing his Company’s guiding philosophy, Mr. Campbell, Co-Founder and Creative Director, delivers a rather playful mantra that comes across as quite earnest in its appeal. “Our company is founded on the principle of dreams”, he says. “A simple dream that we can bring games to a higher art form through creativity and innovation. Our mission is to weave exciting stories, gameplay, art and sound into emotion-filled experiences; and by doing so, bring smiles and hours of enjoyment to our fans.”
