It’s maybe getting a little old to note the apparent dichotomy of Warren Spector working on a Disney game like Epic Mickey after producing such classics as System Shock and Deus Ex. But that’s how Metro.co.uk leads into their interview with the man, so…roll with it, I guess. It’s a great interview overall, focusing a lot on Spector’s inspirations for making the Epic Mickey games.

His history in the industry, including his time at Origin Systems, also merits a mention:

GC: Well, I think we’re all glad you made that choice. Now, I’m afraid I’m relying on Wikipedia for this question but it seems like your first game, or at least first retail game, was one of the Wing Commanders, is that right?

WS: Ah, no. [laughs] I actually did some uncredited testing on the very first three gold box games from SSI, Pools Of Radiance and the others. The first thing I actually did in the electronic games world is I went to work for Origin and I worked on quests and adventures on Ultima VI, I did all the story flow-charting and dialogue writing for a game called Space Rogue. And then I did some work on a game called Knights Of Legend and then after that was Wing Commander. I worked on Wing Commander and a game called Bad Blood about the same time.

Spector goes on to explain how where he’s come from, and the game’s he’s worked on in the past, have influenced and shaped where he is at today. And to hear him put it this way, the transition from Ultima Underworld to Epic Mickey 2 actually makes a great deal of sense:

…I have to admit that after Deus Ex: Invisible War and Thief: Deadly Shadows I had a moment, I guess, where I thought ‘If I have to do another game where a guy’s wearing armour and swinging a big sword or another game where a guy’s wearing sunglasses at night and a trenchcoat in the middle of summer and carrying guns I will probably go bananas.’ And so I did want from a content standpoint and a tone standpoint, I really did want a change.

And Disney offered the opportunity to both let me indulge my love of Disney and cartoons and have that change pace. But maybe someday I’ll go back to doing a different kind of game, from a content standpoint, but you’re exactly right: from a design philosophy standpoint Epic Mickey and Epic Mickey 2, they’re doing the same thing as Deus Ex and Thief and Ultima Underworld. It’s all about letting players tell their stories through their play choices.

That’s the only thing I find interesting as a game developer, and for me it’s a logical next step on that road I’ve been on since 1983.

(Hat tip: The Wing Commander CIC)