INTERVIEW WITH NEAL WISER, PRESIDENT OF THE ULTRAPRIME NETWORK, Developer of The Evolvers Interview
Interviews
INTERVIEW WITH NEAL WISER, PRESIDENT OF THE ULTRAPRIME NETWORK
Developers of The Evolvers
January 6, 2003
By: Harriet Gurganus
I was very pleased to have the opportunity to interview Neal Wiser, the driving force behind this unique game. The Evolvers is a massively multiplayer science fiction online game that will be available in 2004. But there is more, much more. When The Evolvers comes to fruition you will be able to play the game and influence a TV show of the same title. This is a thrill that none of us have had before and personally, I am eager to give it a try.
A special thank you is due to Doug Mealy, OMPR, for helping me to put this together with such ease.
1. According to your website, the UltraPrime Network development team consists of “experienced entertainment professionals with extensive motion picture, television, gaming and Internet credentials”. Tell us more about the individuals who are part of the team, their areas of expertise and which members take the lead in this somewhat unique endeavor.
[Neal Wiser] I’m very fortunate to have been able to recruit a very talented staff to help produce the TV series, although it’s a little early to define their specific duties since the series won’t go into production for some time. We’re also exploring launching the franchise with a feature film, so that’s going to have an affect as well. But they’re a great crew and I’m lucky to have them to take a lead in the TV series. Since I’m going to be deeply involved in the development and production of the franchise as a whole, I need people I can trust who will help realize my vision.
2. Have members of the team been involved in the development of previous games or television shows? Are they titles that we might recognize? What are they?
[Neal Wiser] Most of the team comes from Hollywood and have worked as writers, producers and special effects artists on everything from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone, and Farscape to Cast Away, the Fifth Element and Hollow Man. They are a great and talented group and they bring tremendous skills and experience to the franchise.
3. Explain the philosophy that you call Maximum Engagement. Why is it significant?
[Neal Wiser] Maximum Engagement came from the realization that the old way of doing business, of force-feeding a passive audience only what the suits want to give them, is no longer viable. Today’s audiences have more choices than ever and they want a more meaningful experience, one in which they feel that they have a true stake. The way to do that is to get them involved, empower them and let them participate in ways that are meaningful to them. At UltraPrime, we want to push the limits of that involvement and engage the audience to the max; hence, Maximum Engagement.
4. What made you decide to develop a massively multiplayer online interactive game (MMOG)/television franchise? Define exactly how you are using the word franchise so that the Just Adventure readers will have a better understanding of the concepts involved here.
[Neal Wiser] Video games really frustrated me as a kid. I could never play the way I wanted to. Then I would turn on the TV and see that the games I played had nothing to do with the TV shows they were based on. I felt like I wasn’t really participating and I felt cheated. When the internet went main stream, I immediately recognized its potential as a tool to connect people and get them involved in a show. When I started working on making that happen, I needed a vehicle and “The Evolvers” story was a perfect fit.
As for what I mean by “franchise,” it refers to all of the elements of “The Evolvers” brand; the TV series, the game, books and comics, even a feature film we’re developing. For example, Star Wars is a franchise because it encompasses multiple iterations of the story on different platforms. However, the way that we’re doing it, it’s all being developed together. We’re not licensing out elements to the highest bidder. Everything works seamlessly together.
5. Watching television is passive entertainment. What makes you think that a passive couch potato will want to watch a TV series and play a game at the same time?
[Neal Wiser] Some will, some won’t and some will go back and forth. I recognized this from the outset. As a result, both the game and the TV series will be able to stand on their own. So the audience can play the game and ignore the TV series, or the viewers of the series can ignore the game without getting lost. I don’t think they’ll want to do that, but they have that option.
6. Are you the first developer to design an online television game? Why did you decide to do this?
[Neal Wiser] I’m the first to take it to such an extreme. Others have done some simple things like playing along with a game show contestant, but no one has ever tried to do anything this complicated before, and that was one of my original intentions. When I started this, I wanted to do something original, something that’s never been done before. I love a good challenge and I sure gave myself one. Fortunately, everything I developed, all the different aspects of the project, all fell into place. It’s been an amazing experience.
7. How will the game and the TV interface? Will a set-top type of box be required? Will the standard TV require internal modification in order to enable this technology? Will the mechanics of the game be hard to learn? How will what we play on our computer impact a live television show? Is this similar to iTV? Will this be an expensive undertaking for the average gamer over and above their usual monthly Internet charge?
[Neal Wiser] We’re using a 2-Screen interactive TV strategy. 2-Screen works when players who want to participate in the show play the game on their PCs while watching the show on TV. The players can participate in different ways through a variety of strategies which govern their interaction on different levels. The game will be subscription based, but we haven’t set a price yet. Whatever it is, it will be competitive with what’s out at the time and we’re going to offer a lot of incentives. Actually, I’m hoping to offer the game client for free, but we’ll see what happens.
8. If thousands of people are playing the online game, does everyone get to affect the TV show or is there some filtering mechanism which determines who gets to interact and who doesn’t? How will all of this work with a predetermined script?
[Neal Wiser] You just want me to give away all my secrets, don’t you? ;).
9. Can we only play the game while the TV show is on air? What about the other 23/7?
[Neal Wiser] No, the game is the center of the franchise’ universe and will be available 24/7/365. The TV series will act like a brief, weekly window into events in the game’s universe and will help to drive certain game storylines and missions.
10. Will broadband Internet access be necessary?
[Neal Wiser] I hope not, but it will certainly help. We are going to make provisions for dial-up users. After all, they are an important part of the audience, but by the time the game launches this should be even less of an issue.
11. Do you plan to branch out to other gaming platforms? Which ones?
[Neal Wiser] Yes, I’m hoping to see different “flavors” of The Evolvers on all of the various platforms, whatever they may be.
12. I know a number of gamers who aren’t interested in playing online games. Why do you think that this model will be any different? How do you see this multifaceted entertainment concept progressing in the short term? In the long term?
[Neal Wiser] I think that the opportunity to participate in the TV series, to become part of history is going to be a compelling draw for anyone, but if they don’t want to play the online game, that’s fine. Hopefully they’ll still enjoy the TV series and the console versions. And if by some cruel and unusual twist of fate they don’t like “The Evolvers” at all, we’ve got other things in the works that they may prefer instead.
13. What language(s) will the game/TV show be available in?
[Neal Wiser] The game will initially be available in English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and maybe a few others. We’re still looking at that. The TV series will most likely be subtitled or dubbed into the local language when it’s distributed internationally. That part isn’t my call.
14. I read that your headquarters is in Philadelphia and that you are opening offices in New York and Los Angeles. New York and LA are the entertainment capitals of the US. Tell us about the advantages that locating in these cities will provide?
[Neal Wiser] Access to the amazing talent pools there and many, many other resources that we’ll need. Fortunately, our home office in Philly is only about one and ½ hours from New York, so access is easy – I’m there at least once a week.
15. I understand that The Evolvers is a science fiction game. Without giving away too much, can you give us information regarding the storyline? What about the cast or is it too early to answer that question?
[Neal Wiser] The Evolvers takes place in a post-Singularity universe where the distinction between reality and virtual reality is blurred. The Singularity part refers to the Technological Singularity which comes from Vernor Vinge who proposed that the rate of technological change will accelerate so fast that it will exceed our comprehension and ability to control. When you apply Artificial Intelligence and nanotechnology into the mix, it gets real interesting and weird. I’m also a fan of the space opera, so you’ve got a lot of interesting aliens, too. Think of it as The Matrix meets Star Wars.
As for casting, we’ve got some people in mind, but who knows. Casting depends on a lot of factors including the actor’s availability and fees and their chemistry with the other cast members. We’ll see what happens.
16. When do expect that the game and the TV show to be ready for watchers and players? Suppose some of us just want to watch the show but not play the game. Will this be possible?
[Neal Wiser] We’re targeting Beta to begin in Q2, ’04 with the game and TV series going live in Q3 or Q4. As for watching the show and not playing the game; like I said, each element can stand on its own, but the players will probably understand a few things a little better than the casual TV viewer.
17. Is there anything else that you would like the Just Adventure audience to know?
[Neal Wiser] Just to let everyone know that they can visit our website (www.ultraprime.com) for updates regarding developer selection, our Beta test and other news. Also, comments are always welcomed and don’t forget to sign up for our Mailing List.
