N'Gai Croal
|
Jan 29, 2008 12:15 AM
Chair Entertainment co-founders Geremy and Donald Mustard
You've
read the press release that we just posted unveiling the partnership
between Orson Scott Card and Chair Entertainment for Ender's Game. But that's not all.
We caught up with the founders of Chair--creative director Donald
Mustard and his brother, technical director Geremy Mustard--for an
exclusive email interview about the announcement. Here's what they
wrote back to say:
How old were you when you first read "Ender's Game"? What do you remember most strongly from your initial reading of the novel?
Donald Mustard:
I was 10 years old when I first read "Ender's Game." I read a lot as a
child and had already made my way through most of the John Carter and
Tarzan books when I noticed "Ender's Game" on our bookshelf (way to go
Mom and Dad for having such good taste!). Within the first three pages
I was absolutely blown away by the book. It was unlike anything I had
ever read. I had never (and rarely still do) experienced such a
compelling and well developed universe. I loved how smart the
characters were written and how visceral and important their actions
were. I loved the Battle Room and the intricate strategies that were
used by the students. But most of all, I loved the character of Ender
Wiggin, how his brain worked and the way he was always able to outthink
and outwit his opponents. You read the book and you want to be like Ender, think like Ender.
"Ender's
Game" is a true literary classic; the kind of book you love more each
time you read it. It's truly an honor to be part of the team that gets
to take the "Ender's Game" universe from words on a page into an
interactive, visual medium. We know that just like us, there are
literally millions of people who have waited a long time for this game,
and we can't wait to play it either!
How did you first meet Orson Scott Card? How did you end up collaborating on the screenplay for Advent Rising?
Geremy Mustard:
Donald and I had the core idea for Advent Rising since we were much
younger and as we began to make plans for the game, we were really
interested in seeing if we could get feedback from an accomplished
science fiction author to see if our ideas all made sense. I don't
think we ever actually thought we'd convince anyone to help us, but we
thought we'd at least give it a try. Orson Scott Card was our first
choice and we were able to track him down and pitch him our idea.
He's
been approached many times before and doesn't usually get involved with
work on games, but he agreed to meet with us for 30 minutes. We ended
up spending about four hours with him, after which he offered his
assistance with the game. It was amazing to be able to work with
someone whose work we had admired since we were both very young. Our
work on Advent was able to build a very strong foundation of friendship
and trust and we all hoped we'd have the chance to collaborate on
something bigger in the future.
How soon after you began work
on Advent Rising did you start discussing the possibility of working on
an Ender's Game title? What factors were involved in the negotiations?
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